Etheremon is a a blockchain game that consistently ranks in the top three DApps in terms of usage. 1, 2. Attracted by its visual style, and the rampant popularity of games like Pokemon Go (147 million active users a month, currently), we tried it out ourselves to see if the game has the potential needed to bring blockchain gaming into the mainstream conciousness.
The best thing about Etheremon is its vibrant visual style represented in this giant collage of the "main cast" of Etheremon's.
The designs are creative and diverse enough to create a convincing collectibles experience. From a sheer numbers standpoint, Etheremons easily matches up to Pokemon Go, which has about 150 different Pokemons available.
It also seems the game has a highly active team behind it, as is seen on their Medium profile and by their frequency of releasing new features. In fact, they will be releasing a new "Adventure Mode" feature in the near future.
Whereas the signup process was very simple and pleasing, and Metamask integration proceeded without any troubles, the game lacks any kind of free gameplay. It is not possible to play using a Test Network (only real ETH can be used), and every action costs little chunks of Ether. For example, there are three beginner level Etheremons one can supposedly get for free, but gas fees and painfully long transaction times plague the experience. The initial excitement about the pretty interface and colorful characters is somewhat taken aback by having to constantly confirm little payments and wait for hours or days to see any progress in the game. The gameplay elements in the game are monetized as well and take time, so not much of interesting gameplay was experienced by the autor of this review.
All in all, some elements needed for a good game seem to be there and work on the game seems to be in progress, the absence of any kind of free gameplay is likely a big hurdle for most potential gamers. Not many customers are willing to pay out significant sums (top etheremon's are highly expensive) unless they are actually "hooked" to the gameplay and desirous for more extra features.
Thanks for reading!
