Pokemon Unite Review (Game, 2021)
Pokémon Unite is an unexpected but much appreciated spinoff to the main series. This is a Pokémon MOBA, multiplayer online battle arena. Think League of Legends but with Pikachu and Gengar instead of Lee Sin and Ahri.
You control one Pokémon on a team of five Pokémon. Your objective is to collect Aeos energy. To get Aeos energy, you can either battle and defeat wild NPC Pokémon or your opponent’s Pokémon. You need to deliver the energy to your opponents’ goal zones to score points for your team. As you battle, your Pokémon becomes stronger and unlocks more powerful moves and abilities. The winners are the team with the most points at the end of the match.
There are currently 21 playable Pokémon in the game with more to come. Instead of the Rock Paper Scissors of the main games, Unite has five classes of characters based on stats. There are Attackers who deal massive damage but have little endurance. Speedsters move well and can quickly attack. Defenders have high endurance and are good at blocking or interfering with the opponents’ Pokémon. Supporters can heal their teammates and damage opponents with status changes. And All Arounders have balanced offense and defense. Each Pokémon has their own unique movesets that also changes the dynamic of the game.
The online multiplayer actually runs really well for a Nintendo Switch game. I’ve not had the game lag out or crash once in my week of playing. About the worst thing is the inconsistent loading times for different players, but the differences really aren’t noticeable in-game. It’s a frustration-free online experience, a rarity in Nintendo games. We’ll see if that holds up in the fall when the game opens up cross-platform to Android and iOS devices.
The big downside is the pay to win aspect of the game. This is a Pokémon game with a Battle Pass system, and that Battle Pass has items and characters that are significantly more powerful than you’re ever going to be rewarded at random by the game. I have no interest in paying for a Battle Pass for a free to play game. If I wanted to be at an actually competitive level, I’d have to buy the Battle Pass and unlock all the levels. It’s a terrible decision, especially for a game so new, as this kind of monetization can easily cannibalize the playerbase of a new game.
I’m having a lot of fun playing Pokémon Unite. I’m excited to see how the game will adapt and change as more characters with different powers and battle types are added. Until then, I’ll be freezing my enemies with the Alolan Ninetails I pulled out of thin air after my second game.
Pokémon Unite is free to play on Nintendo Switch.
