Free - to - play secret plan often look appealing , but it ’s difficult to know at a glance whether the business model is pernicious and fun ruining , or reasonable and deserving pump a few bucks into . With Freemium Field Test , we ’ll take a recent free - to - play iOS secret plan , put it through its paces , and let you know if it ’s really worth your prison term ( and money ) .
Pokémon Gomight have seemed like a fad , but even though it ’s no longer the widespread furore it was last summertime , the game recently passedan estimate $ 1 billion in receipts — quicker than any other mobile plot to escort . We ’ve highlighted some direction in which the plot hasonly get better over time , but one thing has n’t alter at all : you ca n’t really do much with the locating - ground experience unless you leave abode .
You ’ll trade turns and prove to guide one of your Pokémon to the react center marker .
attend for a Pokémon mobile secret plan that you could enjoy on your couch ? MaybePokémon Duelwill do the fast one . Just resign a span weeks back , it ’s not a traditional role - act entry like those on Nintendo ’s hand-held scheme , but it does have you conflict fiend … albeit via a one - on - one online table game of sorts . It ’s kind of interesting , but also irritatingly dependent on chance — not the safe formula for a competitory , payable - centric game .
The pitch
Pokémon Duel chance a midway ground of sorts between a strategic board game like chess and a collectable card game . You ’ll work up a “ deck of cards ” of six Pokémon figurines , which have an alluringly plastic - alike sheen to them , and then front off against another player on the opposite side of the board . Each actor ’s goal is to make it to the resister ’s starting marker , which immediately seals the victory .
Spin the dials and hope you have the good result !
Getting there wo n’t necessarily be easy , however , at least if your foeman cast up some resistance . You ’ll put your Pokémon figurine on the board , one by one , and seek to block the way of incoming enemy monstrosity . When opposing Pokémon are on adjacent blank on the add-in , they can enter battle , which is surely when the strategic action start … right ?
Nope . rather , the fighting is left exclusively up to prospect . Once the Pokémon begin duel , each monster ’s dial of approach and other maneuvers starts to spin . tap the screen gives you a result on each side , and the more dominant move mechanically win the fight . Pokémon Duel does n’t bother with wellness bars or healing moves ; if you spin an attack that dispatch for 20 point and your opponent spins one that does 30 damage , your piece will be tap off the card entirely . You miss that battle .
Did I just land 70 level of damage ? Nope , the opponent spun a star move , so I ’m just sleep with .
It ’s austere and startling , and being on the losing side of a one - and - done skirmish like this can be implausibly frustrating . There are some craze tweaks to the formula that show a further lack of shade , too : spin around a star - value move ( usually a condition effect or a block move ) automatically trump any terms - causing move , for representative , and one player I faced had “ fight armor ” that allowed them to forceonly meto re - twirl any meter they did n’t like my make headway result . That ’s nonsensical . There are also “ photographic plate ” power - ups that you could impart into engagement and set off as needed , but the thread maker hold most of the power .
In other words , Pokémon Duel seems to put a stack more stress onwhichPokémon you bring into struggle rather thanwhatyou do with them . There is skill expect in build out your deck , picking which Pokémon you engage with , and how and when to use the plates , but the large focus on chance muddles the biz ’s tactical approach shot .
The catch
The catch , of row , is that your choice of available Pokémon is really vital to your engagement succeeder , and spend money can get you access to much , much adept Pokémon .
Booster packs can take up to a day of real metre to unlock , although you could spend gems to speed up the timer .
Luckily , Pokémon Duel seems pretty generous flop off the at-bat . You ’ll get free , unlockable booster amplifier coterie for succeed battles and also just for meet , with the ability to store up to three inner circle at a time . Each booster drive between one hour and 24 time of day to unlock , and if you have too many packs in your stocktaking , you simply wo n’t be able to earn any more in the interim . It ’s very much likethe fantastic Clash Royalein that respect , including the ability to spend treasure to rush along up the timer .
Gems can also be used to grease one’s palms additional booster shot wad outright , and they ’re sold in big bucks ranging from 12 gems ( $ 1 ) to 1,960 gems ( $ 80)—and there ’s a monthly outlay cap of approximately $ 400 , whichseemsfriendly and considerate . On the other hand , spending anywhere near $ 400 a month in Pokémon Duel would be utterly harebrained .
The premium booster packs range between 50 gems for a single Pokémon and 200 gems for a four - pack with other perquisite and better selection of random , high - level Pokémon grant . I ’d planned to spend enough money to get 200 gems to see how worthwhile the high - end gang is ; I would have spend $ 5 for a promo gang with 84 gems and an extra booster pack unlock expansion slot for 30 Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , and then another $ 8 for 120 additional gem . That was the plan , at least .
Pokémon Duel has more than 200 unlike monster uncommitted to unlock , including this weirdo .
But then I checked the in - game messages box and found600 + loose gemswaiting for me . Color me surprised ! I would have had to spend nearly $ 40 in real - universe cash to purchase that many gem outright . It seems that Pokémon Duel is amazingly giving with its promotional gems , between day-by-day login bonuses and other random rewards . I was able to buy three of the 200 - gem packs and get a load of knock-down Pokémon , which emphatically establish me an advantage in struggle thereafter . It ’s not decipherable if these Brobdingnagian gem bounties will continue on for a while , but they made spending real money seem completely unnecessary for now .
You ’ll also earn coins and materials through play that can be exchanged for statuette , although it seems like the best of the cluster are unlocked through the premium booster packs . Additionally , Pokémon Duel has an Department of Energy meter , but it only seems to rap out when playing the blowy undivided - instrumentalist mission — not when facing other on-line players .
The verdict
Pokémon Duel is n’t the easiest game to get into : the prescript seem a bit complex at first and the tutorial is long - winded . However , once I got a hang of it , I begin to enjoy the back - and - off battling and light tactical invention . The chess - like turn for positioning and baron proves an interesting dynamic with a deck of Pokémon in play . Sadly , those happy whizz did n’t last .
