What sensible 90's child didn't love Pokemon? As the years have gone by, this franchise has sustained its momentum with minor improvements to its gameplay and major increases in the number of catch-able critters. One of the finest examples of polymorphic content, Pokemon comes in all shapes and sizes, and more than a few titles have used its iconic character designs in various different ways. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon turns each monster into a rogue-like procedural dungeon crawler. Pokemon Conquest applies an isometric strategy twist to the fold. Hey You, Pikachu! uses a microphone to make a little critter into your Tamagotchi buddy. Detective Pikachu is a stupid thing that shouldn't exist.
But one subseries of Pokemon that stands out as both bizarre in concept yet wildly addictive in execution is Pokemon Rumble. While none of the titles in this series are particularly fantastic, the idea of smacking around hundreds of weaker Pokemon with one's super-powered, highly aggressive own is innately appealing, something akin to Dynasty Warriors. But, you know, for Pokemon. However, this series is notable if only because its first installment boasted an incredibly addictive loot system that would slowly fade away with subsequent releases. The design choices made in the Pokemon Rumble series have been experimental and curious in their own ways, which is surprising considering the relatively straightforward and solid fundamentals established in the first game. Because of their size, writing a lengthy analysis of each title would be superfluous, so instead, I wanted to take a look at the iterative "improvements" these titles make by stacking them up alongside one another.
First, however, let's cover the basics.
Primary Gameplay
Pokemon Rumble is all about destroying as much as you can with as much efficiency as possible. Rather than taking control of "real" monsters, you instead play as wind-up figurines, able to execute two moves with two separate inputs. Each of these toys has its own level, although these can far exceed the traditional 1-99 scale of the original Pokemon titles.
"Catching" new Pokemon is semi-randomized, as a Pokemon has the chance of turning into a recruit-able pickup upon being knocked out, or can similarly start "wobbling" if hit enough times in battle. A Pokemon defeated while in a wobbling state will always turn into a recruit-able unit. You will collect an absurd number of Pokemon over your journey, so many that you will eventually run out of storage space or have more than you really need. Releasing Pokemon can also reward the player with in-game currency, and grant additional bonuses in specific installments. The moves that each Pokemon possesses are semi-randomized as well, possessing any specific species set of potential moves from the mainline series. These moves can usually be overwritten at a lottery machine or store.
Speaking of moves, they do retain super-effectiveness, and Pokemon also retain types. Hitting a Pokemon with a super-effective move can increase the chance of going into a wobbling state, and status effects like confusion, burn, and freeze are replicated. As a matter of fact, almost any stat-enhancing move works similarly, although each buff applied only lasts for a certain amount of time. As you progress further, you will discover some Pokemon with traits, which are modifiers that can enhance certain aspects of a figurine. Moves will execute faster, movement speed will be enhanced, and defend against certain status effects.
Although players have access to their entire collection of Pokemon while playing, they are only given three "lives" when they are within a challenge scenario before they fail. A Pokemon that is downed while within a challenge cannot be used again, although players can switch (*snap*) their Pokemon during lulls in action in order to disperse damage across multiple figurines.
With the exception of Pokemon Rumble U, the series revolves around linear dungeon crawling and defeating larger boss-figurines in order to progress further.
Outside of these fundamentals, each game is somewhat different from one another.
Pokemon Rumble
Release Date- JPN(16/6/2009) NA(16/11/2009) EU(20/11/2009)
The Good: Comfortable music, accessible gameplay, satisfying endgame
The Bad: Limited amount of Pokemon, challenges limited by co-operative gameplay
The first title in the Pokemon Rumble series had players picking up several controllers and attempting to run dungeons to compete in championships with the first 150 and latest (at the time) 107 Pokemon from Generation I and IV of the series, respectively. Multiplayer was a key aspect here, as the ranked championships were extremely difficult to defeat in solo play. A unique brand of competitive/cooperative action was also present, where players would be ranked based on the amount of Pokemon defeated at the end of each dungeon.
