Pokemon Friendsis the name of a newPokemongame that shadow dropped mere moments ago. The title offers a cozyPokemonexperience that blends elements of multiple genres.
On July 22, The Pokemon Company held a24-minute Pokemon Presents event. The broadcast included over a dozen announcements, mostly video game-related.Pokemon Friendswas one of the event’s first reveals.
Pokemon Friendsis agenre hybridthat’s part puzzler, part decoration game. Its day-one version is packed with more than 1,200 puzzles of various types, all inspired byPokemonlore. Every solved puzzle yields Yarn, an in-game currency that can be converted into Pokemon plushies. The so-called Plush-O-Matic converter mechanic is what connects the puzzling aspect of the game with its decoration gameplay, as players get to use their rewards to furnish virtual rooms where they can relax.
Pokemon Friends Offers Quests, Over 150 Plushies, and More
Pokemon Friendscurrently offers over 150 plushies to collect. Its room customization also extends to wallpapers, which can be bought and earned. The game itself takes place in Think Town, a cozy environment with good-natured denizens who provide the player with regular friend quests. Between this mechanic and login rewards,Pokemon Friendsis designed to encourage regular play, as is the case with many modernfree-to-play mobile games.
Nevertheless,Pokemon Friendsisn’t strictly afreemium game, at least not across all platforms. While the mobile versions are indeed free to start, the Switch port carries a $9.99 price tag. That difference is reflected in the content available from the outset: the Switch version is equivalent to the mobile release bundled with the $9.99 Basic Pack, which includes unlimited daily puzzles, calendar features, and additional content. Both Nintendo’s hybrid console and mobile devices also offer two “Puzzle On” packs, priced at $14.99 each or $25.99 as a bundle. While The Pokemon Company hasn’t committed to introducing more content further down the line, that seems like a plausible scenario if the game does well commercially.
$9.99
Mobile
Unlimited daily puzzles, Calendar Features, 20 puzzles, 50 plushies, 6 yarn types, 6 furniture pieces, 3 wallpapaers, 2 Plush rooms
$14.99
Mobile, Switch
Limited daily puzzles, 10 puzzles, 40 plushies, 6 yarn types, 15 furniture pieces, 4 wallpapers, 1 Plush room
$25.99
$33.99
Basic Pack + Puzzle On! Bundle
The mobile versions ofPokemon Friendsare approximately 540MB in size, depending on the device. Meanwhile, the day-one build of the Switch port weighs exactly 721MB. The game was developed in collaboration with Wonderfy Inc., a Japanese company that specializes in early child education services. Its expertise is reflected in the fact thatPokemon Friendswas designed to encourage critical thinking development. All versions of the game come with five save slots, which The Pokemon Company said were intended to allow entire families to play on a single device.
