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What would you think if I told you that
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a creature-catching game that achieved
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massive success in China is preparing
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to enter the international market,
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while another rival officially launched
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globally this past September? They are
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Roco Kingdom World and Animo. On one
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side is Roco Kingdom World, a title
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from Tencent with a brand that has a
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long history in China, featuring
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hundreds of creatures, a turn-based
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combat system, and team-building
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mechanics heavily inspired by Pokémon.
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On the other side is Animo, a game with
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bright graphics, a colorful open world,
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real-time action combat, and, uniquely,
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an embodiment ability that allows
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players to transform directly into the
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creatures they capture. Notably, Animo
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was released in September. Meanwhile,
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Roco Kingdom World is preparing to open
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a global closed beta test this coming
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October 27th. So, between these two
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games, which one is actually the most
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like Pokémon? Will Animo have the
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advantage due to its earlier release
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and distinct gameplay, or will Roco
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Kingdom World leverage its success in
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China to conquer international gamers?
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Today, let’s analyze it with The Gioi
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Game Viet. Is Roco Kingdom World's
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success in China enough to conquer the
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world? First, we have to talk about
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Roco Kingdom World. If you didn't know,
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Roco Kingdom is not a new brand that
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emerged just to chase the
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creature-catching game trend. This is a
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game series that has existed for many
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years in China, associated with the
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childhood of a segment of gamers in
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this market. The Roco Kingdom World
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version takes the brand to a new level
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with a 3D open world, where players
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explore the continent of Carosia and
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capture over 400 species of creatures
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called Genies. The appeal of the game
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lies in the fact that the Genies are
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not just creatures to collect; players
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can also train them, develop their
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strength, use them in battle, and
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leverage their abilities to explore the
1:32
world. Additionally, the game features
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activities like riding creatures,
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interacting with friends, decorating
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homes, and farming. This makes Roco
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Kingdom World not just a
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creature-catching game, but one that
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aims to build an online world where
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players can live alongside their
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creatures. And this is precisely Roco
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Kingdom's major advantage in China. The
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game already has a long-standing brand
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and a familiar player community. When a
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new version launches, many have a
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reason to return because they know what
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Ro Kingdom is and can carry memories
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from previous versions. However, when
2:00
entering the international market, the
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story is completely different.
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Vietnamese or Western gamers may not
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necessarily be familiar with this brand
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. To them, Ro Kingdom World might just
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be another monster-catching game,
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making it easy to compare with Pokemon.
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This will be the game's biggest
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challenge. How can it turn success in
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China into real global appeal? Animo, a
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monster-catching game with a different
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direction. While Ro Kingdom World has a
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brand advantage in China, Animo chooses
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a quite different approach. Developed
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by Pop Prin Studio, Animo combines
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creature collection with open-world
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action RPG elements. The game draws
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attention with its bright graphics,
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cute creature designs, and colorful
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exploration environments. But in my
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opinion, the most valuable part of
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Animo isn't just the graphics, but its
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"Twine" mechanic. Instead of just
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catching creatures and standing back to
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command them, players can merge,
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transforming directly into the Animo to
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use their abilities. This creates a
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significant difference in gameplay. The
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creatures you collect not only boost
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your team's strength but also open up
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different ways to fight and explore the
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world. Combined with a real-time combat
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system, Animo offers a more proactive
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feel. Players must directly control
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their characters, moving, using skills,
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and reacting to unfolding situations. I
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personally find this an interesting
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development direction because if it
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were just creature-catching and an open
3:18
world, Animo would easily be compared
3:19
to Pokemon. But the merging mechanic
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helps the game establish its own
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identity, giving players another reason
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to experience it. And this is also an
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advantage when reaching out to the
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international community. Players don't
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necessarily have to be Pokemon fans to
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love Animo. They can be drawn to the
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game entirely for its graphics, action
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gameplay, and the sense of exploring
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its world. Which one is the real
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Pokemon? Now let's get into the most
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important part: comparing the gameplay
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of the two titles. First is the ability
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to capture and collect creatures. Both
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Roco Kingdom World and Animon focus on
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finding, capturing, and developing
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creatures. This is also the factor that
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makes both easily compared to Pokemon.
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Roco Kingdom World features over 400
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species of Chini, while Animon
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encourages players to find creatures in
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different environments and conditions.
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Both create motivation for players to
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keep exploring, adding to their
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collection, and finding creatures that
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suit them. However, the biggest
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difference emerges when entering combat
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. Roco Kingdom World uses a turn-based
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combat system that incorporates
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elemental weaknesses, moves, and
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team-building strategies. Players must
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consider which Chini to choose, what
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skills to use, and how to counter their
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opponents. This formula is very close
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to traditional Pokemon. Meanwhile,
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Animon leans towards real-time action.
