The Pokémon Company has left nearly no stone unturned but still managed to surprise us when they announced Pokémon Unite in 2020.
The community didn’t respond well to the presentation of this MOBA based on the franchise, and the video got thousands of thumbs down. Since it dropped, however, many have changed their tune.
Already available for free on Nintendo Switch and coming to iOS and Android devices in the next few months, the game has been a great success, putting the Pokémon franchise back in the spotlight.
Taking inspiration from titles like League of Legends and Dota 2, Pokémon Unite has transformed the franchise into a real-time multiplayer game in which two teams of five battle it out to score more points than their adversaries.
The game has completely re-adapted more than 20 creatures, including some franchise favourites like Greninja, Pikachu and Charizard, and the crop of playable Pokémon will keep growing in future updates.
All the Pokémon have new playable abilities to adapt to the MOBA rules, but haven’t lost their hallmark traits that franchise fans are used to.
You start off the game with a Pokémon in a pre-evolutionary stage, who will progressively gain experience to level up and boost your battle power.
The goal is to score more points on the opponent with the Poké Balls you get from finishing off enemies or defeating creatures that appear on the map as neutral targets.
The playability is simple compared to other video games in this genre, but that hasn’t stopped it from having enough depth to get many players hooked from minute one.
It also helps that the franchise has learned loads from its competition and added an interesting ranking system from the day of the launch and a rewards system that will keep you from getting bored too quickly.
On top of this, you can personalise your Pokémon with different looks that, for the first time in this saga, go beyond just the classic shiny versions of the main creatures.
You even have access to a full system of items that allow you to personalise your creatures for battle, although at times it takes a bit too long to unlock everything you need.
In short, this is a true MOBA that has put to bed the initial scepticism Pokémon fans had for this reinvention of the saga that has been with us for over a quarter of a century.
For now, Pokémon Unite is only available on Nintendo Switch, but it is coming to iOS and Android in September. It will be totally free on both platforms.
Plus, the game will give you the chance to switch from one platform to another without starting over, so you can play wherever you go without wasting a single second: a completely mobile experience.
It may be a game we never expected to see, but why not give it a chance now that it’s here!
