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  1. Games
  2. RPGs
  3. Future Games Show

This quirky roguelike JRPG brings some deck building to the Pokemon formula I didn't know I needed until now

News
By Iain Harris published 20 August 2025

There are many Pokemon games and RPGs like it, but few implement the cards the series is known for like this

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Serial World takes the Pokemon formula as you know it, but adds roguelike and deck-building elements in a way that pulls my attention more than the myriad of other Poke-likes that come across my screen.

As you'll see from a new trailer shown at the Future Games Show at gamescom, the start is fairly familiar. You're a kid in a sleepy town who is about to pick a pocket pal and set out on an adventure.

  • Wishlist Serial World on Steam now

But then, things start to look different. Something strange is going down and we're here to get to the bottom of it. Doing that involves taking to dungeons with your trio of 'Anima' and navigating ever-changing map systems with skills and traits you pick up along the way, offering a card-based element to all the turn-based battles you'll be doing. From Pokemon to the likes of Temtem, I do enjoy a turn-based bout but the addition of cards is a cute nod to Pokemon's own trading cards.

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  • In Pokemon Pokopia, the transformed Ditto trainer takes a selfie looking aghast in front of a glowing piece of land where a relic is buried I've spent 20 hours in Pokemon Pokopia obsessing over its mysterious world and what it hides beneath the surface
  • Pokemon Pokopia screenshot Pokemon Pokopia review: "A brilliantly bizarre blend of Pokemon and Animal Crossing"

Here's the story blurb from Steam:

"When Milo discovers a monstrous door on the outskirts of Bricktown, he’s thrown into a strange new world full of fantastical creatures, zany enemies, and seemingly endless dungeon mazes. Each time he finds an exit, he suddenly wakes up at home in bed, and the journey begins again.

"Little by little, things in Bricktown begin to change, and as the days repeat, Milo slowly begins to unravel the truth of these otherworldly experiences."

If you’re looking for more excellent games from today's Future Games Show, have a look at our official Steam page.

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CATEGORIES
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Iain Harris
Iain Harris
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News Editor, Games

I joined GamesRadar+ in May 2022 following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When I'm not running the news team on the games side, you'll find me putting News Editor duties to one side to play the hottest JRPG of 20 years ago or pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new cloak – the more colourful, the better.

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