YouTuber Chadtronic's company Yojoyco Studios has revealed Poglings, a game inspired by the Chao Gardens from the Sonic Adventure games. The game is being developed in collaboration with Right Nice Games, which has created Skylar and Plux: Adventure on Clover Island.
Poglings is the first indie game made by Yojoyco Studios, and it brings players into the Wild Vine Islands where cute critters known as Poglings live. Players can raise, breed, and race these dragon-like creatures to complete quests and hatch rarer critters along the way. The title promises to enrich the world of the small island players call home with plenty of secrets and treasures to find, as well.
While Poglings has been in development as a concept for the last five years, according to Chadtronic, the game itself has been fully in the works since last year. Since then, Poglings has reportedly reached a point where it's roughly "70-to-75% finished," but the project needs some assistance to get to the end of its development cycle. As a result, Yojoyco aims to launch on Kickstarter later to crowdfund further support.
It's very easy to see what Poglings is inspired by. The island players will call home features palm trees, a large waterfall, and gray cliffs that are very reminiscent of the Chao Garden found in Sonic Adventure 2. While the inspiration from Sonic the Hedgehog's Chao raising mechanics is apparent, other simulation games such as Animal Crossing also play a role in what Poglings offers to enrich its experience.
However, despite these clear points of reference, the game stands on its own just fine. Considering how Sega hasn't done anything with the Chao Gardens over the last twenty years, Poglings is prime to fill the void the fan-favorite mechanic left in players' hearts with a new experience that makes what was old new again. As a result, interested gamers should be sure to keep an eye out for the Kickstarter campaign as it promises exclusive goodies that Chadtronic expects to sell out fast.
It's understandable if some fans are on the fence about Poglings, however, as the game has only been fully in development for about a year, yet it boasts lofty promises, such as over 400 possible different critters to hatch, while also having to flesh out what was originally just side content in the titles that inspired it. However, what's been shown so far looks rather impressive, so if fans are interested in a cute creature simulator heading toward Steam and the Nintendo Switch, Poglings might just be it.
Poglings is currently in development for PC and Nintendo Switch.