Pokémon Rumble

Pokémon Rumble

Pokémon Rumble logo
Developer(s) Ambrella
Publisher(s) The Pokémon Company
Distributor(s) Nintendo
Series Pokémon
Platform(s) WiiWare
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action RPG
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer
Distribution Download

Pokémon Rumble (titled Melee! Pokémon Scramble (乱戦！ポケモンスクランブル Ransen! Pokemon Sukuranburu) in Japan)[4] is a Pokémon video game for WiiWare. In North America, the game costs 1500 Nintendo Points.

Gameplay

Screenshot showing Mew and Ivysaur fighting with the enemy Pokémon

The player controls Pokémon as they battle other Pokémon in a series of linear dungeons and enclosed arenas. The game features real-time melee-based gameplay, which has been likened to that of Smash TV.[5]

The game uses a Wii Remote held sideways. The player starts off with a low-level Pokémon with only one attack at their disposal. By battling wild Pokémon through a number of levels the player collects coins which can be used to buy new attacks or recruit more Pokémon. When the player obtains a high enough level Pokémon, the doors to the Battle Royale room open, where they take on dozens of Pokémon at a time in an enclosed arena. The player must defeat all of the Pokémon in order to rank up, eventually facing much stronger and even Legendary Pokémon.[6]

The game supports up to four players simultaneously in co-operative and competitive modes.[2] It also features a password system which unlocks certain Pokémon. Passwords have been found in Nintendo Power magazines, the official game website, or online.

Demo

A free demo is available on the Wii Shop Channel. It includes a number of functions including: The Normal Introduction, a few stages allowing the player to get the feeling of each stage. Pokémon can be recruited and the Terminal can be used. Once a Pokémon is recruited with Power Points of 100 or more (or they lose all their lives twice) a short video is displayed in which the Battle Royale doors open and then a screenshot appears stating that the demo is over.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
Metacritic59 out of 100
Review scores
PublicationScore
IGN6/10

IGN rated the game as 6/10, saying that it is "mindless, but fun", but doesn't have enough depth to keep playing. They went on and criticized the developers for being lazy and reusing models from My Pokémon Ranch.[7] The game received an aggregated score of 59 on Metacritic, with a user score of 8.5.[8]

Sequels

On June 10, 2011, the Japanese Pokémon website announced a sequel, Pokémon Rumble Blast. The game, which was released in Japan on August 11, 2011, is a Nintendo 3DS exclusive. In 2013, a second sequel for Wii U called Pokémon Rumble U was released. Pokémon Rumble World was released on April 8, 2015 exclusively through the Nintendo eShop as a freemium title for Nintendo 3DS.

References

  1. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (16 June 2009). "Take Pokemon Pics in Pokemon Scramble". Andriasang.com blog. Tokyo, Japan: Andriasang.com. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Try Before You Buy: Nintendo Offers 5 Game Demos to Guide Holiday Shoppers". Nintendo of America. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Pokémon Rumble". Nintendo of Europe. Retrieved 19 November 2009.
  4. ↑ Fletcher, JC (2009-09-03). "Get ready to Pokemon Rumble at PAX". Joystiq. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  5. ↑ "Melee! Pokémon Scramble announced for WiiWare". Wiiware.nintendolife.com. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  6. ↑ "First Impressions: Melee! Pokémon Scramble". Wiiware.nintendolife.com. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
  7. ↑ Jack DeVries (November 16, 2009). "Pokemon Rumble Review - Wii Review at IGN".
  8. ↑ "Pokémon Rumble Reviews at Metacritic". Metacritic.

External links