Considering how huge a franchise it is, it's surprising that Pokémon hasn't encountered stronger rivals over the decades. Sure, we've had the likes of Digimon come and go, but Game Freak's monster-battling series has had this niche genre effectively tied down since the '90s – although it would seem that things are changing in 2020.

We've already seen the indie title Temtem come to Steam, and that game was so successful at launch that its servers struggled to keep up with demand. We've now got another title on the horizon, and, like Temtem, it could be coming to the Switch.

Kindred Fates is described by developer Skymill Studios as a "love letter" to the open-world monster-battling RPG genre and, like Temtem, wears its influences on its sleeve. It certainly looks very much like Pokémon, and features elements like gyms and monster 'types' which are weak or strong against others, but it's doing some pretty unique things at the same time.

In Kindred Fates, combat occurs in real-time, and when one of your monsters (known as Kinfolk) falls in battle, they actually die rather than just faint. However, you can revive them if you pick up the blue flame which represents their soul. If you're unable to reach the flame before it burns out, then they're lost for good and their name will be etched on a memorial within the game. Kindred Fates also offers PvP battles and online trading.

So far, the game has raised over $17,000 of its $50,000 goal with 29 days remaining. If it reaches $155,000 in funding, then a Switch version will be secured.

[source kickstarter.com]