Summary

• Yaoling: Mythical Journey draws obvious inspiration from Pokémon, but offers a fully fleshed-out RPG experience with unique twists.
• The auto-battling feature in Yaoling: Mythical Journey caters to cozy gamers by providing minimal stress in combat with strategic elements.
• The game's attempt at balance falls short initially, with a lack of challenge in early stages that abruptly spikes in difficulty later on.

As part of an early access release, a new fantasy RPG has hit the market from indie developer and publisher Rayka Studios - Yaoling: Mythical Journey. This beautifully crafted world is home to many secrets, but the most notable aspect are unique collectible creatures known as Yaolings. As players begin their journey as Yaoling keepers, they will build their teams and face numerous challenges all to rid this whimsical world of a dangerous evil looming over it.

Upon beginning the game, players may experience a sense of familiarity with another well-known creature-collecting game, Pokémon. One of the first objectives the protagonist will be tasked with is the decision to choose their initial Yaoling companion. There are three options, each with a unique ability and damage type, known as Meep, Bungo, and Flenny. There is no right or wrong answer here as it simply marks the start of your Yaoling keeper journey, not unlike receiving your first Pokémon from Professor Oak.

Full Immersion Is Hindered By Obvious Similarities To Other Media

As with all media, trends have played a major influence on new games, and generally, this is acceptable as being part of the routine of things. It’s one of the main reasons why we have like Soulslikes and Metroidvanias, with games clearly stating their inspiration material. However, when the similarities become too prominent, it can often be hard to fully embrace the new idea without the inspiration material casting a shadow over it, which unfortunately is sometimes the case with Yaoling: Mythical Journey.

Though there are several unique and wonderful ideas here, it’s nearly impossible to enjoy aspects of the game without feeling a direct reference to Pokémon. While this isn’t necessarily a negative on its own, it does open the door for comparison and creates an inability to escape into the world of Yaoling: Mythical Journey as its own thing, much like what recently occurred with Palworld, though not to the same degree. So much so that I often found myself referencing aspects of the game via their Pokémon equivalent, such as referring to the Yaoling Scroll as the Pokédex or the Schools as Gyms.

On the other hand, the similarities to Pokémon, and what Yaoling: Mythical Journey does better, are part of what creates so much of the appeal. Creature collecting is a huge part of Pokémon and Yaoling: Mythical Journey offers players a surprisingly large database right from the start. Additionally, all the joys of creature collecting have remained with both color variants and shinies available in the overworld for players to discover.

While the similarities are hard to ignore, Yaoling: Mythical Journey does do a great job of taking the core ideas of Pokémon and turning them into a fully fleshed-out RPG.

While Pokémon typically has a simplistic and straightforward goal, Yaoling: Mythical Journey takes it one step further by giving players additional damage types, enemies, and even a grand overarching plot that genuinely feels as though it has high stakes. When not battling, players are free to fish, craft, and engage in a ton of traditional cozy game activities as well as complete side missions. While the similarities are hard to ignore, Yaoling: Mythical Journey does do a great job of taking the core ideas of Pokémon and turning them into a fully fleshed-out RPG.

Auto-Battling Offers A Treat For Cozy Gamers

Though similar to Pokémon in many ways, the one area in Yaoling: Mythical Journey that seems to stand out is its auto-battles. Since Pokémon s a highly competitive scene, engaging in any kind of battle can often be intimidating for those looking to enjoy some of the cozier aspects of Pokémon. Yaoling: Mythical Journey makes an effort to remove most of that combat stress by utilizing a system centered around auto-battles.

Upon engaging with an opponent, the current party that players have active will appear as a roster at the bottom of the screen. Depending on how many Yaolings are permitted to battle, players will then utilize this roster to select their team. Though the actual fighting requires no input from the player, there are still several things that can influence the outcome. For example, while on the pre-battle screen, all of the enemy team will be populated, meaning that they can be analyzed for strengths and weaknesses, allowing players to counter accordingly.

Though it's not the same as selecting an individual attack in turn-based combat, it still offers a certain level of strategy for those who would like to have more input on their battles. Additionally, as the battle is commencing, players are encouraged to use any of their charms to sway the battle in their favor. These include offensive charms that deal specific types of damage as well as defensive charms that restore health. It may not have the intensity that some players are looking for, but it can make the difference between winning or losing in close matches.

Balanced Gameplay Is Nearly There With A Few Minor Tweaks

Having a balanced play style in games is a great thing, as cozy games often suffer from being too monotonous, while hardcore games are occasionally too intense. Unfortunately, while Yaoling: Mythical Journey appears to acknowledge this need for balance, the execution still falls a bit short. Early on, players are encouraged to explore the opening areas, build their team, and challenge the first few schools, but there’s virtually no genuine effort required to accomplish these tasks. Once you’ve quickly built up a team, the first few school bosses feel almost impossible to lose to, and with a small supply of charms available for these encounters, they remain entirely unnecessary, as does the need for strategizing type-matchups.

Though early-game areas shouldn't be brutal, difficult enemies are what initially encourage players to master combat aspects of a game. With no need to craft charms or understand Yaoling stats for the first several hours, players will struggle massively when suddenly faced with difficult enemies where it’s all but required. The enemy difficulty also seems to spike, rather than increase gradually. Players go from being able to breeze through bosses to having to spend a great deal of time strategizing almost instantaneously. While Yaoling: Mythical Journey has the right idea, the need for proper blending of these concepts is still apparent.

Final Thoughts

Though Yaoling: Mythical Journey bears several resemblances to Pokémon and titles like it, it still manages to stand on its own and highlight the aspects that made those other games so popular in the first place. With a surplus of content, a large map, and a strikingly long Yaoling compendium, players are guaranteed hours of enjoyment from this charming indie title, despite concerns regarding a balanced play style. Although Yaoling: Mythical Journey is not perfect, there’s no doubt that this fantasy RPG is likely to sweep many off their feet in the pursuit of a whimsical adventure.

Screen Rant was provided with a PC code for the purpose of this preview.