Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer LINE Corporation shared the LINE: Monster Rancher, a playful reminder the iconic franchise isn’t dead.

The most recent mainline release, or re-release in the franchise was Monster Rancher 1 & 2 DX, which has been available since December 2021 for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, and iOS. In case you missed it – you can find our thorough video and written review here.

Here’s the new LINE: Monster Rancher opening movie:

Here’s a rundown on the game:

LINE: Monster Rancher

The legendary nurturing game is now available as a completely new smartphone game! Raise your own monster and become the No. 1 breeder!

Monster Rancher was the first in the series to be released in 1997. It is a very popular simulation game that has attracted many users for its innovative playback system in which monsters are created by loading music CDs, and for the fun of raising them and battling them.

This title will be revived as a completely new “Monster Rancher” game with a new monster reproduction method. Players become a new breeder belonging to IMa, the same organization as in “Monster Rancher 2,” and together with their assistant trainers, raise their own unique monsters to become the No. 1 breeder.

Features

• Bring back the nostalgic days of raising monsters! – As a rookie breeder, train and discipline your unique monsters to grow and win competitions. Pamper them too much and they may cheat in training, or train them too hard and they may run away! As a breeder, you can enjoy your own personalized monster training while keeping track of your monster’s aptitude and situation.
• Monsters with the latest graphics! – Monsters raised in “Monster Farm” and “Monster Farm 2” appear in the latest graphics and can be raised and battled. In addition, new races will be introduced in this title!
• New features coming from this title! – New elements will be added, such as the ability to send raised monsters on expeditions to various locations, and inter-breeder competitions in which multiple monsters form teams and compete for promotion and demotion.
• Monsters are born through new regeneration methods! – In this work, monsters can be born using a new reproduction method unique to LINE. Details will be announced shortly.

LINE: Monster Rancher is releasing for both iOS and Android devices sometime later in 2022, in Japan.

This is Niche Imports. In this column, we regularly cover games that haven’t been announced for western audiences yet. Please leave feedback and let us know if there’s something you want us to cover!