Pokémon Winds & Waves fans worry Pombon looks a bit too familiar

Cassette Beasts fans wonder if the new fire starter takes a specific inspiration for its design

Any starter for a new Pokémon generation will invite comparisons — to other monsters, to real creatures, and to other video games. You've probably already heard some of these associations. Browt is obviously a green Angry Bird. Gecqua? That's Sobble But Better. The fiery Pomeranian Pombon could be likened to all sorts of things, from the annoying dog in Undertale to a laundry list of canine Pokémon. Chatter like this is normal and expected, but at least one resemblance is making Pokémon fans raise their eyebrows.

When players of the indie turn-based RPG Cassette Beasts first saw Pombon last week, they couldn't help but think of a specific creature that features heavily in the Pokémon-inspired monster-collecting game. The doggo is all over the promotional materials for the indie game, from Cassette Beasts' key art on digital storefronts to the banners on the game's many social media accounts. Ostensibly, the creature could be considered the Cassette Beasts' mascot.

Like Pombon, the monster in question is also a fire-based orange Pomeranian. OK, big whoop: There are plenty of video game poms who fit the bill. Orange is a standard Pomeranian coat color. But beyond the elemental and design similarities, what's got people squinting their eyes is the fact the Cassette Beasts' monster is specifically called Pombomb.

Cassette Beasts developer Bytten Studio did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but fans of the well-regarded open world pixel art adventure are already comparing and contrasting.

"The design itself is really cute, the name is absolutely copying," one Cassette Beasts fan declares.

"I thought I was going crazy," another stated.

Though the game pushes the monster-battling idea into a more Persona-like direction, Cassette Beasts' Pokémon influence is obvious and at the forefront of the game's appeal. But what are the chances that at least one Pokémon developer or translator would be one of the 1.1 million people who played the 2023 indie RPG where fans can fuse creatures together? In a post-Palworld industry, and with Nintendo's notorious litigiousness, it's not impossible that at least someone at Game Freak is aware of Cassette Beasts.

"In this game, you don’t 'catch' creatures; you analyze and replicate them," one Steam review reads. "This does mean you might feel slightly less 'bonded' to the monsters themselves (as your primary emotional connection is with your human companions); but it grants you total freedom to experiment with attack combinations and builds without the 'guilt' of forcing a wild animal to fight for you. It feels more like tactical mastery than pet ownership."

Just as likely, though, is that it's all just a bewildering coincidence where two studios arrived at a similar destination after pursuing a Pomeranian-based design. There are only so many directions a magical Pomeranian can take, and only so many puns one can derive from that idea. We also don't know if Pombon's evolutionary line might make the actual Pokémon end up with a totally different vibe than the Cassette Beasts' iteration.

Besides, for some fans, it's not about pointing fingers. If anything, some Cassette Beasts fans are just thrilled that Pombon might end up being good PR for a game that went somewhat under the radar. Cassette Beasts was well-regarded at launch and sold pretty well for an indie game, but Pokémon's audience is both massive and mainstream. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet alone have sold 28 million copies on Switch, making them some of the most successful games available on what will soon become the best-selling console of all time. The trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves has already been viewed millions upon millions of times across social media.

Cassette Beasts has seen a small but notable jump in concurrent players since the announcement of Pokémon Winds and Waves despite being two years old. Another coincidence? You decide.