Any game where you capture monsters and battle them can be a hugely engaging and addictive experience - as anyone who has played a Pokemon game can attest.

Nintendo's well-loved franchise looks to have yet another contender for its crown in MonTowers ~Legend of Summoners~,  Japan's #1 iOS game.

After its launch, MonTowers quickly became Japan's #1 game and currently has over 500,000 players.

Considering it has attracted over 20,000 combined iPhone and iPad reviews on the App Store, it's safe to say MonTowers is a resounding success.

The companies behind the game - YD Online and Buffstone - are hopeful that it'll soar up the App Store charts in the West much like it did in Japan.

In the game itself, you play as a powerful sorcerer, who can summon over 600 astonishing monsters to fight for you.

Some of these beasts are ferocious and others are incredibly cute. A few are particularly underdressed (to say some of the female monsters are skimpily dressed would be an understatement).

Don't let the amount of skin on show fool you, though: MonTowers ~Legend of Summoners~ boasts loads of depth and provides hours of gameplay spanning over 500 different levels.

There's a complex synthesis system in place, too, that allows you to create new beasts by combining monsters to create a new one.

You can then upgrade the monsters into three different forms, with their stats and appearances changing accordingly. Swapping critters around and adding new members to your squad are essential to progressing through the adventure, you see.

There's no place here for sympathy, by the way: oftentimes, you'll find yourself having to drop monsters that have been in your team for several hard-fought hours at the, err, drop of a hat.

There's also a significant amount of content in MonTowers: seven towers, 500 floors, and over 600 monsters.

MonTowers ~Legend of Summoners~ is available on iPhone and iPad now, and is free to download [iTunes link].

Check out the game's trailer below: