Fish Project
Seru
A bit of a cult classic, this ps1-era JRPG is best known for its unusual turn based combat system where you input commands and try to find the right combos to create, and later chain together, special moves called arts. Further complexity is added by the fact that low hits won't connect with flying enemies, or high hits with short foes.
The soundtrack on this game is incredible and must be mentioned as well. This was before most games had much of a budget to dedicate to music or a professional composer, and it still holds up in quality compared to modern titles.
But I just really like the seru monsters.
My first piece of digital art. Viguro, my beloved. Best monster, best friend.
Wearing a Ra-seru partner, you journey out into the maddening mist that plunged the world into apocalypse to find and destroy its source. The Ra-seru absorb the powers of regular seru to use as magic spells, and in the late game you can find Ra-seru eggs to use as powerful summons.
The regular monsters are so uninspired as to wrap back around to greatness from the other direction.
Prepare to get your shit wrecked by a regular ostrich.
Some of the monsters appear to be sentient, and no the game does not go into that whatsoever. What are the sociopolitical ramifications of werewolves and goblins being barred from the only pockets of civilization left after the end of the world? Who knows.
One of the regular seru variety can talk! 
This is just a regular little dude.
This game came out in 1998 and the developers don't exist anymore, so if you want to play it you're gonna want to download a ROM.