For those of you that didn’t now, there is a new mobile Pokémon game called PokéLand. It’s an addition to the Pokémon Rumble series, but of course this time on mobile. Right now it is only in its alpha stage and is just out there for some users to test. Luckily, I got the app quick enough to get a chance to play… and let me tell you, Pokémon is really stepping up their game with mobile apps.
PokéLand provides all of the fun of the Rumble series, collecting toys, discovering new areas (or in PokéLand’s case, islands), without the hassle of in-game purchases. Not to say that there aren’t micro-transactions, but I’ve been playing for about 5 days now and haven’t once felt even the slightest need to buy anything. There are two types of currency like most mobile games, coins and gems. Unlike a lot of mobile games, the gems aren’t that hard to obtain which makes it quite simple to unlock new islands and new Pokémon.
Of course, it being in Japanese I can’t read everything so there are still a few aspects of the app I don’t fully understand. How to actually go about upgrading your Pokémon is one of those things. There is also an ‘arena’ where you battle choosing three Pokémon of your own and go up against a lot of Pokémon that are hard to find. Granted, you can’t obtain any Pokémon in the area, but you get to see some more rare ones and potentially earn more gems.
Overall, for just being in the Alpha stage, this game has made a great first impression on me. Pokémon GO had a rough start and has gotten better with time. Pokémon Duel was fun for a while, but I ultimately lost interest. Magikarp Jump is off to a great start though and it isn’t an exaggeration to say I’m addicted. It’s safe to say at this point Pokémon is going full force with mobile games and it seems like a good path for them to take. What do you guys think of the direction Pokémon is heading with titles on iOS and Android? And if you got a chance to play the Alpha, what was your experience with PokéLand?
