I choose you, Kairosoft: tips and hints for beating Beastie Bay

Beastie Bay is the latest time sink from Kairosoft. It is game #425,699 from the Japanese studio, or at least it feels that way.

But, this one's a little different.

Rather than focusing on resource-management elements, the game goes full-on Pokemon, with creature battling and world exploration at the heart of the experience.

That means that, more than ever, you're going to need a tips and hints guide to help you along the way.

Now, where could you find such a thing, I wonder?

Why, how convenient - there's one just below! Who would have thought it?

Although the main thrust of Beastie Bay is about getting out there and kicking some creature butt, it's still very important to nail your home base down. Literally and figuratively.

Each building in your base, from your human houses to your creature abodes, will level-up and receive better stats depending on what is positioned around it.

Hence, the best idea is to space your houses out, and allow for at least eight special places around them. That is to say, do not build a house next to another house.

Then, it's a case of taking note of what the game tells you would be a good idea to build next to each type. For example, when you go to build a normal house, a little man will pop up to advise you that building a field adjacent to your house is probably the way to go.

Of course, you also want to build lots of nature items, such as trees, next to your houses. You also need to ensure you have a good balance of lumber mills and fields so that both wood and food are being produced in spades.

Don't worry, we'll get onto the fighting soon. But, first, the researching elements.

By carrying out research, you can hold more food and wood, build more houses, etc. So, yep, it's rather important. Make sure you always have research ongoing, and don't forget you can research multiple things at once.

Alongside this, it's worth checking out the shop every now and again to see if there is anything available to boost your stats. You can usually pick up decent stuff when you're out on missions, anyway, mind.

When it comes to picking where to head out to next, first make sure all your creatures are fully rested, then head to the area which seems the obvious choice - just go for the lowest level block and you should be fine.

And don't forget: when you head to a new island, you'll be asked to defeat some enemies along the way, upon your arrival, and then some more in a particular area after that. Make sure, then, that you're fully stocked up on items to keep your Poke... - sorry, Beasties - alive.

Beastie Bay can be tough if you just keep ploughing ahead without considering what you're doing. Here's how to stay ahead of the curve, and what to do when all seems hopeless.

Always keep your creatures suited up in the best gear so that their stats are as high as possible. Don't forget to keep capturing newer creatures along the way, too, and checking their stats against your current party to see if it's worth replacing your posse.

Some battles are purposely tough and require you to have a good stock of items at hand, so don't forget to always keep a full bag of tricks with you.

Have a good spread of creature types. This may sound obvious, but we found that the elemental symbols in Beastie Bay aren't huge, so it's pretty easy to forget who you're using against what types.

Don't be afraid to flee from battles. You'll keep your treasures that way, and you won't feel like you've just been trounced so much.

Finally, don't forget that if an area is really causing you problems, you can simply head to past areas and kill some lower-levels creatures to gain higher levels. You know, just like in Pokemon.