Powermon (파워몬스터, 威力寶貝) is a Korean/Taiwanese Pokémon PC platformer released at an unknown date by ID Software (not to be confused with id Software). This game is quite notable compared to other bootlegs due to its use of pre-rendered 3D graphics. In Powermon 3, Pikachu's in-game model was updated, being given pink cheeks and slightly better animation. The Taiwanese port was licensed by BerrySoft (草莓軟體, sometimes StrawberrySoft), a company known for their licensed Taiwanese exclusive MegaMan games.
While not much is known about the development of Powermon, it can be inferred there are at least 5 games in the series: Powermon, 2, 3, and two compilation disks: 1+2 and 1+2+3. Unlike its later counterparts, Powermon is the only game in the series to have been made in Mandarin, while the rest of the series — 2, 3, and the compilation disks — were all made in Korean.
Gameplay[]
The player controls a Pikachu with a Sentret-like tail, and the goal of the game is to reach the house at the end of the stage all while avoiding enemies, which are designed to resemble Pokémon, albeit with slightly altered appearances.
Pikachu in this game navigates through jumping and flying through the use of his ears, and his attack consists of throwing vague ball-shaped objects. 1, 2, and 3 all have different objects to throw (gray balls, baseballs, and green spiked balls respectively) but they all function the same. From Powermon 2 and onward, Pikachu also has a special attack where he shoots out a fireball from his mouth.
In all three games, Pikachu has two stat indicators: one for flight and one for health. In Powermon, these indicators are represented by two bars: a meter for health and a green bar for flight. In Powermon 2 and onward, the health and flight meters are replaced by two Pikachu icons on either side of the top screen, red for health and blue for flight. As well, Powermon 2 introduces a new feature that would become a staple: a meter that increases slowly every time you defeat an enemy. Increasing said meter will level up your fireball attack to make it more powerful.
Powermon 1, 2, and 3 gameplay can be seen here, here, and here.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Powermon/gallery
Trivia[]
- Some PCs run the game extremely slow, not even reaching half of the speed it is supposed to run at. Video of how the game should play can be seen here.
- The crab enemy looks slightly similar to Dwebble, a Pokémon that was introduced in 2010.