You don’t have to be a Pokémon fan to know how big of a deal this is. The first official Pokémon MOBA is slated to be released on the Nintendo Switch and mobile devices in the next few months.
Developed by Tencent’s TiMi Studios and The Pokémon Company, the best part about this MOBA title is that it doesn’t follow the rules. (Well, sort of.) For one, it doesn’t follow the same gameplay or story trajectory as the original Pokémon game. This means that you will get to pick and choose your Pokémon from the extensive roster more frequently than most of the other spin-off games from the same title.
Another feature that has got fans raving is the game’s user customization tool which will give players the power to alter the appearance of their Pokémon and trainer. A welcome adaptation from the recent Pokémon games from Sun and Moon and then Sword and Shield!
From platform crossovers to typing abilities here are 5 things we want to see in the upcoming title:
1.) 3-stage evolutions for ALL Pokémon
Before you can be the best there ever was, you’ll have to start from scratch. All Pokémon will start from the first stage of evolution and grow over time as the game progresses. Given the current storyline and gameplay mechanisms, expect most Pokémon to go through at least three-stage evolutions. But from what we’ve seen in the current roster, some Pokémon like Snorlax might not get the same treatment. Can we please get some uniformity across the board?
2.) A bigger and better roster
The current roster is good, but it could be better. The popular ones all make the list: Pikachu, Charizard, Snorlax, Crustle, Greninja, Eldegoss, Talonflame, Lucario, Venusaur and Mr. Mime. There have been rumours that additional Pokémon like Blastoise and Gardevoir will be added post-launch but with so much pre-launch hype, we’re expecting more names to join the list.
3.) Typing ability
Yes, we’re all for diverse gameplay and unique storylines but there are some things that are better left unchanged. Like the game’s classic typing ability. From what we’ve read so far, the effectiveness between certain types of Pokémon will not be part of the game’s mechanism. For example, we all know that water-based Pokémon are better than fire-based ones. But expect none of this logic in the new series. Bummer.
4.) More platform crossovers
Currently, Pokémon Unite is expected to be released on the Nintendo Switch in July, with a mobile launch set for September. Its developers have suggested the possibility of cross-play and cross-progression once the game is available on multiple platforms. This would be massive so we’re keeping our fingers(and toes) crossed.
5.) No Gachapon, please
As much as we love MOBA titles, we also know the usual cash traps associated with them. We hope that we don’t have to fork out a fortune to unlock runes and game features.
Paying for nice skins is acceptable but if they gate power via microtransactions, we might have to do something about Team Rocket and their money-grubbing ways.
6.) Proper servers
A stable connection is critical in any MOBA game; without it, even the best game will turn the most eager of players away. While Nintendo’s Smash Ultimate and Pokémon Sword and Shield servers don’t inspire much confidence, one can only hope that the Pokémon Unite servers would be Super Effective in retaining its users.
What else would you wish for in Pokemon Unite? Let us know in the comments.
