The launch of Pokemon Champions on the Nintendo Switch has arrived with the weight of a thousand expectations, acting as a dedicated stadium for the competitive community.
We’ve not been able to get hands-on time with it just yet, so we’ve scoured the internet to understand the general sentiment towards Pokemon Champions. We want to understand what it’s doing right, and what it isn’t. So here’s a run-down of what’s being said.
This feels particularly pertinent as we’ve re-started our Pokemon Scarlet play-through, and seeing how well it performs on the Switch 2, means we have high expectations for Pokemon Champions.
The Arena and the Pace
The most immediate win for this title seems to be the sheer velocity of the combat. Battles feel significantly more responsive than the often sluggish transitions found in recent mainline entries like Scarlet and Violet.
For the first time in years, the turn-based animations and menu navigation feel like they were built for modern hardware, providing a frictionless flow that keeps the focus entirely on the mind games of the match. You feel more like a trainer in the battle arena than ever before, in Pokemon Champions.
The inclusion of multiple generational gimmicks, such as Mega Evolution and Terastalization, has also been welcomed as a smart tactical blend. It creates a meta-game that feels like a greatest hits collection of competitive history, allowing for creative team compositions that haven’t been possible in years.
Personally, we don’t like the Terastalization stuff. It really disappoints, aginst the likes of Gigantamax and Mega Evolutions. But at least things are being mixed-up here. So people have choice and variety.
Streamlining the Grind
Where Pokemon Champions truly shines for the average player is in its approach to stat management.
The opaque and often exhausting process of breeding for perfect IVs or grinding for EVs has been replaced by a much cleaner interface. Using earned in-game currency like VP and Training Tickets, players can directly adjust a creature’s potential, moveset, and abilities.
This shift lowers the barrier to entry significantly, allowing a newcomer to build a viable team in an afternoon rather than a week. However, this accessibility is currently haunted by a series of technical bugs. Reports of incorrect turn orders during Mega Evolution and items failing to trigger have dampened the competitive integrity of the ranked ladder during these early weeks.
With this stuff, though. Once the wrinkles are ironed-out, it feels like the best way to engage. Pokemon Champions is setting out it’s stall, and it looks like one we should be buying from.
The Cost of Entry
Sentiment regarding the free-to-start model is where the community is most divided. On one hand, the game is surprisingly generous with its daily rewards, often giving active players enough currency to fully train a new team member every few days.
The integration with Pokemon Home is a masterstroke for veterans, allowing them to bypass the initial recruitment phase by importing their existing collections.
On the other hand, the layers of monetization are causing a fair bit of friction. Between a Starter Pack, a recurring Membership, and a seasonal Battle Pass, the game can quickly become more expensive than a standard retail release.
The restriction to just 30 box spaces for free players feels particularly tight, essentially forcing a purchase for anyone who wants to maintain a versatile roster without relying on the Home subscription.
Whilst not unexpected, you have to decide how far you want to go with Pokemon Champions. We’ll dip into it, but don’t feel too worried about box spaces. But if the game becomes your main daily play, then investment is likely, and well, is it worth it?
Pokemon Champions
The launch lineup of under 200 Pokemon has proven to be a sticking point. While a smaller pool makes for a more balanced and readable competitive environment for beginners, it has left many veteran trainers feeling restricted.
The absence of hundreds of favorites, combined with some rather static battle animations and a visual style that doesn’t quite push the Switch to its limits, gives the impression of a project that is currently more of a foundation than a finished product.
In its current state, Pokemon Champions is a high-speed, highly accessible battle simulator that is currently tripping over its own feet. It offers the best pure combat experience the series has seen in years, but it desperately needs to iron out its bugs and expand its roster to keep the stadium full.
Not far off
Assuming developer The Pokemon Works are going to put time and effort behind the game post-release (I doubt Nintendo will just drop it so soon!) It feels like Pokemon Champions can be squared-up with relative ease. The issues aren’t about how it works, just some bugs and some concerns around monetisation and roster size.
The lack of Sandshrew is particularly disturbing…..or even the legendary birds and dogs. But not really a big deal. At least our luchadore favourite Hawlucha is in there and ready to tussle!
We’ll check it out in due course and let you know how it is.
