Cassette Beasts may feel familiar to fans of classic monster-taming RPGs, but its mechanics can be a bit overwhelming due to how different they are from traditional titles. From its unique combat system to its flexible monster customization, here are five key things you should know before diving in.

1. Understanding the Type System

Cassette Beasts features an elaborate type chart that functions differently from most games. Instead of simply increasing or reducing damage, elemental interactions cause buffs, debuffs, or status changes:

• Metal vs. Earth: Weakens the defender’s defenses.
• Poison vs. Metal: Applies contact damage, like spikes.

You’ll get a brief explanation the first time each reaction occurs, and there’s also a chart in one of the early books you receive. The red squares show negative effects for the attacker’s type, while green squares highlight beneficial outcomes for the defending type.

Mastering this system is crucial to planning effective strategies, such as applying buffs through weak attacks or switching monsters to capitalize on altered states.

2. Embrace the Sticker System

The sticker system is where Cassette Beasts truly shines. You can remove a monster’s moves as stickers and place them on another compatible monster. This allows you to customize your team with:

• Common to rare abilities with varied effects.
• Shop-exclusive moves that change daily.
• Multi-capture strategies, allowing you to farm monsters for specific moves.

For example, if you want a strong Air-type move with a specific AP cost, you can transfer it from another creature. While some moves are type-restricted, there’s still immense flexibility.

3. Unlocking Chests Requires Puzzles

Not all treasure chests are immediately accessible. If you stumble across a chest that won’t open, it usually means there’s a nearby puzzle or hidden switch you need to solve. Look around carefully and experiment with your traversal abilities—it’s often more about puzzle-solving than progression gating.

4. Materials Are Your Currency

Instead of gold, Cassette Beasts uses materials like:

• Plastic
• Metal
• Pulp/Wheat/Wood

You can earn these by opening chests or fighting wild monsters. If you’re running low on a specific material, target monsters associated with that element. For instance, plastic crabs found early in the game can be farmed to build your cassette inventory.

5. Five-Starring Monsters Unlocks Lore

Each monster you record adds a brief entry to your bestiary. However, if you raise a creature to five stars, you unlock additional lore and backstory. While it doesn’t offer gameplay tips or combat advantages, it adds rich worldbuilding and rewards completionists with deeper insights into their favorite beasts.

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Cassette Beasts offers a refreshingly innovative take on monster collection and battle strategy. Understanding these mechanics early on will set you up for a smoother experience and help you enjoy everything this unique title has to offer. Happy recording!