Pokemon Unite is the Pokemon Company’s attempt at the MOBA genre. While not the strangest pokemon spinoff it was likely the most unexpected and controversial. The game caused a fair amount of outrage, but is it warranted?
Pokemon Unite is a MOBA game that breaks from the mold of the genre. Unite does away with minions, and instead only has jungle creeps. This puts an extreme emphasis on team fighting. I have a history of playing Smite and League of Legends throughout my life, so I do appreciate something fresh.
The game has a limited roster at the moment with more to come. However, I was surprised by the lack of several fan-favorite pokemon. Despite this, the developers are planning to add more pokemon, and as of the time writing this, Gardevoir has already been introduced.
The game feels like the most simple version of the MOBA genre, and that has a place in the genre’s landscape. However, I have had a lot of fun with this game! All of the games are max 10 minutes long, so it is a quick game to play in between chores.
The elephant in the room
The game has a couple of pay to win mechanics that make that has caused a lot of controversies. This all centers around held items. The held items are given as a way to buff your character, and you are limited to a maximum of 3. These held items are then leveled up through an in-game currency. Despite this, the in-game currency can be acquired through playing.
The player has the option to pay to win or grind to win. This is going to be a big sticking point for a lot of players. It is a free-to-play game, so the monetization needed to come from somewhere. The ability to grind out currency makes it not a mortal sin in my point.
Playing anything at a competitive level is going to cause you to invest, and this is the same thing. Sadly that is just the name of the game.
A great team game
The developers have actually put in a karma system that prevents players who are routinely causing problems from playing in ranked. This creates a relatively frictionless ranked experience which is abnormal for a MOBA.
At the moment I believe the game has a fairly low skill ceiling which makes me wonder about the long-term esports potential. The game mostly comes down to pressing two buttons for your abilities, and sometimes your ultimate. The combos are limited, but that is fine for now.
In Conclusion
Pokemon Unite is surprisingly fun to play as a casual game, but I think it fails in being a truly competitive experience. The game doesn’t have the variety needed for long-term fun, but for a free game, it is worth trying. However, the pay-to-win aspects make this a hard recommendation to all pokemon fans.
6.7
A great casual game, but be wary about the pay-to-win mechanics that could limit your fun.