NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters

• DEVELOPER: DiceHit Games, Rogue Duck Interactive
• PUBLISHER: Rogue Duck Interactive, The 4 Winds Entertainment
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Inventory Management / Auto Battler
• RELEASE DATE: September 30, 2024
• STARTING PRICE: 11,79 €
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters offers a fresh twist on the inventory management, auto-battler, and monster-collecting genres. While it bears similarities to Backpack Battles, NeoDuel introduces unique mechanics, such as using Essence and Cosmions to power up your creatures and create complex synergies. It’s a multiplayer game with daily, weekly, and global leaderboards, which adds a competitive edge.

Core Gameplay

At the heart of NeoDuel is managing and upgrading Cosmions (creatures) in your backpack-like inventory. You use Essence to evolve these creatures, and managing the limited space in your bag while creating synergies between your creatures is key to success. This mechanic is engaging and allows plenty of room for experimenting with different strategies and builds.

The game is built around PvP tournaments where you face off against opponents over several rounds. Each round gives you a set amount of money to spend on items in the shop, which offers a random selection of Cosmions, energies, and inventory spaces. You can reroll the shop for a small fee or lock items you want to keep for the next round. However, I never quite felt like I was really playing against another player, as the matchmaking system wasn’t clear, and I didn’t understand how my opponents were being selected.

As an auto-battler, once you set up your team, the battles play out automatically. You can hover over your Cosmions to see their abilities, but you don’t have much control during the fight, so your success relies heavily on pre-battle strategy. You get five lives per tournament, allowing for a few mistakes, but do keep in mind you’ll be losing a lot until you eventually find a strategy that works for you.

Game Balance and Mechanics

The Cosmions you collect fall into various elemental categories like fire, water, and electricity. Rarer Cosmions tend to be stronger and have more powerful abilities. Many Cosmions come with attack stats and abilities like burn or poison, or even healing and shielding. You also need to consider how Essences and status effects play into your strategy. For example, deciding whether to focus on healing or inflicting burn damage can make a big difference in battle.

Unfortunately, the game’s balance still needs work. The link system, which is crucial for activating buffs and bonuses, is unclear, and it’s hard to tell if you’re getting the most out of your Cosmions. Even after many hours of play, I found myself wondering whether it was better to focus on creatures of the same element or mix and match for broader bonuses. The game allows you to choose up to three special perks as you progress, but it never fully explains how to optimize these for the best results.

Some parts of the game feel underdeveloped. For example, switching bags is frustrating — you have to remove all the items first, which makes adjusting your setup during matches unnecessarily tedious. Picking up and rotating items in the limited storage space also feels clunky, often requiring multiple attempts to place things where you want.

One of NeoDuel’s strengths is its fast-paced gameplay. Each tournament run feels fresh because of the randomized shop and different strategies you can employ. The game doesn’t carry over anything from run to run, so each time you start, it’s a clean slate, encouraging you to experiment and refine your tactics.

The art style is another highlight. The creatures are well-designed, and the game’s colorful aesthetic is charming, appealing even to players who might not normally be drawn to cute designs. However, the game sorely lacks animations during battles. Watching the action unfold feels static, and adding more visual effects, like attacks or spells, would make the experience far more engaging.

Final Verdict

There are so many fascinating things you can do in this game. What really hooked me was the incredible amount of experimentation it offers. I challenged myself to boost my character’s shield to 500 and kept stacking it higher. I also aimed to achieve 100 healing every two seconds. It’s exciting how the game lets you use multiple same creatures, and right now, my goal is to fill the entire board with only legendary ones.

That said, NeoDuel is a promising game with plenty of potential. The developers are actively working on free updates, including new synergies and creatures, which shows they’re committed to improving the experience. If you enjoyed Backpack Battles and are looking for more in the same style, NeoDuel is worth trying. But if you’re expecting a polished experience right from the start, you may want to wait until the game receives further updates and refinements.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.2