The Japanese company surprises with the announcement of Pokémon Unite, a MOBA that they will develop together with Tencent, one of the most important agents in the genre.
Everyone expected a remastering of the fourth edition (Platinum and Diamond) or a Johto Let’s Go , but the new title announced by Nintendo has given a lot to talk about due to its nature and due to the time chosen for it.
The Japanese company launches into the MOBA market with Pokémon Unite , now commonly known on social networks as the Pokémon League of Legends —in fact, it was an instant trending topic— .
The fact that Tencent Games collaborates with the development of the game does not help this comparison at all , since the Chinese giant has owned Riot Games, the producer of LoL, since 2015.
Still, Nintendo makes sure to have the experience of a company that has genuine successes in mobile games like Clash Royale , Clash of Clans , and, to a lesser extent, Arena of Valor .
The title will be free, it will come to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices – there will be crossplay – and although there is still no official date, it will certainly not be before the end of the year .
A Dominion of Pokemon
Comparisons are hateful, but perhaps they help the reader to identify more quickly what the concept of the game is.
Pokémon Unite has victory conditions very similar to the classic LoL Dominion game mode, in which two teams had to capture some control points and the one with the most in their possession after a time limit won.
In this installment there are only two streets , and each player selects a creature that, as it levels up, will evolve until it reaches its final form. That is, even if you select Charizard, you will have to gain experience to transform into the flying dragon.
According to what we have been able to see about the game, each team, of five members, will have to face other wild Pokémon (neutral critters) to capture them and use them to possess the bases with which they fight with the rivals. Leveling up will not only make you evolve, you will also learn up to four moves to choose from a wide variety of options and that you can improve as the game progresses.
As in all MOBAs, each creature will have defined abilities and attacks depending on the role it plays: assassin, tank, support, etc. The different movements that users will have to learn will allow players to adapt to the requirements of each game and the composition of their team. His ultimate ability, the most powerful and functional, will be called unite , and will emulate what League of Legends calls ultimate . In the gameplay trailer we have seen all kinds of attacks: in the area, displacement, at a distance, that paralyze the rival, damage per second…
At the moment, the playable Pokémon that we have seen available are:
- Pikachu
- Talonflame
- Lucario
- Snorlax
- Gengar
- Machamp
- Clefable
- Blastoise
- Charizard
- Venasaur
The doubts of Pokémon Unite
What was announced about Pokémon Unite leaves several unknowns about it. The first of all is the most obvious: if, apparently, there are no objects, how do the Pokémon scale in power? Only through experience, evolutions and attacks? Perhaps they have been left for later to report on the objects, whose nature could be identical to that of the original titles: raise certain characteristics, evolve them during combat, heal health points…
The second casts doubt on the existence of micropayments within the game. If they have already confirmed that it is free-to-play , what kind of transactions can it have? Because it would be a bit strange to see skins on Pokémon beyond shiny ones and having to spend real money to buy new characters could annoy your audience.
And how will the different types influence during the confrontations? Do the weaknesses and strengths of the original installment remain here? From what can be inferred from the video, these do not intervene in any way, although we will have to wait for them to expand the information to corroborate it.
Unknowns aside, and despite the fact that there is still a lot to know about Pokémon Unite , there are reasons to think that it can be a real success : that it is developed by Tencent TiMi Studios, a company with a lot of experience in the genre and that Nintendo already has very positive experiences about mobile games – there is Pokémon Go as the best example – are some reasons to think that it could succeed.
There are different opinions about the title. Fans of the saga were eagerly awaiting a remastering of classic titles and this announcement has frozen their hopes. Others think that with League of Legends Wild Rift just around the corner, it could hit a bump . But with the huge fanbase behind the franchise, anything is possible.
Pokémon and Nintendo enter a genre that has never been seen before for the Japanese company and that intends to place its flag, perhaps not to succeed or dominate the sector, but to be able to become an alternative to the largest .
