Game Review: Pokemon Shuffle

Game: Pokemon Shuffle
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Genius Sonority Inc.
Release Date: 18th February 2015

Pokemon Shuffle is a free-to-play downloadable game for the Nintendo 3DS, released just a few months ago. The aim is to progress through tile matching puzzles in order to unlock new stages and catch Pokemon, though there's no real battling or evolution as in the main series of Pokemon games. While new Pokemon were recently added, and there's often special or event Pokemon to be caught, catching them all is only a self-imposed aim, and capturing Pokemon is only necessary for progression so far as having a range of different types of Pokemon will help players to deal more damage.

Each normal stage features a wild Pokemon, whose health must be drained in order for a chance to catch them. Health is drained by matching 3 or more Pokemon tiles on the game screen, which disappear when matched and allow the tiles above them to drop down into their place and possibly create another match, thus starting a combo. Some Pokemon can mega-evolve, lending a special ability to increase damage, or the chances of damage in future. As players beat stages they will progress through differently themed areas, though there seems to be no link between the pokemon in any one area.

(The course of progression through the game's stages)

Expert stages are unlocked after a short while, which work somewhat differently to the game's main stages. These have a time limit in which players must deal enough damage to the Pokemon for a chance at capture, making it somewhat more difficult than the move-limited normal puzzles. There are also special stages, which work like normal stages but feature event Pokemon which change from time to time, and are updated through the 3DS's internet connection.

Of course the game is free to play and because of this, players are assigned hearts which represent one chance at playing a stage. Each heart takes 30 minutes to replenish, up to a maximum of 5 without purchasing supplementary jewels. Coins are the currency of the game and can be spent on items to increase the chances of winning a battle, or capturing a Pokemon. Players are rewarded with 100 coins for completing a normal stage the first time, and 30 for each time after that. Special event completions often yield more coins. Jewels are earned via special events, or beating Mega Pokemon trainer battle stages, other than these methods of acquisition, they must be purchased from the eshop.

While this may sound like a fairly restrictive system, Pokemon Shuffle isn't the type of game that I'd play for hours on end, it's much more like an Animal Crossing type of game, where I'll play for 20-30 minutes a day (thus letting my hearts reset to 5 each time). While it'd be handy to have more gems, hearts and coins, there's nothing stopping players from progressing and catching all of the Pokemon they encounter without paying a single real world penny, so there's no danger of this being a pay-to-win title, especially as there's no way to "win" as such anyway.

Graphically the game doesn't make any use of the system's 3D capability, and hardly makes use of its capacity for presenting highly detailed graphics, opting instead for fairly bland and generic backgrounds, with cartoon sprites for each pokemon involved in the battle. Musically the game features a range of tunes which fit well with gameplay, and the series as a whole, but won't leave too much of an impression on you, once all is said and done.

Overall Pokemon Shuffle is the best type of free-to-play game; addictive, fun and unrestricted in terms of being able to play without contributing money to buy in game currency. While the gameplay is fairly basic, and the entire game would be far worse without the Pokemon theme, it's a passable attempt at a game of this type which has charm and interest.

Rating: 67/100
Grade: C