Pokémon Duel Is A New Free-To-Play Board Game For Mobile
Out of nowhere, a new Pokémon game released today on iOS and Android.
Called Pokémon Duel, it’s a free-to-play strategy board game for mobile. It was released in Japan as Pokémon Comaster in 2016. But has only now been released in English.
So what is it? What Pokémon Duel seems to be is a pretty nuanced digital board game that appears to borrow some mechanics from the main series of Pokémon games. Players have a six-creature party and battle other Pokémon when they land on the same space. But instead of wiping the other team out, the goal is more like capture the flag. As you’re supposed to reach a space on the opponent’s side of the board before they reach yours.
Duel does, however, retain the collectible element of other Pokémon games. Using in-game currency, you can unlock chests containing new Pokémon counters for use in battle.
As you’d expect, each Pokémon has different abilities in terms of attack and movement across the board. In the original RPGs, choosing the right team is an important part of your gameplan. To attack, you spin the Pokémon’s Data Disk and attack with whatever move it lands on. With the intention of either knocking out the opposition or moving them out of the way. There are also items you can use during your turn (here called “plates), and plates can do everything from swap positions of Pokémon to enhance their own attacks.
While competitive online multiplayer is a main feature. What’s also notable about the game is that it was developed with HEROZ. A Japanese company whose game Shogi Wars has AI so advanced. Bandai Namco invested in them for their future games.