Super Pokémon Rumble (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Super Pokémon Rumble is a sequel to the 2009 WiiWare title Pokémon Rumble. Just as the original, it takes the series into a real-time combat scenario via a myriad of miniature model monsters, each spurred to life by the prospect of becoming the Rumble Champion. Being Pokémon, how do you suppose they attain that prestigious title? By battling, of course! There’s one little problem -- all of the worlds’ healing Glowdrops have been pinched by some nefarious Poké-toys. It’s up to the hero of the piece to save the land while simultaneously reaching their plastic paws towards the stars to fulfil their life’s dream.

What this amounts to is a series of a corridor-like stages that are battled through by hammering the A or B buttons constantly to knock out dozens upon dozens of attacking enemies, before taking on a gigantic boss character at the end of each level. Starting off with just a puny Pikachu, very quickly players begin to befriend new and better beasts by besting them in battle, adding them to their collection to be used in the quest. Pokémon can be swapped around at any point with a tap of X, which is recommended when HP levels dip low -- once a toy’s health is wiped out they become unusable until a Glowdrop fountain is encountered again. If a player loses three Pokémon in a level they fail, kicked back to the nearest town and nudged to try again.

Plenty of Pokémon from all generations are available to play with here, spread across the world in numerous theme-specific levels. Water Pokémon, for example, are found near beaches, while bugs, birds and botanical life occupy forests. Gathering them up is as simple as knocking them out when they attack in droves, hoping that they drop as a collectable toy. The odds can be increased by using moves that bash them into a stupor before delivering a final blow.

Whether a new ally is amassed or not, though, coins tip out of any enemy felled. These coins are to be swept up in order to pay for new moves from vending machines. Each Pokémon can know up to two at once, and they’re split over two categories: defensive / evasive techniques or offensive strikes. Furthermore, attacks have multiple ranges, some requiring a hands-on approach while others give players a chance to stand back a little and damage from a distance. Pokémon type should also be considered, just as in the main games -- you’re far more likely to do damage to a Grass type with a few flames from a Fire friend.

After wandering about to find more powerful Pokémon, each area includes a Battle Royale that must be conquered to open the gate to progression. There are entry requirements for these arena battles -- a certain general level of toy, or type -- in which you face tens of Pokémon all at once in a free-for-all match, new ones entering as the stadium empties. Special foes will join the fight after a certain amount of time, but they seldom prove much tougher than the other entrants.

Therein lies the primary problem of Super Pokémon Rumble -- there’s very little challenge to it, and with such limited gameplay it’s very easy to get bored of the whole thing. As players are railroaded through the stages there’s not much more to it than tapping the attack buttons and dodging around; provided that the current character’s level comes close to that of surrounding foes and a small amount of attention has been paid to Pokémon type and the moves used, the game is a pushover. There’s some enjoyment to be found in discovering the toy adaptations of each creature, and the gameplay certainly does nothing technically wrong, but the lack of variety pulls out much of the life that the toys have gained for this tale. Team battles, wherein two further collected Pokémon join the battle as AI helpers, and the war-like charge battles featuring large group battles, add something but don’t crop up enough.

The wireless functionality does offer more interesting asides. A co-operative two player mode, requiring a game card per player, lets friends smash up the toy box together in a similar manner to the team battles. StreetPassers can also visit other Super Pokémon Rumble players’ toy shops, viewing their collections and doing battle with them. It’s useful for gaining a few extra coins to spend in-game, too -- each hit comes with the possibility of a StreetPassed Mii spending some money in the player’s shop, which can then be used in the game proper for new moves.