Outside
of dungeon crawling and championship battles, there wasn't much else to
do- players could get rid of their current inventory of Pokemon (5 of a
certain species gave you a super buffed evolved form of the Pokemon you
submitted, otherwise, it was random), submit passwords for rare
Pokemon, and smack each other around in the lobby.The most important aspect of developing a team was making sure the collected Pokemon were outfitted with the best moves and abilities to tackle the championship battles, and although grinding could be tedious at times, the introduction of the Gutsy ability at higher ranks makes capturing figures much easier. However, ensuring players had the best moves (read: Magnet Bomb) for championship battles was the most difficult aspect, and the power creep meant that players had to continuously ditch older Pokemon for newer, more powerful and relevant additions.
In short, it created a perpetual loot cycle.
The goodbye mechanic- being able to ditch five Pokemon of the same type in order to get a higher-stage, more powerful addition- was an effective method of obtaining stronger figurines, and often these reward Pokemon had more powerful moves. Accruing currency is a constant process, however, as obtaining the best moves will usually cost a pretty penny, as the process is randomized.
The original Pokemon Rumble was an addictive, simplistic multiplayer title. Familiar Pokemon mechanics were layered into an easy-to-grasp action-system, and the grinding, loot-like elements offered plenty of playtime, especially with the intense, high-level endgame. But alas, nothing gold can stay.
Pokemon Rumble Blast
Release Date- JPN(11/8/2011) NA(24/10/2011) EU(2/12/2011)
The Good: More Pokemon, larger endgame content, new mechanics
The Bad: Content spread too thin, botched co-op mode
Pokemon
Rumble Blast came at a time for the 3DS when it needed games, and
though the Rumble series wasn't the hero it needed at the time, it was
at least something. With the new addition of the Generation V Pokemon in
addition to the Generation II and III Pokemon that had been missing
from the original Wii release, Rumble Blast hoped to wow players with the
number of Pokemon rather than the breadth of its content. The addition
of rusted Pokemon certainly added an interesting twist that made sense
within the bizarre universe that is the Pokemon Rumble series, while also creating an additional tier of usefulness atop the pre-existing trait Pokemon. Rusted Pokemon can be attained through dungeon crawling, however, they require a bit of extra effort in order to unlock their full potential, resulting in a broadening of the traditional loot cycle. While the first title in the series only allowed the player to randomly roll for a new move for their Pokemon, the vending machines in Rumble Blast were tiered in terms of their power, but allowed for much more precise selection. This could not save the lack of variety outside
of dungeon crawling, mediocre Streetpass support, and ruined two-player
co-op. The co-operative gameplay only allowed two players the ability to traverse maps that both had already completed, which means there is no way to progress further in cooperative play. All of this was enough to make the title feel tedious and like it was not
much of an improvement over its predecessor, despite its greater volume
of Pokemon. While there was plenty to collect, there were few challenges
that felt satisfying to accomplish in the endgame. Even the story mode,
as... well, weird as it was, couldn't forgive the lack of arcade-y,
competitive spirit the first title had.
Pokemon Rumble U
Release Date- JPN(24/4/2013) NA(15/8/2013) EU(8/29/2013)
The Good: MORE POKEMON(?!), neato NFC ideas, arcade spirit
The Bad: No dungeon crawling, no goodbye mechanics, terrible NFC distribution, disappointing challenges, ridiculous checklist system, bad UI
Lo and behold, when a system needs a Pokemon game, Pokemon Rumble answers the call, if halfheartedly at times. Rumble U brought the idea of slaughtering massive amounts of Pokemon (now more on-screen than ever!) from the first two titles and the championship-running of the first title as well as some Wii U exclusive features. Touch Power allowed for screen-covering attacks to stun opponents, and more importantly, NFC characters could be powered up and given new moves based on how much in-game currency you spend on them.
Seeing as the NFC mechanics were
clearly a major focus of this game's role as an
introduction to the horrible future we now know as Amiibo, it is surprising that Nintendo did not make more of these figurines available, or even in greater variety. But the way
it implemented its core concept was actually very enjoyable, and because
of the co-operative nature of the Rumble series, it could have worked
well. The only problem was, the game has a very small amount of content, offering no new generation of Pokemon and only tournament-style encounters. Dunegon crawling was completely absent in this title, and certain Pokemon
could only be unlocked by completing a number of checklist achievements per stage.
Though some of these were satisfying, quirky, and challenging, others were flat-out ridiculous
and required a mastery of the title that was only seen by NFC owners.
