Pokémon Shuffle Launches In Europe!

[Demelza]

Update: The game is now live in the US as well.

Free to play Pokémon puzzler Pokémon Shuffle is now live on the European eShop for the Nintendo 3DS.

Pokémon Shuffle was released in Japan yesterday and while it wasn't expected to appear on our eShop until Thursday the game has been quietly released in Europe, with a US release expected to follow later today.

The game sets you off with 5 hearts which go down by one every time you play a stage. After that hearts restore themselves one every 30 minutes. Gems which restore hearts can be bought through the eShop for the prices below:

• 1 Gem - £0.89
• 6 Gems - £4.49
• 12 Gems - £8.09
• 35 Gems - £22.49
• 75 Gems - £42.99

It's worth noting that the first five stages of the game are tutorials meaning you won't be able to really get into the game until your hearts restore themselves as the tutorial is not skippable. You are given a gem which allows you to restore them, but personally I felt like using it so soon was a waste. If you're still undecided on the game then you can check out a trailer for it below:

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[Linkachu]

Still waiting for it to launch in North America. </3

 

[MechaLuck]

I bought the game before it was released so i dont have the hearts ;3
Or does it update and give me the hearts and restarts my game?
I neeed my lucario!

 

[Doctor Oak]

Still waiting for it to launch in North America. </3

You shouldn't put much thought into it, really. It's not worth it. It turns out that Nintendo's take on freemium is the same soul-sucking take as everyone else's.

And 100% fuck you to anyone that buys the £42.99 pack for a 'free' game. Don't be the problem.

 

[pokeman266]

This is not a game I could see people playing for long periods of time so I don't see the 5 heart thing as a big issue for people. I'm still unsure if I'll even try it.

 

[Demelza]

This is not a game I could see people playing for long periods of time so I don't see the 5 heart thing as a big issue for people. I'm still unsure if I'll even try it.

Actually? The Pokémon link series, which shuffle takes so heavily from, is a series I poured a lot of hours into so I can certainly see the heart thing bothering the odd person. I'm not too fussed by it currently though

 

[YueliaBreeze]

Pokemon Shuffle is really fun i have it on my 3DS right now and it's my first shuffle game of pokemon i'm kinda enjoying it kinda shocked it was free in Eshop though thought it would of cost money like alot.

 

[NocturnalNetwork]

If you pass through a few levels, you unlock the Check In function. They released Mew as a special gift for launching. Already catched it.

 

[YueliaBreeze]

I have to say with this pokemon shuffle i'm really enjoying it and it's my first game out of the pokemon link series that i kinda like i mean it's cute and stuff but i really enjoy it but it's kinda a pain when you have to wait on the hearts to come back so you can play more level's.

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

. . . Did Nintendo seriously make a Facebook game for the 3DS? O_o

 

[Linkachu]

. . . Did Nintendo seriously make a Facebook game for the 3DS? O_o

As most Facebook games work the same as mobile free-to-play games, essentially yes. Pokemon Shuffle is that type of game.

... and sadly it's actually pretty fun so, ignoring all of the money grabby-ness, I can't help but like it.

 

[Doctor Oak]

As most Facebook games work the same as mobile free-to-play games, essentially yes. Pokemon Shuffle is that type of game.

... and sadly it's actually pretty fun so, ignoring all of the money grabby-ness, I can't help but like it.

It's also pretty much the same game as the last Pokemon puzzle game they released on the 3DS that doesn't have any of this bullshit attached...

 

[EtherealHaze]

All I can say is that I'm not interested in this game one tiny bit. I just can't stand these 'Candy Crush Saga' types of games, plus it is making you spend (waste) an assload of cash on whatever these 'gem' things are. So yeah, not even going to bother.

 

[baratron]

Will @Doctor Oak kick me off the site if I admit that I think Pokemon Shuffle is about 100 x more fun than Pokemon Link Battle? The oddest thing is that they are almost exactly the same game, right down to the logo.

The main difference is that Link Battle is timed in real-time, whereas Shuffle is timed in terms of number of moves. This gives a person time to study the field and figure out where to move the Pokemon to. If you're like me - intelligent enough but lacking the ability to think several moves ahead, like in chess - Shuffle is a lot easier. Rather than sliding the blocks in a panic-stricken way and hoping for a combo, you can actually plan the combos out properly. This means that it's easier to earn an S rank on the stage and catch the Pokemon, which makes the game feel more rewarding.

Also, Shuffle always gives you a hint as to a possible next move, which you can use immediately, study and use, or study and ignore. The game tends to highlight next moves which lead to turning a Pokemon into a Mega Pokemon rather than moves which give a large combo, and I'm not quite sure why yet.

Once you get out of the tutorial there are event Pokemon and daily stages, and when you're a little further in, Expert stages appear. I haven't looked at those yet so I don't know what they're like.

I'm not a fan of microtransactions either, and I haven't put any money into the game. It's not difficult to wait half an hour for your hearts to reset so you can carry on playing, especially if your 3DS is full of games. Honestly, I wish that this had been the game I'd paid for and Link Battle had been the free one with microtransactions .

I would generally recommend Pokemon fans to get this game, unless they loathe all puzzle games, or don't yet have a 3DS. Just... don't be tempted into spending money on it.

 

[Doctor Oak]

Will @Doctor Oak kick me off the site if I admit that I think Pokemon Shuffle is about 100 x more fun than Pokemon Link Battle? The oddest thing is that they are almost exactly the same game, right down to the logo.

The main difference is that Link Battle is timed in real-time, whereas Shuffle is timed in terms of number of moves. This gives a person time to study the field and figure out where to move the Pokemon to.

Actually, I pretty much agree. But it doesn't excuse the unethical tactics used in this kind of freemium game. There's a right way to do F2P, and this is the way that sleazy outfits run by online gambling veterans have tunnelled through because it uses the same gambling-game based tactics, but without the pesky downside of having to pay out if someone wins. Choosing that path is not really something I can excuse, especially on a platform primarily aimed at children with a game primarily aimed at children in a franchise primarily aimed at children.

 

[baratron]

There's a right way to do F2P, and this is the way that sleazy outfits run by online gambling veterans have tunnelled through because it uses the same gambling-game based tactics, but without the pesky downside of having to pay out if someone wins. Choosing that path is not really something I can excuse, especially on a platform primarily aimed at children with a game primarily aimed at children in a franchise primarily aimed at children.

Agree. To be honest, the impression I get from Pokemon Shuffle is that it's an experiment. Especially considering you can "check in" to the server once per day to receive items and/or new bonus levels. I'm pretty sure the game reports back usage data when you do that.

I really hope no one has spent out more than the cost of a typical 3DS download game on this. It would only encourage them to make more dubious "free" to play games.