Oh, was it based on Pokemon? I thought it was based on Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna. Or Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. Funnily enough both of them rel

Oh, was it based on Pokemon? I thought it was based on Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna. Or Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. Funnily enough both of them released in 1987 and feature monsters fighting for you, though the actual mechanics are different enough that it's clearly just a lucky coincidence.