Round Up: The Reviews Are In For Pokémon Champions
Here's what the critics think
- by Liam Doolan 6:25am
Image: The Pokémon Company
The new "free-to-start" battle game Pokémon Champions launched for the Switch this week and critics have now had their say.
Starting with our own review here on Nintendo Life, we said this new title was the most accessible but flawed competitive Pokémon has ever been, awarding it five out of ten stars:
"The core mechanics of online competitive Pokémon battles remain as solid as a Steelix...But as it stands, the convoluted monetisation, disappointing performance, and inexplicable bugs make this another lacklustre Pokémon experience to add to the pile."
Here's what other outlets had to say:
"While it is a functional way to let you pit Pokémon against others around the globe, its lackluster offerings out of the gate don’t inspire much excitement at the moment...While being “free” gives it some allure, you really need to send your own Pokémon over from Home to properly take advantage of it, which means you already have better, more complete games at your disposal...right now Champions feels like it might need an evolution of its own if it wants to be the very best Pokémon battler out there."
"There's a lot of work to be done, but Pokémon Champions could end up in a better spot over time. Nipping the bugs in the bud is a great start, and there are already promising updates on that front. But it also needs a fundamental shakeup, and more modes need to be added to prevent folks from leaving.
"With some better options for party diversity, a bigger Pokédex, and custom modes, Pokémon Champions could be a great side game for huge Pokémon fans. For now, it's a flawed experiment."
"Pokemon Champions has a fantastic onboarding process for players unfamiliar with the ins and outs of competitive battling, but it still feels like it needs work. It would massively benefit from smoother performance, a review of its puzzling monetization, and a toning down of its grind, which, while more straightforward than the mainline games, requires sizable time investment just to unlock everything."
"Assuming The Pokemon Company continues to support Champions with balance patches, new features, new Pokemon, and new items on a regular basis, it could live up to its potential as the premier avenue for Pokemon Battles.Right now, though, Pokemon Champions provides two different experiences for seasoned players and newcomers respectively--and unfortunately for newcomers, it's an uneven one that will require a lot of their own dedication and time to improve. Perhaps the barrier to entry for competitive Pokemon can never be smashed entirely, but Champions wears it down, and those willing to push through it will find one of the most thrilling competitive games on the other side."
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Have you downloaded Pokémon Champions? How are you finding it so far? Let us know in the comments.
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