Gotta Catch 'Em All: Pokémon Shuffle Mobile Mini-Review
- maylinhnaung
- Jan 26, 2016
- 3 min read
Got a phone? Bored? Need a break from the books or life in general? Like Candy Crush AND Pokémon? GET THIS APP. Read on for my thoughts and a mini review on the game and some irl (in real life) screenshots:
So I don't know about you guys, but on most days I am a broke, stressed, and drained instructional student assistant/full-time college student with hardly any free time on her hands. When I do have time, I choose to either nap like Snorlax and Abra or play this. This app has been a saving grace to my quarter this year. I am exceeding full-time units whilst working so unfortunately I hardly have time to get into my console and computer games. Pokémon Shuffle will just have to do. I LOVE THIS GAME SO FAR. I was so shocked (but happy) to know that the app was and still is, completely FREE. It is also free on the NintendoEShop for the Nintendo 3DS if you happen to have one and want to play on that instead.
The game immediately starts players off in a very easy and user friendly tutorial-esqué battle with 6th gen Pokémon, Espurr. The battle isn't like the animated fights in the traditional Pokémon RPGs, but it is instead, a puzzle game. The main game is still turn-based, but players must defeat the Pokémon as they appear on the map and capture them to add them to the team (optional) in order to move onward. Players must shuffle around their own Pokes to create chain combos to rack up more damage, hence the name of the game. Once the Pokémon is defeated, players can capture it. Certain types of Pokes are harder to catch than others. The game offers a Great Ball option (for 4000 in game coins) to increase the catch rate. Speaking of in game coins, players can pay real money for more coins, similar to most apps.
Look at Dedenne's catch rate. SERIOUSLY?! -_-
The mega evolved Pokémon are pretty awesome. They aid in removing pesky traps or unwanted pokes on the board, as well as add to combos. They are however, more difficult to defeat.
Speaking of diffuculty, there are special and expert options in the game where you have to defeat ridiculously overpowered Pokes with either time or turn constraints. I recommend only taking them on only when you have stronger and evolved Pokémon obtained through the main game.
The music is pretty darn good for a mobile app. I have to admit, most mobile apps have been quite impressive with their music. (Take PandaPop for example, the creators seem to channel a lot of their music from the songs in The Legend of Zelda. /shade maybenotrly)
The only drawback in my opinion to this easy and fun little game is that players only get a maximum of 5 hearts. These hearts are used to play a round and some rounds are really short. Each heart regenerates after 30 minutes. That means if you use up all 5, you'd have to wait about two hours and a half for all to regenerate. Or you can be crazy and obsessed like me and check back every ten minutes, hoping one has regenerated. The appeal for me in the game is the Mega Evolution and that I am just a huge fan of Pokemon and puzzle games. I started off with Red, Blue, and Yellow and have kept up with the other generations as they came out. You can say I am a walking pokédex. :P
tl;dr: Pokémon and puzzles are pretty cool. If you haven't already done so, check out and download the Pokémon Shuffle app. It is available for both iPhone and Androids. Bonus Points for it being free!
Score: 3.5/5
Pros:
+Fun to play when bored
+Pretty Easy/Great for a Beginner Gamer or non gamers
+Cute
+Fun Music
+Addicting
+Free to play
Cons:
-Gets repetitive -Pokémon don't evolve
-Slow grind/exp gain
-Run out of Hearts quickly
-Waiting on hearts to regenerate
-No point in playing Special and/or Expert Levels until you have stronger Pokemon from main game
-Facebook login to regain hearts from friends is not as quick or easy as in other apps
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