Had dungeons been included in the final product, it would have felt much
less hollow. As it stands, it's a series of challenges that become
increasingly difficult to the point where you NEED four NFC Pokemon with
maxed out stats to surpass them- and those things were gone faster that
you could snap your fingers. You just did, didn't you? You snapped your
fingers. If not, go ahead, try again. Yup, they're gone. Too bad.
But you did just replicate the Switch jingle.
Pokemon Rumble World
Release Date- Worldwide(April 8th, 2015)
Though Pokemon Rumble World is a free-to-play game, the developers won't actually allow you to spend more than thirty dollars on it- no, really, try it- and it would eventually launch as a thirty dollar cartridge with all of its micro-transaction gimmickry absent. Spending that much is a sign that you have "bought the game" and rewards you with a membership that allows you to get new in-game currency every day. This is a surprising, but pretty generous move on Nintendo's part- although it doesn't quite make up for the slow trickle of resources.
Pokemon
Rumble World features dungeons once more, though they're shorter this
time around and run on a cooldown system that can be bypassed as long as
you have a number of other dungeons to run around in. There is also a mechanic that allows continued visits to certain zones to trigger "frenzy" states, where new and more powerful Pokemon will appear instead. However, the dungeon selection system is somewhat roulette-based and randomized, which means players may not have the chance to obtain the Pokemon they are searching for- unless they use the main currency of the title: PokeDiamonds. Everything worthwhile is locked behind
these trinkets, which can only be obtained through very specific methods. There's ways of subverting the mechanic, but only for
casual players (read: micro-transactions). As stated prior, the game stops you at around thirty dollars of spending
and opts to give you a daily, renewable source of PokeDiamonds.
Challenges make a return with the checklist system of Rumble U (though thankfully more reasonable this time around), and Streetpass and Spotpass add to the functionality of the game in ways similar to Rumble Blast. Unfortunately, the "goodbye" mechanic exists as nothing more than a means to get more money off of your excess Pokemon in Rumble World. The other form of currency is used for purchase a variety of cosmetic features for your living space, which is another massive portion of the game, meant to be paired with its social -pass features. For such a social title, however, the lack of co-operative play is particularly unfortunate. There is plenty of challenge to be found in attempting all of Rumble World's challenge checklists, collection goals, and cosmetic purchases, but that the game is locked behind its thirty-dollar entry fee (and that the full-purchase title only enables PokeDiamond accrual in small increments per day) makes this title a much slower burn than any of its predecessors. Is this a good thing? Was Pokemon Rumble too addictive?
Conclusion
It is somewhat surprising that, in terms of offering consistency in aesthetic and mechanics, Pokemon spinoffs manage to maintain a certain level of accuracy. Pokemon Rumble retains typing in both the monsters themselves, as well as their moves, but its first installment managed to create an addictive loot cycle that satisfied player progression tendencies in an entirely different way. As mentioned prior, the concept of slaughtering hundreds of cute Pokemon with your own overpowered unit has some merit. Many action role-playing titles utilize this concept to great effect, but it is the mechanics that surround this design that are more important, as they elevate an idea to a well-rounded and compelling experience.
That being said, are any of these games a compelling experience? Sadly, I feel that the first installment of Pokemon Rumble is the one that makes it closest to that label. In terms of clear objectives, deliberate pacing, and addictive gameplay, it has an immense amount of potential, but it is most enjoyable when played in a group. There is a semi-competitive streak present in grinding that is subverted in the competition trials. This is unfortunate, as the Wii Shop will no longer allow players to add Wii Points in order to try this title out. Pokemon Rumble U skirts the edges of a similar experience, but its highly specific checklist system and lack of dungeon crawling sets it back, in addition to its balancing issues that demand investment in its NFC shenanigans. As for Pokemon Rumble Blast and World, they are both mainly single-player experiences, with the former feeling the most like a full-featured game that unfortunately lacks the multiplayer appeal, and the latter being constrained by its bizarre insistence on social and cosmetic features that don't amount to much.
Pokemon Rumble is a series that has yet to strike a perfect balance, a game that takes its motifs and implements them in a way that feels justified. This strikes me as odd, as its dungeon-crawling, action-oriented gameplay is very reminiscent of isometric role-playing games and arcade-style brawlers primed for co-operative play, yet no one developing these titles seems to have made that connection. What is certain is that like almost all things Pokemon, it is very likely that these games have made some sort of substantial profit. When Nintendo goes from churning out full-retail releases on the Switch to releasing smaller digital titles, we will likely see Pokemon Rumble in some shape or form once more, and I am curious- and cautiously optimistic- as to what direction another entry would take.
