Retro-inspired open-world creature-collector sandbox adventure game MonCraft 199X announced for PC

Planned for an Early Access release.

Indie Pogo developer Lowe Bros. Studios has announced MonCraft 199X, a retro-inspired open-world creature-collector sandbox adventure game set in an alternate reality where the “Y2Katastrophe” destroyed civilization. It will launch first in Early Access for PC via Steam. A release date was not announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About
Step into the strange, yet nostalgic world of MonCraft 199X—a retro-inspired sandbox adventure. The game is set in an alternate reality where the “Y2Katastrophe” destroyed civilization. You’ll explore vast nature, abandoned cities, underground facilities, and bizarre landmarks swallowed by corruption, mystery, and monsters.
Forage supplies, craft tools, build shelters, tame creatures, battle dangerous enemies, uncover hidden lore, and survive in a world where ‘safety’ is just a wish. Whether you spend your time monster-hunting, decorating your home base, exploring strange locations with friends, or uncovering long-buried secrets, every action shapes your adventure.
The world of MonCraft 199X is equal parts cozy nostalgia, eerie mystery, chaotic survival, and creature-collecting obsession.

Key Features
Retro-inspired visuals with modern gameplay systems.
Massive interconnected open world full of depth and excitement.
Capture, train, evolve, and battle unique monsters.
Up to eight-player online multiplayer exploration.
Equippable badges that give your trainer new abilities.
Dynamic day/night cycle that affects Mon spawning.
Build, customize, and decorate your own home, ranch, or secret base.
Character progression, upgrades, and unlockable equipment.
Deep crafting, scavenging, and resource management.
Rare monster hunting and hidden encounters.
Dangerous dungeons, crime zones, and boss encounters.
Lore hidden through environmental storytelling, rumors, and discoveries.
Monster Mechanics
Mon are more than just battle partners. You can send them out freely whenever and wherever you choose. Any and all of your team can follow you as you explore, and even help collect resources and remove roadblocks. Unlock the “ALL” command for quickly controlling your entire party!
Explore Freely
Travel across towns, forests, ruins, underground bunkers, deserts, lakes, mountains, and forgotten facilities. The range of exploration grows as you catch Mon with unique traversal skills, learn new crafting recipes, and collect materials. Be on the lookout for chests with randomly generated equipment!
Capture and Train Monsters
Weaken monsters in battle, capture them, and add them to your growing collection. Every monster has unique stats, skills, elemental affinities, and evolution paths.
Build and Survive
Gather resources to craft weapons, tools, storage, furniture, and upgrades. Create anything from a tiny hideout to a sprawling survival compound.
Play Solo or Together
Adventure alone or explore the world with friends online. Trade monsters, build together, fight bosses, or simply survive the weirdness side-by-side.
The Mon
Not long after the “Y2Katastrophe” hit, animals went extinct. Reports of Mon with fantastical abilities started manifesting in their place. Members of the Trainer’s Guild possess an endless thirst for knowledge. As you scan, collect, and live with Mon, turn in that data for rewards!
Not every creature is hostile. Some can become loyal companions, powerful battle partners, mounts, workers, or protectors for your base. The choice is yours!
Collectors, battlers, breeders, and explorers will all discover different reasons to hunt for the rarest creatures in the world…and perhaps even Shiny variants.
Your Mission
Survive long enough to uncover the truth. Explore the remains of a broken world. Build a life in the aftermath of the collapse. Discover hidden facilities and emerging technologies. Capture powerful monsters. Protect yourself from dangers spreading across the land. Most importantly:
Figure out what actually happened in 1999, before history disappears forever.

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Announce Trailer