Monsters Invade: Oz Preview

What if famed Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum had been able to peek ahead into the future and seen Pokémon‘s massive popularity? And what if he decided to include Nintendo’s pocket monster-style battles into his literature? Would the flying monkeys’ attack on Tin Man be considered “super effective?” Would Toto have launched himself at the tornado at the story’s opening, possibly with disastrous results? We’ll never know, but there are others who are willing to cross-breed the properties. Little Box, for instance, is working on an iOS RPG that brings monster fighting to the merry old Land of Oz.

By
Share this
  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter

Pokémon-style fighting comes to Oz in Monsters Invade: Oz.

What if famed Wizard of Oz author Frank L. Baum had been able to peek ahead into the future and seen Pokémon‘s massive popularity? And what if he decided to include Nintendo’s pocket monster-style battles into his literature? Would the flying monkeys’ attack on Tin Man be considered “super effective?” Would Toto have launched himself at the tornado at the story’s opening, possibly with disastrous results? We’ll never know, but there are others who are willing to cross-breed the properties. Little Box, for instance, is working on an iOS RPG that brings monster fighting to the merry old Land of Oz.

Monsters Invade: Oz is a casual role-playing game that lets players train and battle a host of adorable monsters that just so happen to be hanging around the Yellow Brick Road. There are over 100 monsters in all to collect and battle, and each critter has its own skills and charms. As you work your way through the game’s six worlds, you come across a multitude of quests and battles. The controls are gesture-based and easy to dive into. Winning battles depends on executing timing-based commands correctly.

Monsters Invade: Oz features hand-drawn graphics, bright colors, and smooth animations. Its peppy soundtrack is orchestrated by David J. Franco, the composer behind Scribblenauts. Maybe Baum never wrote a passage about Dorothy using her fire breath on a Kalidah, but at least arena battles will have a chance to exist in Oz.

Monsters Invade: Oz

Monsters Invade: Oz is free-to-play, and will be available on June 19.

In the early aughts, Nadia fell into writing with the grace of a brain-dead bison stumbling into a chasm. Over the years, she's written for Nerve, GamePro, 1UP.com, USGamer, Pocket Gamer, Just Labs Magazine, and many other sites and magazines of fine repute. She's currently About.com's Guide to the Nintendo 3DS at ds.about.com.