Thursday, November 3, 2011

62 - Pokemon Rumble Blast



Genre: Beat 'em up
Rating: E10+
Developer: Ambrella
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: 3DS
Release Date: 2011

Pokemon Rumble Blast is the first Pokemon game on Nintendo's latest handheld. Nintendo could have waited for the next big iteration but instead they decided to go with something different. From what I've seen on game blogs, most people seem not to appreciate this game at all. It's too bad really since it's actually pretty fun.

The game plays out a lot like Gauntlet. You control one (or a team of 3) Pokemon and battle through "dungeons". It's all from a top down perspective and fighting is not complex at all. In fact, the game is really simple because there's not more to the fighting. You can use different skills and all but aside from speed of attack and range they never really change much.

There isn't all that much to the game, honestly. You battle, battle, battle, and battle some more. However, what reviewers are not seeming to mention is how addictive it is. Even though nothing really exciting or cool was going on I continually find myself returning to the game for short bursts throughout the day. I think that is the game's strength and it's a great one. Handheld games aren't necessarily meant to be long, intensive things but nice breaks from work or school. This is Pokemon Rumble Blast's strong point.

It's also a really long game. Some of the Pokemon spin-off titles (Pokemon Channel comes to mind) are super brief experiences. I've put in about 12 hours with this one so far and I'm only about halfway through. For a handheld game to offer so much playtime makes it worth the price tag right there. Not to mention that, from what I've heard, it even has a high degree of replayability due to new things opening up after beating it.

I like it. This isn't a game for everyone and especially not people tangled up in the "hardcore gamer" world. If you just want something fun and mindless though when you're on the go then give it a look.

PS: EVERY Pokemon is in this game! That's 600+, in case you haven't been keeping count over the years.

Would I play again?: Yes!

4 comments:

Bryan Ochalla said...

Ah, that's good to hear (that you're enjoying this one)! I really like the art style used in these Pokemon Rumble games, but I've never played one. I may have to pick this up -- hopefully on the cheap -- after I get a 3DS :)

Marcus said...

Until this one, I didn't even know that Pokemon Rumble existed. I'm not really up on WiiWare (and Pokemon in general lol). The art style is great though. Every Pokemon is somehow even cuter than they've ever been before. :) I'm sure it will be on sale soon enough or at least be a part of some promotion for buying multiple 3DS games.

Bryan Ochalla said...

I only became aware of this series, Marcus, because of its art style, which, like you, I really like. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it so far. I'll definitely keep an eye out for deals on it :)

Anonymous said...

This title actually looks pretty fun to me. It's hilarious reviewers complaining that it doesn't have enough depth, what did they expect from a handheld game with the subtitle "Rumble Blast" ?

As many people may disagree with me, I wish Pokemon had more casual and action-like titles.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...