First look at Pokémon's new mobile game, quietly released on Android
Guess what? There's a new Pokémon mobile game out, and Australians are again the first to get their hands on it.
Pokémon Rumble Rush (also known as Pokémon Scramble SP in Japan) quietly released on Android devices on Wednesday.
It's a freemium beat 'em up game, where you'll battle through a gauntlet of Pokémon on each level before facing a final boss.
Much like Pokémon Go, the game controls are pretty simple: Tap your phone's screen furiously to attack, until you beat 'em all.
Along the way, you'll collect coins and catch new, more powerful Pokémon (measured by their CP, or combat power), which will help you battle against stronger opponents.
There are items called Gears, which either boost your Pokémon's stats, or help pull in another Pokémon for battle.
On the Adventure screen, you can scroll through a map to access islands and stages which are brimming with better Pokémon to catch. You'll need an item called a Guide Feather to find new stages, and to get those you'll need to defeat bosses, who will intermittently drop them.
There's also something called a Super Boss, which boast higher rewards but also more stringent requirements. To battle these Super Bosses, you might need Pokémon of a certain CP level, and to have caught a certain kind of Pokémon first.
These Super Boss stages also come with a time limit: Your first boss, Raticate, needs to be defeated within 45 seconds.
As the name gives away, it's a mobile spin-off from Pokémon Rumble, a series of games developed by Ambrella, which were first released for WiiWare back in 2009.
Aside from the cute Pokémon, it doesn't seem like to be a particularly interesting game, with the tap-to-attack mechanics wearing thin, real fast.
According to the game's release page, the islands will be updated with new Pokémon every two weeks, so there's an incentive to come back every so often -- if you're more into the business of catching Pokémon.
At the moment, there's no date for a wider international release, but if it mirrors Pokémon Go's release plan, you shouldn't be waiting much longer.
