Pokémon Quest
A free-to-start Pokémon spin-off with voxel-style cube-shaped Pokémon.
Pokémon Quest is a free-to-play action role-playing game from the Pokémon series, built entirely by Game Freak. It launched on the Nintendo Switch eShop in May 2018, with versions for Android and iOS following in June 2018. Within its first week, the game was downloaded over 7.5 million times.
The game uses a blocky, voxel art style reminiscent of Minecraft. It takes place on Tumblecube Island, where Pokémon appear as cube-shaped creatures called Pokéxel, all drawn from the original Kanto region seen in Pokémon Red and Blue. Players manage a base camp and a team of three Pokémon, working through 12 locations—each containing 3 to 7 levels—to clear the island of wild Pokémon.
At the base camp, players cook dishes to attract new Pokémon, place decorations for various bonuses, and receive a visiting Pokémon every 22 hours. A Poké Mart offers DLC Packs, Decorations, and Box Expansions. Players can also claim 50 PM Tickets every 22 hours (more with DLC Packs), which are used to buy decorations, expand storage, instantly finish a dish, or recharge expedition energy.
Expeditions involve sending up to three Pokémon into battle. Each Pokémon has access to 2 to 11 special moves from a pool of 167 unique movesets. After using a special move, a Pokémon must wait a few seconds before using it again, relying on normal attacks in the meantime. Completing a level unlocks the next one in that location.
New Pokémon are attracted by cooking one of 18 possible dishes in the base camp’s cooking pot. Ingredients—classified by color, hardness, type, and rarity—are mostly gathered from expeditions or recycled from unused Power Stones. Rarer ingredients attract rarer Pokémon. The cooking pot used determines the bonus stats and level of the attracted Pokémon, with better pots requiring more ingredients.
Pokémon gain experience from expeditions or training. Training consumes another Pokémon (which then leaves) to boost experience or replace a move. Using the same species or type as the support Pokémon increases the experience gained and the chance of changing a move, though both decrease with each training session.
Each Pokémon has Power Charm slots for Power Stones. Mighty Stones boost attack, Sturdy Stones boost HP, and some stones grant special effects like increased movement speed or critical hit rate.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Game Freak
- Series
- Pokémon
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Android
- iOS
- Released
- Nintendo Switch, May 30, 2018, Android, iOS, June 27, 2018
- Genre
- Action role-playing
- Modes
- Single-player
- Director
- Tetsuya Watanabe
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Pokémon Quest was announced during a press conference held by The Pokémon Company on May 30, 2018, and released on the Nintendo eShop as a free-to-start title later that same day. A mobile version followed on June 27, 2018, for iOS and Android. It was the first Pokémon spin-off developed entirely in-house by Game Freak, the developers of the main Pokémon games. Since launch, the game has had no significant updates, and apart from the Chinese version—where it is known as Pokémon Adventure Treasure Hunt—only the first generation of Pokémon are included.
Reader's Guide
Pokémon Quest received 'mixed or average' reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Critics felt the gameplay was repetitive, with Kotaku and IGN reviewers finding the mostly automated battles the least entertaining aspect. Game Informer described them as unengaging, while Eurogamer called them 'nice simple fun'. Kotaku and Eurogamer noted that in many battles where the player's team was stronger, the game could run completely automated without input. Customizing the team and Power Stones was considered the most enjoyable part by all three critics. IGN felt the RNG involved in obtaining good Pokémon and moves made the gameplay loop less enjoyable, calling the 'grindy gameplay loop of searching for perfection just plain addictive, even if it's not all that fun'. Game Informer bemoaned 'uninteresting gameplay, frustrating collection mechanics, and tedious grinding', feeling it failed to live up to other Pokémon titles. Critics agreed the game was better suited for mobile platforms due to less awkward controls and long wait times between battery recharges; Nintendo Life criticized the wait times. Within two days of release, the game had over one million downloads, and after one week it reached more than 7.5 million downloads worldwide, with first-week revenue exceeding $3 million on iOS and Android. During its first month on mobile, it received nearly 8 million downloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who directed Pokémon Quest?
Pokémon Quest was directed by Tetsuya Watanabe.
Who designed Pokémon Quest?
Pokémon Quest was designed by Takeshi Kawachimaru and Kei Setoguchi.
Who composed the music for Pokémon Quest?
The music for Pokémon Quest was composed by Teruo Taniguchi, Takahiro Eguchi, Fumihisa Tanaka and Shinji Hosoe.
What engine does Pokémon Quest use?
Pokémon Quest runs on Unity.
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