Free - to - play games often attend appealing , but it ’s difficult to recognize at a glance whether the business model is insidious and merriment - ruining , or fair and worth pumping a few bucks into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a recent free - to - play iOS game , put it through its paces , and allow you know if it ’s really worth your time ( and money ) .
We ’re excited to see what Nintendo does with itsfirst smartphone and lozenge gamesnext year , but … well , one of the company ’s best - loved dealership is already on the App Store . Even though The Pokémon Company is owned by Nintendo , it has a strange story of autonomy from its parent — so the company just brought spare - to - play puzzlerPokémon Shuffleto iOS devices .
It ’s not even the first Pokémon game on the App Store ; last year saw the dismission ofPokémon : The Trading Card Game Online . But Shuffle look the series chase a trend this clock time around : It ’s a windy lucifer - three puzzler built in the mold ofPuzzle & Dragons , albeit with actual Pokémon alternatively of obvious knockoffs . shuffling may not be particularly original , but it is amazingly enjoyable — because it has the good luck charm of Pokémon , but without the rough edge of many freemium games .
The pitch
Pokémon Shuffle actually debuted first on Nintendo 3DS with the same freemium model — andmany fans revolted . That ’s no surprise : they ’re used to pricier games where you pay once and get the integral experience , and paid games are almost always more fairly balanced than freebie . make , on the other hand , uses a tried - and - true mobile template , from the gameplay to the business organization model .
Match three of more of the same Pokémon in a row or chromatography column and it ’ll send an attack to the enemy up top .
On the former front , Pokémon Shuffle builds its experience around the kind of freeform , match - three puzzler grid popularize by Puzzle & Dragons . It ’s a 6×6 grid here , as opposed to 5×5 in that freemium hit , but otherwise Shuffle keeps the heart gameplay design mostly intact . Traditional mates - three mystifier ordinarily feature swapping mechanics — for case , trading an ikon ’s place with another nearby , turn out blocks , or shifting entire rows or columns to contribute like colors together .
All that break down out the window with Pokémon Shuffle . you may simply place your finger on a Pokémon fount , drag it to anywhere else on the screen , and the two creatures will swap positions . As with Puzzle & Dragons , that power to just match anything anywhere takes a mickle of the strategy out of the bewilder itself , and stand for the plot then has to compensate with things like special abilities and tycoon - ups to add challenge . And there ’s where the freemium component can cross .
What I care about Pokémon Shuffle is that while clearly built in the cast of Puzzle & Dragons , it takes a different morphological approach that pee more sense for Pokémon . Each battle is a individual showdown in which your puzzle pairings deal damage to an enemy , and you have a limited number of turn to defeat it . Once a foeman is de-escalate enough , you even have a chance to flip a Poké Ball and potentially enrol that Pokémon to your squad .
In that mother wit , the “ got ta catch ’em all ” tone of the original Pokémon role - playing games is still intact , although it ’s dulled by an irritating new ingredient : the ability to pay for a better luck to trance ’em all .
The catch
Keeping with the cute , approachable heart of the franchise ( and most Nintendo - stigmatise fare ) , Pokémon Shuffle is a less scratchy freemium drive than many of its coeval — in most regards , at least . shamble is much more straightforward than something like Puzzle & Dragons , and has few unexpected difficulty spikes than that game , or even something like Candy Crush Saga .
It does n’t really have tooth as a costless - to - play game , but that works to the benefit of both the game and its players . Still , this is very much a freemium entry , as the energy system of rules speedily make clear . One heart is sapped away after each battle — you’ll have up to five stocked at a time , and they recharge slowly at 30 moment a papa . So if you play a few matches in a row and tap out your supply , you ’ll wait more than two hours for a full refill .
Jewels are sell separately and in bundles to let you buy hearts and coins — but there ’s a monthly spending terminus ad quem .
Naturally , you could buy hearts with jewels , which are the premium currency . One precious stone earns you six kernel , and each betray for $ 1 a pop — although there are inwardness bundles ( 87 heart for 12 jewel is the top offer ) and jewel package ( 56 gem costs $ 40 ) that deliver a niggling more value . jewel can also be transformed into coins , which otherwise accrue tardily during gameplay ( or are awarded for daily logins ) , and they ’re used to purchase power - ups to facilitate you in struggle — like add together extra turn or increasing the strength of each attack .
In a surprising twist , Pokémon Shuffle has spending limits each month , which seem to be a result of Japanese regularization on the matter . It ’s a tortuous organization of points that convert to one dollar bill spend , but the destruction solvent is that you ’re cap at about $ 85 of in - app purchases per month . That ’s still a ton for a free - to - play puzzle plot , but consider how freemium secret plan often swear on eminent - spend “ whale ” to drive profits , it ’s strange to see any kind of limit implemented .
Of naturally , I did n’t get anywhere near to that cap . I spent $ 5 on a six - pack of jewels to fuel a duet of longer sessions and rack up a becoming stack of coins to make tougher battle a lot easy . There ’s a very tangible effect to drop money in Pokémon Shuffle : detail make the levels easier , and then each victory brings a confrontation in which you convulse the Poké Ball and pass over your fingerbreadth . If the Pokémon get off , you may pay up coin to apply a more potent ball , which doubles your chance of catching it — but still may not vouch a seizure .
That arrangement exhaust some of the militant spirit of Pokémon Shuffle , but give the liberal puzzle conception , the bet are low — I never really felt betray . Where it can seem rotten is when you ca n’t progress any further in the game unless you ’ve pick up a certain routine of Pokémon by that point . fall down curt ? You ’ll need to go back and replay retiring battles again to stress and boost your roster , all the while thinking about how much money you could ’ve spend along the way to avoid the repetition .
The verdict
That part stink . And yet Pokémon Shuffle is so amiable and enjoyable otherwise that going back to those past grade never felt horribly unfair or overbearing . feed all the freemium elements , Shuffle is more cynical a plot than the main Pokémon entries , and that can be tough to swallow . I whole get why 3DS players were gravel by its acquittance : This is a heavy shift for the series .
But Pokémon Shuffle delivers solid sport , even if you do n’t pay for jewel , and I see the simpler advance a caboodle more appealing than that of Puzzle & Dragons . And I ’m still playing . Even after playing enough to start writing , I kept croak . Even when I hit that barrier and did n’t have enough Pokémon to push ahead , I go back for more . Pokémon Shuffle may have a fraction of the greatness of the series ’ theatrical role - play classic — but even so , it has a jolly compelling claw .