Do you have a favorite entry in the Pokemon Rumble series? Do you think Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is better? Any aspects of this article that you have issues with? As always, feel free to leave a comment below, and don't forget to subscribe for further updates, and thank you for reading!
But one subseries of Pokemon that stands out as both bizarre in concept yet wildly addictive in execution is Pokemon Rumble. While none of the titles in this series are particularly fantastic, the idea of smacking around hundreds of weaker Pokemon with one's super-powered, highly aggressive own is innately appealing, something akin to Dynasty Warriors. But, you know, for Pokemon. However, this series is notable if only because its first installment boasted an incredibly addictive loot system that would slowly fade away with subsequent releases. The design choices made in the Pokemon Rumble series have been experimental and curious in their own ways, which is surprising considering the relatively straightforward and solid fundamentals established in the first game. Because of their size, writing a lengthy analysis of each title would be superfluous, so instead, I wanted to take a look at the iterative "improvements" these titles make by stacking them up alongside one another.
First, however, let's cover the basics.
Primary Gameplay
Pokemon Rumble is all about destroying as much as you can with as much efficiency as possible. Rather than taking control of "real" monsters, you instead play as wind-up figurines, able to execute two moves with two separate inputs. Each of these toys has its own level, although these can far exceed the traditional 1-99 scale of the original Pokemon titles.
"Catching" new Pokemon is semi-randomized, as a Pokemon has the chance of turning into a recruit-able pickup upon being knocked out, or can similarly start "wobbling" if hit enough times in battle. A Pokemon defeated while in a wobbling state will always turn into a recruit-able unit. You will collect an absurd number of Pokemon over your journey, so many that you will eventually run out of storage space or have more than you really need. Releasing Pokemon can also reward the player with in-game currency, and grant additional bonuses in specific installments. The moves that each Pokemon possesses are semi-randomized as well, possessing any specific species set of potential moves from the mainline series. These moves can usually be overwritten at a lottery machine or store.
Although players have access to their entire collection of Pokemon while playing, they are only given three "lives" when they are within a challenge scenario before they fail. A Pokemon that is downed while within a challenge cannot be used again, although players can switch (*snap*) their Pokemon during lulls in action in order to disperse damage across multiple figurines.
With the exception of Pokemon Rumble U, the series revolves around linear dungeon crawling and defeating larger boss-figurines in order to progress further.
Outside of these fundamentals, each game is somewhat different from one another.
Pokemon Rumble
Release Date- JPN(16/6/2009) NA(16/11/2009) EU(20/11/2009)
The Good: Comfortable music, accessible gameplay, satisfying endgame
The Bad: Limited amount of Pokemon, challenges limited by co-operative gameplay
The first title in the Pokemon Rumble series had players picking up several controllers and attempting to run dungeons to compete in championships with the first 150 and latest (at the time) 107 Pokemon from Generation I and IV of the series, respectively. Multiplayer was a key aspect here, as the ranked championships were extremely difficult to defeat in solo play. A unique brand of competitive/cooperative action was also present, where players would be ranked based on the amount of Pokemon defeated at the end of each dungeon.
In short, it created a perpetual loot cycle.
The goodbye mechanic- being able to ditch five Pokemon of the same type in order to get a higher-stage, more powerful addition- was an effective method of obtaining stronger figurines, and often these reward Pokemon had more powerful moves. Accruing currency is a constant process, however, as obtaining the best moves will usually cost a pretty penny, as the process is randomized.
The original Pokemon Rumble was an addictive, simplistic multiplayer title. Familiar Pokemon mechanics were layered into an easy-to-grasp action-system, and the grinding, loot-like elements offered plenty of playtime, especially with the intense, high-level endgame. But alas, nothing gold can stay.
