Steam freebie is the Pokémon and Stardew Valley hybrid of our dreams

This upcoming monster-catching simulator looks like a fun blend between Pokémon and Stardew Valley, and it can be yours to try right now for free (if you’re lucky).

Fantamon is an upcoming “Stardew Valley-meets-Pokemon experience” on Steam that looks to be taking a page out of Palworld’s book, by mixing one genre of a different game with Pokémon– and in this case, said genre is faming-sims.

“Build habitats, catch Fantamon, collect their produces and test their combat potential on battles to earn credits at college,” reads the description on Steam.

“Explore the universe to discover and learn about different Fantamon in different towns… Inspired by farm-sim and monster-collecting games, you will collect different Fantamon and train them up, learning about their combat potential to earn credits at college. Explore the universe to learn about and unlock different Fantamon in different towns.”

Now, there is one odd thing about this game I haven’t quite been able to figure out from a light bit of research… why the hell are there two different versions of it, by different developers and publishers?

First up, and assumedly originally, you have Fantamon, developed and published by Studio Swee. Separately, however, you also have Fantamon: Definitive Edition, developed and published by 17 Pages. Both of these games look identical, and both are on Steam.

I have no idea what’s going on here, but Fantamon: Definitive Edition has a demo, whereas Fantamon doesn’t (although you can apply to be a part of its playtest, if you want).

I would usually assume that the “Definitive Edition” is just a new version of the previously released game, but… the original Fantamon isn’t even out yet. In fact, neither of the two versions of Fantamon actually have a release date.

Well, whatever is going on, feel free to try both and I guess wishlist your favourite? Or both. If they’re actually in any way different.