Kardmi Is An Upcoming Free-To-Play Pokémon-Like Mobile Game That Seems Promising

If you like Pokémon and wish there was a free-to-play mobile game similar to it, allow me to introduce Kardmi. I discovered this game earlier this year. Recently, however, it entered early public availability — technically only in Indonesia. I tried Kardmi, and it is actually quite good. The turn-based game is shaping up to be an interesting entry in the growing Pokémon-like market. It definitely feels like a “premium” title in a genre that is usually flooded with low-quality clones.

In Kardmi, you select a starter creature, called a Cardie, and explore a regional map, encountering wild monsters along the way. Battles are turn-based and strategic, as you must build up energy and therefore cannot simply keep spamming your team’s best attacks. Every Cardie has a unique type, as well as a set of abilities tied to collectible cards, which you can upgrade and combine into custom move sets. Your battles ultimately come down to how you build your team and which abilities you choose.

When it comes to capturing creatures, you use cards instead of balls. This fits into the combat system, where upgrading your ability cards becomes almost like building a mini deck to fight with. It is a small twist, but it adds variety. You are not just leveling your monsters — you are actively choosing and experimenting with how they fight. This adds another layer of strategy.

The story is actually present as well, although it is not particularly profound. You play as someone who wakes up in a mysterious world with no memory, and you must track down four elders to understand what is happening. All cutscenes are fully voiced, although the dialogue and cinematics are not necessarily exciting. The visuals are not groundbreaking either, but they are clean and colorful, and the animations are decent.

One of the game’s unique mechanics is the skill vending machine. Instead of Cardies learning moves automatically, you spend in-game currency to pull skill cards. You apply these cards to your creatures and can upgrade them to make moves stronger. This adds a layer of randomness to the experience, although the system is essentially a gacha mechanic.

As expected for a free-to-play game, there is premium currency and an in-game store. For the first portion of the game, however, you earn plenty of currency just by playing, so you are not forced to spend money immediately. How well this balances in the long term will determine whether it can sustain players’ attention. For now, it feels fair.

If you prefer, you can also play with a controller instead of touch controls, which is a nice option. Perhaps a PC release will be available eventually.

Overall, Kardmi is worth keeping an eye on if you are a fan of this genre. It takes the best aspects of Pokémon — the exploration, the battles, and the collection — and adds a few smart twists. It is free, accessible, and surprisingly polished. Most Pokémon-likes are low-quality clones that are not even worth trying, so shout out to this one.