Opening screen to Pokémon Shuffle Mobile
For those who read through the review of Pokémon Shuffle back in March who were feeling left out… Good news, everybody! As of August 31, 2015, you can join in the micro-transaction madness of Pokémon Shuffle Mobile on your smartphone! Available on both the Google Play Store and the App Store for iDevices, this is a replica of the previously released game with few changes. That being said, it’s just as addicting as it ever was and even though you can pay-to-play in this game, you don’t have to. Don’t expect to be able to play for hours on end, but lives regenerate fast enough that I rarely find myself itching to buy more, even with the free “jems” I was given at the beginning of the game.
Now you’re probably asking, “why are you telling us about the re-platforming of a good-but-not-great game?” Firstly, this is a big move for Nintendo because they are moving their way solidly into mobile-gaming and this is a good thing. “Why,” you ask?
Nintendo, pairing with the developers of Ingress, Niantic, will be bringing to mobile platforms Pokémon Go, expected in 2016. Before we go further, take a minute to watch the trailer release here:
Excited? I know we are. Few details are known of the actual gameplay, however Pokéfanatics imaginations, including mine, are running wild everywhere. Using Ingress as a guide, an intuitive leap to Pokémon Go being another geocache-based game is something that we can hope for. With the prospect of being able to catch, trade, and battle with Pokémon found around your city, it’s hard not to let your mind wander at the possibilities.
Planned with the release of the mobile game is a watch called the Go Plus, as seen in the trailer, which will give you the ability to play without having to constantly look at your phone.
Pokémon Go Plus
With an expected release to the mobile market in 2016, there’s plenty of time to get excited, start recruiting friends, buying a battery back-up, and clearing off precious space on your phone to make room for this productivity-killer.
How does this tie into Pokémon Shuffle, Go’s little brother app? Well, my hope is that the sense of responsibility of making a mobile game playable without real-life purchases is something that they will be carrying over to Pokémon Go and showing other mobile developers that free-to-play has to be playable if free. Nintendo and Niantic, Inc. have raised a childhood-based urge to collect them all and it’s roaring; let’s hope this doesn’t disappoint.
Be sure to keep up on all the news here with GWW and check out the Press Any Key Podcast Episode 204 to hear what Mikhail, Matt, Leon and myself have to say on the matter!