During the 2025 Tokyo Game Show, Pawprint Studio unveiled some of the new creatures players have to look forward to in its upcoming open-world action RPG, Aniimo. Immediately dubbed a clone of Pokemon and Palworld when first revealed, the developers of Aniimo think their game offers some unique elements that will even attract fans of those established communities.
Aniimo was officially revealed during the Xbox Games Showcase in June, offering a creature-catching experience set on the world of Idyll. One of the standout differences from the titles it’s being compared to are the hyper realistic graphics that may help immerse players deeper into the game world. The other notable difference is that the human player character, known as a Pathfinder, can “twine” with the Aniimo encountered along the way, creating a spiritual connection that allows them to embody a creature and explore the expansive world, do battle, and leverage the animal’s unique abilities.
Aniimo Gives a Look at Some More Unique Creatures
Some of the creatures were revealed during the original game announcement and more were uncovered during the closed beta test that took place in June. But during the Xbox Tokyo Game Show event on September 25, even more Aniimo were shared with fans. Stellaris is the evolution of Celestis, a flying squirrel. This new critter has different versions, and its Rainy Form, which only occurs when a wild Celestis evolves on a rainy day, was shown in the TGS trailer.
Also shown in the trailer was an interaction between a flying Helgon and a group of Helmuts. Usually, a Helmut Aniimo will evolve into a Rookguard, but those who face off with the evolved form of Helgon, called Infregon, will become a Pawney. Also briefly visible in the trailer was a new version of an Ignitis, an electrical white mantis, which players will get to meet during the next Aniimo beta test. In that same scene, viewers may also have caught a glimpse of the final newcomers — the Snowfield Forms of Skippy, Pranky, and Glacy, which appear when the creatures are in cold, snowy environments.
An official release date for Aniimo has not yet been confirmed, but pre-registrations are currently open and the game is expected sometime in 2026. It will be a Play Anywhere title for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, and Xbox Cloud, and will also be available on mobile. Aniimo may take inspiration from Palworld and Pokemon, and many of the creatures are reminiscent of animals from those IPs, but developer Pawprint Studio seems to be taking steps to differentiate the game from its inspirations. And the company is using feedback from the beta tests, past and yet to come, to tweak the player experience.