Pokémon Rumble was a game released on WiiWare in November 2009, a very simple action-RPG where your toy Pokémon brawled other toy Pokémon and was criticised for being short on content. Super Pokémon Rumble for the 3DS addresses this, but the main gameplay mechanics are too thin to last any reasonable length of time. The game is fun for a few hours but soon becomes tedious.

The world of Super Pokémon Rumble is not populated with regular Pokémon but with toy replicas that operate like wind-up toys. You control one of these at a time, brawling other toy Pokémon using the ‘A’ or ‘B’ button to attack. As you defeat Pokémon you collect coins, and sometimes you randomly knock out (or KO) a Pokémon which allows you to use that Pokémon as your fighter. You can also change the moves your Pokémon has by buying new ones at various vending machines scattered throughout towns and other areas.

Because of the sheer number of different Pokémon, the variety of Pokémon modifiers and move combinations, there is in theory a huge amount of variety on offer, but most moves are simple direct-hit attacks with different damage types (the usual water, fire, bug, poison etc.) so there isn’t much more strategy involved than choosing the best Pokémon by power (or maybe some good move against your current enemies) and mashing ‘A’ and ‘B.’

There is a lot of potential in the concept (think Hero Arena or DOTA style games), but it hasn’t been realised in Super Pokémon Rumble, with Nintendo and Ambrella instead opting for a game that is clearly aimed at the children’s market with its simplicity. This is understandable as Pokémon itself is squarely aimed at young children, but where mainline Pokémon games are rich in depth this one feels unfortunately shallow.

The one area that Super Pokémon Rumble excels is the amount of content. There is a vast number of Pokémon to collect in the game, with all generations represented. If you really enjoy collecting mechanics, then this game will scratch that itch. There are five towns to play through, each with several areas to access before reaching the boss battle of the town. In each area are a number of connected ‘rooms’ in which you fight wild Pokémon, and there can be as many as 15 or more different enemy types in an area. At the end of an area is a boss, which is an evolved form of Pokémon which is also much bigger. Defeat the boss and you complete the area.

You’re encouraged to replay areas because when you do you will encounter higher Power Pokémon of the same type, which affords you the opportunity to KO and thus collect more powerful Pokémon. In addition to regular areas (which come in a variety of types like beach, forest, tower and cave) there are Rumbles. The rumble usually has entry conditions, such as only allowing bug Pokémon or requiring a minimum Power level to enter.

In these fights there are lots of Pokémon all in one ring and the goal is to be the last Pokémon standing (or rolling?). They are a lot more entertaining than the area collect-a-thons because they’re much more frenetic, but you have to scour the town’s areas over and over to get a set of Pokémon that you can win the rumble with, so the effort-to-reward ratio is poor.

Finally there are the goal stages, which move the plot of the game forward. The plot is classic Pokémon stuff. Each town has a Glowdrop fountain but all the Glowdrops have been stolen by some mysterious gang. You have to find out who and stop them. Who ‘you’ is is never explained, however, and the lack of attachment to any character is a shortcoming of the formula.

There is no trainer here, and you keep each Pokémon in play for such a short time (because you’re always collecting more powerful ones) that you never become attached to the Pokémon you’re playing with – they’re simply defined by their type, their power level and their moves. While this increases variety as you’re always swapping Pokémon it feels like you’re just swapping one shape for another and you’re going to swap again in a few minutes so there’s not much point in buying moves or customising your current Pokémon in any way.

The content included might be significant, but the general production values of Super Pokémon Rumble are low. The 3DS is capable of much better environments and models, as evidenced by the recent crop of games. I guess with so many models to make (over 600 Pokémon) they couldn’t be created with high detail.

The overall package leads me to conclude that Nintendo is providing a basic Pokémon experience for the console so that there is one available for parents to buy their children. It will certainly entertain a child (or serious fans of the Pokémon world) for a good length of time; the plot is about ten to twelve hours but you’ll only be a third of the way to collecting all the Pokémon in that time. I was bored after about four hours or so – it starts off fun but it grows old a little too fast for my liking.

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