Cassette Beasts 2002, the sequel to the 2023 monster collector, just had a Showcase detailing the new stuff that will come when the game releases in March 2027. Let's have a look at everything that was announced and see what's coming in the game!
Getting up to speed
First of all, what is Cassette Beasts? As mentioned, it's a monster collector game, similar to Pokémon. There are a few things setting this game apart, of course, namely that all fights are 2v2, moves can be moved between the titular Beasts very easily, and you're able to fuse any two beasts together for more power.
Unlike Pokémon, you don't catch the Beasts themselves. Rather, you record them on a cassette player and transform into them, then you fuse with your companion. There are about half a dozen different companions you can recruit and befriend (and bemorethanfriend), each of them unique in their own way. What I'm saying is, game is good, go play!
Cassette Beasts 2002 is going to expand on a lot of these aspects, as a good sequel should. No point in mentioning which here, we'll bring them up in the following sections as they pop up. So let's get to it!
New companions, new voices
The companion system from the first game makes a return, and it's bigger than ever! You'll now be able to partner up with 12 new companions, fighting alongside them and building your relationship with them. So far we know about half of them, and you can take a closer look at each in the image above.
All the characters are now fully voice acted. While the first game had some voice work, it was short phrases and some grunts. Now, the characters are getting full voices to bring them to life. They'll also have more in-depth interactions between each other, rather than mostly with the player.
New me, who dis?
Without spoiling the original game's story too much, your character there was basically a blank slate just trying to get back home. 2002 expands on who you are with Origins, which allow you to choose a reason for why you do what you do.
The Showcase presented two paths: One where you're looking for a missing friend, and another where you get a drawing from your childhood and want to figure out where it came from. Each path will have a dedicated storyline that runs parallel to the main story, so this should boost replayability.
Well, there's a third path: Using your old save! Yes, you can import your character from the first game, which will affect your relationships and will give you the backstory that you also know what's happening to an extent. The import works via code and is cross-platform, so if you played the game on PC and want to play the sequel on Switch 2, you can. You're not getting any of your old Beasts, though.
Don't call it a nemesis
The way recording was presented in the first game meant that all the Beasts would run away after you defeated them. In fact, unlike Pokemon, "catching" a beast doesn't mean the fight was over, you still had to reduce its health to 0. And if that happened while you were recording it, it wouldn't run away when that was done, so you wouldn't have to worry about it "fainting" before you added it to your collection.
Well, that's getting expanded upon with the Rogue system! After a Beast is defeated, it'll run away, change its typing and name, and start hating you personally. It'll have special moves that counter what you're doing, attack you when you're wondering the world, set up traps for you to fall into-
It's the Nemesis System. For legal reasons (because it's patented and it won't expire for at least another 10 years) , they can't call it that. It also works differently in a few ways, but it's totally the Nemesis System form the Shadow of Mordor/War games. And it might be the most exciting new mechanic in the new game.
New Beasts on the block
Obviously, there are going to be new Beasts for you to collect. That's a given. If we're talking exact numbers, there are 120 new Beasts, plus all the ones from the first game, for a total of over 260 Beasts for you to find and add to your collection.
In the original game, you had a choice of two starters: Candevil and Bansheep. Each of them would evolve - or rather Remix, to use CB's proper terminology - into two Beasts, which would further Remix into one more each. That's a total of 4 final choices for you to end up with. All these beasts would be obtainable in the late game.
2002 dials things back to only one starter with 3 possible Remixes. That seems like a downgrade, but it does mean you won't be forced to make a starter choice with basically zero information. Besides, we don't know how many Remixes each of those have, so if it's two more for each, you can have up to 6 final evolutions for your starter.
More players means more fun
The game's multiplayer has been greatly upgraded. You're now able to go hunting for beasts with up to 6 other people, either as part of a private session, or with complete strangers. You can even continue the story together, and if you record a Beast while another player is part of that battle, they get it as well.
The big loss is the lack of local co-op. You can no longer play with another player with the same game, on the same couch.
2000's totally tubular tunes!
With a name like "Cassette Beast", you'd expect a great soundtrack, and the original delivers in spades! The music, composed by Joel Baylis with vocals by Shelby Harvey, is bombastic and energetic. All the battle tracks, while purely instrumental normally, will add vocals the moment you fuse.
2002 is looking like it'll have an even grater soundtrack. Aside from Baylis and Harvey returning, we're also getting a variety of guest singers for other songs. So far we have Get Loud ft. Nat James, and Ages of Change ft. Johnny Gioeli of Crash 40 fame. The Showcase also teased the song Labyrinth, but it appears it wasn't published yet because they hate me!
Are you excited about Cassette Beasts 2002? Have you played the original game? Let us know in the comments below!
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