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Instead of choosing moves and waiting
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for turns, you directly control the
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character and utilize the creatures '
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abilities in battle. In particular, the
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ability to merge makes Animon more
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distinct. Players not only choose a
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creature to fight but can also directly
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wield its power. Therefore, regarding
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turn-based combat, elemental weaknesses
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, and team building, Roco Kingdom World
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is clearly more like Pokemon. But
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regarding the experience of creature
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catching combined with action,
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exploration, and utilizing creature
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abilities, Animon has its own path and
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feels more modern for those who prefer
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real-time gameplay. In short, Roco
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Kingdom World is more similar to
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Pokemon in terms of gameplay formula,
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while Animon is more distinct in how it
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makes creatures a direct part of the
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action experience. And being more like
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Pokemon does not necessarily mean it is
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better. These are two design directions
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intended for groups of players with
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different preferences. The
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international battle—this is the most
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interesting part. Animon launched
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internationally in September, while
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Roco Kingdom World is preparing to open
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a global closed beta test on October
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27th. Animon's advantage is quite clear
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. The game has had time to reach
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international gamers, build a community
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, and create gameplay content for
5:40
players to explore. Eye-catching
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graphics and the possession mechanic
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also help Animon easily make an
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impression through short videos. With
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just one sufficiently interesting
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gameplay clip, viewers can understand
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what makes the game different. However,
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launching first does not mean winning.
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A game can attract a lot of people in
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the early days. But what is more
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important is whether players continue
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to return. Animon still needs to prove
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the depth of its content, update
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capability, and creature development
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system are engaging enough to retain
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the community long-term. As for Ro
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Kingdom World, the biggest challenge is
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overcoming the brand barrier. In China,
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the game already has a community and a
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long history. But in the international
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market, the name Ro Kingdom may not
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necessarily create similar appeal. Even
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when looking at the creature system and
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turn-based combat, some gamers might
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quickly label it as a Chinese version
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of Pokémon. That is a real risk, but I
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don't think being compared to Pokémon
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will definitely cause Ro Kingdom to
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fail. If the game has a vivid world, a
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sufficiently deep combat system, and
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engaging online activities, it can
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absolutely build its own community.
6:36
Conversely, Animon cannot just rely on
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beautiful graphics and the possession
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mechanic. If it lacks long-term content
6:41
, the game still risks losing players
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after the initial experience phase. In
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my opinion, the two games have
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opportunities to compete in different
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segments. Animon is more suitable for
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those who like action and exploration.
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Ro Kingdom World can attract groups
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that love training, turn-based tactics,
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and social activities. My prediction on
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who will be more successful? If I have
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to make a prediction at this moment, I
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lean towards Animon in the race to
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attract the attention of the
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international community. The reason is
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that the game launched earlier, has an
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easily recognizable possession mechanic
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, and does not need to rely entirely on
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similarities to Pokémon to attract
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players. However, I do not have enough
7:15
basis to claim that Animon will be more
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successful in terms of revenue or
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longevity. Roco Kingdom World still has
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great potential thanks to its brand
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foundation in China, a wide variety of
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genes, and tactical gameplay. If the
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global version is well-localized, runs
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stably, and offers a distinct enough
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experience, the game can definitely
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build its own community. What I want to
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monitor after October 27th is not just
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the number of test participants, but
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also the feedback from international
7:37
gamers, the level of gameplay
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engagement, and the ability to keep
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players hooked after the first week.
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Because ultimately, the success of a
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creature-collecting game is decided not
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just by how many creatures there are to
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collect, but by whether players want to
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keep exploring that world for months or
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years. In short, if you ask which game
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is most like Pokemon, I choose Roco
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Kingdom World due to its turn-based
7:54
combat system, elemental weaknesses,
7:56
and team-building mechanics. But if you
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ask which game takes a more unique
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direction, combining creature catching
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with real-time action, I lean towards
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Animo thanks to its possession
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mechanics and open-world exploration
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experience. Regarding the international
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race, Animo has the first-mover
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advantage and is easier to make an
8:10
initial impression with. Meanwhile,
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Roco Kingdom World needs to prove that
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its success in China can translate into
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global appeal. And who knows, instead
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of having only one winner, both might
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thrive by evolving into two different
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directions for the creature-catching
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genre. How about you guys? Do you
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prefer turn-based combat and team
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building like in Roco Kingdom World, or
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do you prefer action, exploration, and
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possessing creatures like in Animo?
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Leave a comment below so we can discuss
8:31
it together. I’m The Gioi Game Viet.
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Don't forget to hit like, subscribe to
8:35
the channel, and turn on notifications
8:36
so you don't miss the latest info on
8:38
exciting games. Goodbye and see you all
8:40
in the next video. Oh.
