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Every time there’s a new Pokémon Presents livestream, we’re reminded that there’s a Pokémon mobile game for just about anything you can imagine. Sleeping, brushing your teeth, walking outside, you name it. Today’s livestream added another app to this lineup — Pokémon Friends, a daily puzzle game for Switch and mobile. While it may look like the other free games, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
The trailer shows off a variety of simple puzzle formats, like one where you connect a line of lightbulbs in a single stroke, a slide puzzle where you direct water from one side of the screen to another, and a challenge where you rotate railroad tracks to create a path for a cart. When you complete puzzles, you get in-game plushes of Pokémon you can use to decorate some in-game rooms. According to the game’s listing on the iOS App Store, the game has “over 1,200 puzzles” as well as “up to five save files,” so families can have separate progress on a shared device. The trailer shows kids of all ages playing, including with their parents, so it seems geared towards a slightly younger audience.
However, while the game is free to download on mobile devices, it costs $9.99 on Switch in the United States. The FAQ section of the official Pokémon Friends site breaks it down; essentially, the Switch version comes with the Basic Pack, a DLC bundle that allows players to do an unlimited number of puzzles per day. You can purchase the Basic Pack on mobile too, but it’s a base feature of the Switch version. There are also two more DLC options – Puzzle On Pack #1 and #1 – that are available to buy from day one as standalone packages or in bundles.
It’s a confusing monetization system, but it seems like if you just want to give the game a try, you should download the free version on mobile before committing to the console version. The game is available today on Nintendo Switch, the App Store, and Google Play.
