Pokémon's True Rival Finally Lands On Nintendo Switch And PC

In the year of 2026 Pokémon finally has some actual competition when it comes to creature-catching and battling games.

Many have tried to boot the Pokémon franchise off its pedestal but none have succeeded. Palworld gave it a good go but beyond the ‘Pokémon with guns’ gimmick it fell short.

That all changes now though as a true rival has emerged to stake its claim for the throne, and it’s available now on Nintendo Switch and PC.

The Pokémon Rival That Could Actually Put Up A Fight

LumenTale: Memories of Trey is a self-confessed “captivating Monster Collector RPG set in a beautiful and enchanting world set in a beautiful and enchanting world.”

The game’s story follows Trey who teams up with the Animon, a collection of creatures you’ll bond and fight with over the course of the game.

It boasts 140 Animon separated into 13 different elemental types, all of which have their own strengths and weaknesses you’ll need to learn.

Like Pokémon you’ll need to catch these monsters in order to add them to your team, or battle them to boost the strength of your current party.

Battles can take the form of a traditional 1v1 or go all the way up to 4v4, which is something even Nintendo's exclusive franchise doesn’t support yet.

Team17

You’ll also be able to trade members of your team with other Animo trainers, and there’s even a bit of base building to get stuck in with if you like that sort of thing.

What really makes LumenTale: Memories of Trey stand out though are the visuals. The game is gorgeous with a mix of 2D sprites and 3D models that are shaded to suit the overall artstyle.

It’s the kind of graphics we’d love to see a modern Pokémon game try one day. Don’t get us wrong, Pokémon Winds And Waves looks gorgeous. It’s by far the prettiest game in the series yet and we’d hope it would be given how it’s being developed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2.

Some of the sauce was definitely lost though when the series fully embraced 3D visuals, and if any more remakes are on the cards we’d love to see them improve upon the original artworkrather than reinvent it.

That’s just another recent to check out LumenTale: Memories of Trey though, it’s got that classic feel to it whilst still owning some modern improvements.

As we said before you can grab the game on the Nintendo Switch/Nintendo Switch 2 or PC. There’s no demo available unfortunately but the game isn’t too pricey, and it’s even on sale via the Steam Store right now.

Out of all the potential Pokémon rivals we’ve seen so far, LumenTale: Memories of Trey feels like one that could actually give the titanic franchise a run for its money, so here’s hoping it becomes a series.

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