14 DAY TRIAL // It's finally happening: Nintendo is releasing a free-to-play Pokemon game on the 3DS handheld console. The bad news, however, is that the title, called Pokemon Shuffle, is a match-3 game similar to the myriad of such titles that are now available on all sorts of devices.
The Pokemon series has been around for many years, delighting generations of players from all over the world with great gameplay, fantastic creatures, and all sorts of memorable battles. After rolling out plenty of proper role-playing games in the Pokemon series for its portable devices, Nintendo is now taking a different route.
Pokemon Shuffle is a free-to-play match-3 title coming to 3DS
More specifically, Nintendo is going to debut in February Pokemon Shuffle, a free-to-play game set in the familiar franchise that incorporates the already-infamous match-3 mechanic seen in games like Bejeweled, Candy Crush Saga, and many more.
The system is adapted, to some degree, to the Pokemon series, as the objects being matched are in the form of Pokemon heads. During each stage you need to deal damage to the wild Pokemon you face and must defeat them before you run out of moves.
"Each stage in Pokemon Shuffle provides you a limited number of opportunities in which to move your Pokemon around. There is no time limit, so you can take as long as you like to study the board. To clear each stage, you'll have to reduce the HP of the wild Pokemon you face to zero within a set number of moves. Use all the strategies and tactics available to you, and learn to read the board to spot future matches. Clearing Pokemon efficiently is the key to winning Pokemon Shuffle's many stages," Nintendo explains in a statement on the official website.
A fair amount of strategy is involved
Nintendo also confirms that players will be able to choose their Pokemon before a battle to ensure maximum efficiency against their target. You can also raise their level by using them multiple times, and even get mega-evolving creatures that can clear out a whole heap of gems on the board.
While the game is free-to-play, there are mechanics that prevent you from progressing too fast or too far. You only have a number of main stages that you can complete without being forced to take a break. Of course, you can bypass this or the move limit in the stages by purchasing content from the eShop via microtransactions.
More details about these purchases will be shared by Nintendo as we get closer to the launch of Pokemon Shuffle for the 3DS in February.