Pokemon Rumble Blast
Release Date- JPN(11/8/2011) NA(24/10/2011) EU(2/12/2011)
The Good: More Pokemon, larger endgame content, new mechanics
The Bad: Content spread too thin, botched co-op mode
Pokemon Rumble U
Release Date- JPN(24/4/2013) NA(15/8/2013) EU(8/29/2013)
The Good: MORE POKEMON(?!), neato NFC ideas, arcade spirit
The Bad: No dungeon crawling, no goodbye mechanics, terrible NFC distribution, disappointing challenges, ridiculous checklist system, bad UI
Lo and behold, when a system needs a Pokemon game, Pokemon Rumble answers the call, if halfheartedly at times. Rumble U brought the idea of slaughtering massive amounts of Pokemon (now more on-screen than ever!) from the first two titles and the championship-running of the first title as well as some Wii U exclusive features. Touch Power allowed for screen-covering attacks to stun opponents, and more importantly, NFC characters could be powered up and given new moves based on how much in-game currency you spend on them.
But you did just replicate the Switch jingle.
Pokemon Rumble World
Release Date- Worldwide(April 8th, 2015)
Though Pokemon Rumble World is a free-to-play game, the developers won't actually allow you to spend more than thirty dollars on it- no, really, try it- and it would eventually launch as a thirty dollar cartridge with all of its micro-transaction gimmickry absent. Spending that much is a sign that you have "bought the game" and rewards you with a membership that allows you to get new in-game currency every day. This is a surprising, but pretty generous move on Nintendo's part- although it doesn't quite make up for the slow trickle of resources.
Challenges make a return with the checklist system of Rumble U (though thankfully more reasonable this time around), and Streetpass and Spotpass add to the functionality of the game in ways similar to Rumble Blast. Unfortunately, the "goodbye" mechanic exists as nothing more than a means to get more money off of your excess Pokemon in Rumble World. The other form of currency is used for purchase a variety of cosmetic features for your living space, which is another massive portion of the game, meant to be paired with its social -pass features. For such a social title, however, the lack of co-operative play is particularly unfortunate. There is plenty of challenge to be found in attempting all of Rumble World's challenge checklists, collection goals, and cosmetic purchases, but that the game is locked behind its thirty-dollar entry fee (and that the full-purchase title only enables PokeDiamond accrual in small increments per day) makes this title a much slower burn than any of its predecessors. Is this a good thing? Was Pokemon Rumble too addictive?
Conclusion
It is somewhat surprising that, in terms of offering consistency in aesthetic and mechanics, Pokemon spinoffs manage to maintain a certain level of accuracy. Pokemon Rumble retains typing in both the monsters themselves, as well as their moves, but its first installment managed to create an addictive loot cycle that satisfied player progression tendencies in an entirely different way. As mentioned prior, the concept of slaughtering hundreds of cute Pokemon with your own overpowered unit has some merit. Many action role-playing titles utilize this concept to great effect, but it is the mechanics that surround this design that are more important, as they elevate an idea to a well-rounded and compelling experience.
That being said, are any of these games a compelling experience? Sadly, I feel that the first installment of Pokemon Rumble is the one that makes it closest to that label. In terms of clear objectives, deliberate pacing, and addictive gameplay, it has an immense amount of potential, but it is most enjoyable when played in a group. There is a semi-competitive streak present in grinding that is subverted in the competition trials. This is unfortunate, as the Wii Shop will no longer allow players to add Wii Points in order to try this title out. Pokemon Rumble U skirts the edges of a similar experience, but its highly specific checklist system and lack of dungeon crawling sets it back, in addition to its balancing issues that demand investment in its NFC shenanigans. As for Pokemon Rumble Blast and World, they are both mainly single-player experiences, with the former feeling the most like a full-featured game that unfortunately lacks the multiplayer appeal, and the latter being constrained by its bizarre insistence on social and cosmetic features that don't amount to much.
Pokemon Rumble is a series that has yet to strike a perfect balance, a game that takes its motifs and implements them in a way that feels justified. This strikes me as odd, as its dungeon-crawling, action-oriented gameplay is very reminiscent of isometric role-playing games and arcade-style brawlers primed for co-operative play, yet no one developing these titles seems to have made that connection. What is certain is that like almost all things Pokemon, it is very likely that these games have made some sort of substantial profit. When Nintendo goes from churning out full-retail releases on the Switch to releasing smaller digital titles, we will likely see Pokemon Rumble in some shape or form once more, and I am curious- and cautiously optimistic- as to what direction another entry would take.
Do you have a favorite entry in the Pokemon Rumble series? Do you think Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is better? Any aspects of this article that you have issues with? As always, feel free to leave a comment below, and don't forget to subscribe for further updates, and thank you for reading!
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