Cassette Beasts 2002

Cassette Beasts 2002 is a new entry in the Cassette Beasts monster-collecting series, with a fresh story that can be played by newcomers or by returning players who import their character from the first game. The player arrives in a quiet London neighbourhood and is drawn into Nodnol, a land of beasts that exists in the shadow of the real world. The story centres on an occultist named Westerley and the question of what they intend for both worlds.

In battle, players record beasts onto cassette tapes and play them back to transform into those beasts. Any two beasts can be fused together, producing more than 57,000 fully animated fusion forms. Alchemy can be used during fights to add buffs and debuffs alongside attacks, or to change an opponent’s elemental type. Beasts may also break out of their roles and rebel, and these rogue beasts learn from the player’s battle techniques, adapt, and return as new challenges.

There are twelve companions who can be befriended, recruited and romanced. They are fully voice acted, and each has their own motivations, story and gameplay perks. Deepening a bond unlocks more powerful fusions in battle. Online multiplayer allows players to explore Nodnol together, trade tapes, record beasts and fight side by side in any encounter, including story battles. The soundtrack is composed by Joel Baylis, who also worked on the first game, and includes vocals from Shelby Harvey, Johnny Gioeli and others.