[First Impression] Pokemon Unite, MOBA Flavor of Sports Games That's Really Exciting!

Pokemon Company has finally opened the beta test stage for the game Pokemon Unite’s newest MOBA in Canadian territory. Even though they are already planning to provide beta access to more other regions, who would have thought if the beta version was already available on a third-party site like the one above. we reported yesterday.

Driven by curiosity, we finally decided to try joining the beta stage and see firsthand the premise that Pokemon Unite is trying to offer. Of course there are strict binding rules where players are not allowed to share screenshots or gameplay footage, therefore we will only explain the concept of the game in the summary of the article. Curious what the quality is like? just look at the summary of our impressions below:

Customization Up to Visual

Since we entered the game, we were immediately presented with the option to create a Trainer. There are various customization options offered, such as changing gender, skin color, hair style, to the choice of costumes that can be used. The options offered are not so complex, but who knows the final version will bring more new variations to make your Trainer look more different.

Trainers in Pokemon Unite do act as a representation of your character in the game, but they don’t have a really active role while in the gameplay. Aside from the Cut-In display when your Trainer catches a wild Pokemon, the gameplay focuses solely on the action of each Pokemon you control. But before going too far into the gameplay, we want to express our satisfaction with the style this game brings.

The style we discuss is the quality of the graphics to the overall design of the menu in this game which is really very typical of modern Pokemon games. For a game that is devoted to mobile, we don’t even hesitate to call it one of the MOBAs with the smoothest graphics, especially from the 3D rendering design of every Pokemon that was worked on nicely.

Distinctive Moba Gameplay with Its Own Unique Touch

When discussing the gameplay of the MOBA game, of course, most people only imagine a game where two teams compete in a map to destroy the enemy turret and occupy the main base for victory. Roughly speaking, Pokemon Unite did adopt a similar concept, but after playing it directly, we actually got a different sensation.

So in Pokemon Unite you will indeed be faced with a MOBA-style match that brings together two teams (each consisting of 5 players) to fight each other. But instead of focusing on breaking through defenses and destroying the main base, Pokemon Unite requires players to hunt wild Pokemon.

Hunting wild Pokemon in this game is the same as defeating wild mob monsters in most MOBA games, the difference is only when the monsters are defeated, they will be captured in Unite Balls which are then converted into “Aeos Energy”. The special energy stored in this Unite Ball is used to destroy a kind of small base belonging to the enemy (Turret in this game) according to the amount of Aeos Energy needed.

Although it has a similar function as a Turret, the small base in Pokemon Unite does not have a defense system, which means that enemy players can immediately release their Aeos Energy like scoring a goal against the enemy. Talking about scoring goals, the gameplay actually feels like a sports game, where both teams compete with each other to score as many goals as possible to the opponent’s base.

Each base does not have a defense system, but players can use it as a place to rest for a while because this base can restore HP in small amounts. Of course, you can recover your HP in one to two seconds when you return to the main base, but this small base can be a lifesaver when you are in a corner.

If the gameplay focuses on hunting wild Pokemon, then what’s the point of fighting each other? Of course it’s not a MOBA game if the two teams don’t fight each other, and in Pokemon Unite you definitely have to face off against the enemy team to win. Defeating members of the enemy team in this game provides more reciprocal effects, because in addition to getting kills, you can also steal their Aeos Energy and then throw them back to the enemy base. This effect of course can also affect your Pokemon’s defeat, especially when you fall while holding a high amount of Aeos Energy.

To make the battle even more interesting, the Pokemon you have at the beginning of the match can evolve to Level 3 and give you access to more powerful skills. For example, when you choose Charizard, at the beginning of the game you will control a Charmander who will slowly evolve to become stronger and have access to various cool skills. You can even hunt legendary Pokemon like Zapdos to increase team strength (just like hunting lords or boss monsters in MOBA games).

In terms of gameplay, we feel that Pokemon Unite is quite different and even more addictive than imagined. It’s just that this game requires players to be able to adapt to the flow of the game. For example, if in other MOBA games you can take only one path to penetrate the enemy base, then in Pokemon Unite you have to adapt to the enemy’s movements and what base they are after. Because there is no defense system for each small base, both you and the opposing team have many options for targeting unguarded gaps. We happened to have practiced it in a few games and it proved successful, where the enemy didn’t even realize we had destroyed their base that was not guarded at the bottom due to their lack of focus.

Then what about Microtransactions?

It’s incomplete to discuss free-to-play based mobile games without delving into the microtransaction system, and for this one Pokemon Unite is quite identical to most MOBA games on the market. As usual you can buy additional Pokemon with currency in the form of Aeos Coins and Gems. Incidentally we got quite a lot of Aeos Coins after following the complete tutorial session and managed to buy Pokemon Greninja permanently. Of course we don’t know how the system will be implemented in the final version, and how difficult or easy it will be for players to get new Pokemon.

Not to forget, players are also presented with the option to buy skins that are even pegged at higher Gems prices (except costumes for Trainers which can be purchased with Aeos Tickets). And predictably, Pokemon Unite will certainly provide its own Battle Pass system as well as a series of events that offer various attractive rewards.

Conclusion

Coming from a gamer who is not a big fan of the MOBA genre, we must admit that we are very satisfied with the experience that Pokemon Unite has to offer. Starting from the visual presentation that is very typical of modern Pokemon games, to the MOBA gameplay that tries to offer its own unique concept, this game is quite successful in attracting our attention, even though we didn’t even have high expectations when we first tried it.

Not without flaws, of course, because we feel that the gameplay controls are less responsive and feel slower. Whether because of high Ping or maybe because the server is less stable, what is clear is that every time we enter a gameplay session with other players we always find gameplay that is less responsive. Given that the game is still in the beta test stage, of course this deficiency is understandable and hopefully the developer can take more feedback to improve its quality. This game got the potential for sure!

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Pokemon Unite

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Timi Studio Group

Release Date: 2021-07-21

Mobile Games, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch

Pokemon UNITE is a 5 vs 5 MOBA game with a visual presentation that is very typical of modern Pokemon games, to MOBA gameplay that tries to offer its own unique concept with Pokemon nuances such as hunting and then doing Pokemon evolution. However, the MOBA in the Pokemon UNITE game is quite different from the MOBA in general.