Update: As promised, here's your friendly reminder that Laxidaze's Kickstarter is now live! The campaign's aiming to earn $25,000 in funding and has 30 days to do just that.

Original Article (Fri 14th May, 2021 19:30 BST): Indie developer Machine Elf Studios is going big with its debut title, hoping to create an intriguing fusion of games like Pokémon, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Monster Hunter.

Laxidaze is a "monster-taming action RPG set in a cyber-funk future that features third-person combat and social-sim gameplay." It has players taking on the role of a character who quits their "soulless" job to become a bounty hunter, but chaos soon ensues when their ex-employer is outed as an abusive company; you'll soon team up with monsters and other bounty hunters to rebel against those doing you wrong.

Speaking to Nintendo Life, Machine Elf's Andrew and Michael explain that development started on the game around a year ago. They say the game is "heavily inspired by Pokémon and Final Fantasy VII Remake," and that they "wanted to make a game that combined all the things we loved from our favourite games."

The game's not predicted to launch until 2023, but a Kickstarter goes live early next week to generate funding. Make sure to keep an eye on that if you're interested, and check out this (very) early feature list for more:

•Create your own bounty hunting team and recruit other bounty hunters and Nanims (tamable monsters) to aid you in your quest to liberate Cascadia.

•Fight through the wilds of Cascadia in a real time third person combat system or utilize the game's Tactical Mode to slow down time and choose your moves.

•Use the profits from your bounties to manage and upgrade both your home and the community.

•Explore the urban and wild landscapes of Cascadia and discover its many towns, wacky citizens, and hidden secrets.

•Recruit, evolve, and fight alongside Nanims as you complete quests in Laxidaze.

•Level up your companions' friendship links by hanging out with (and even romancing!) them to unlock new armors, quests, and weapons.

•Play with your friends in various Co-Op dungeons and battle arenas or fight it out to see who has the best build in PvP battles

Laxidaze

It certainly looks like one to keep an eye on, doesn't it? We'll make sure to look out for that Kickstarter going live and update this article when it does, but until then, feel free to share your thoughts on the game in the comments.