Pokemon Battle Trozei

Genre: Match-3 Puzzle

Players: 1, StreetPass Compatible

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Review:

Pokemon Battle Trozei, released on Nintendo 3DS in 2014, is the second game in the Pokemon Trozei series after 2006’s Pokemon Trozei on the Nintendo DS. Like that game, Pokemon Battle Trozei is a Match-3 Puzzle game that has players using the touchscreen to move around the faces of various Pokemon aiming to match at least 3, with the aim of scoring enough points within a time limit to beat the game’s levels.

The presentation in this game is simple, but sufficient, using still 2D images of the various Pokemon’s faces and backgrounds. This is backed by an energetic but forgettable soundtrack.

The gameplay here takes a simple Match-3 formula like Bejeweled and adds a twist – players can use the touchscreen to swap any two pieces on the game board, not just adjacent ones. However, players will have to scramble to make matches quickly, as their time will be limited by the attacks of the Pokemon they’re trying to “Trozei” (this game’s word for “catch”, apparently). This makes for somewhat frenetic, fast-paced gameplay, made even more frenetic when you make a good enough match to fire up the game’s special mode that allows you to make matches using two of the same piece rather than three.

It’s enjoyable, but Pokemon Battle Trozei also feels pretty shallow as Puzzle games go. You’re often not trying to make the best move, but just trying to make as many moves as possible. This can be fun in its own right, but doesn’t come close to the best games in this genre. And the flimsy nature of the gameplay isn’t complimented well by the game’s $8 price tag, which seems a bit steep for something with all the complexity of a typical mobile game.

In the end, I don’t dislike Pokemon Battle Trozei, but I definitely feel like this is not an especially great or noteworthy entry in the genre, and it seems somewhat overpriced to boot.Still, if you’re looking for a Pokemon-themed Puzzle game, this is light and entertaining and will probably satisfy you enough to be a decent time-waster.

tl;dr – Pokemon Battle Trozei is a Match-3 Puzzle game where players use the touchscreen to line up three or more matching pokemon faces, making great matches to clear each level as fast as possible. This is a pretty shallow entry in the genre, and the price tag seems a bit on the high side, but it’s enjoyable enough to be a decent time-waster.

Grade: C

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