Pokémon Shuffle

Background

Pokémon Shuffle is a puzzle game in which players fight against various Pokémon by matching three or more of the same Pokémon from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos and Alola regions on the bottom of their screen. Players swap Pokémon on the bottom screen and can take up to four support Pokémon, some of which deal additional damage depending on type (e.g., matching water-type Pokémon causes extra damage to fire-based opponents). Players progress through stages by defeating the opposing Pokémon within a set number of moves, after which they receive in-game coins and their Pokémon gain experience.

Upon clearing a stage, players have a chance to catch the Pokémon; the quicker the defeat, the higher the catch probability. If the player fails to catch it with their first Pokéball, they can spend coins to use Great Balls with a doubled chance of success, or retry the stage later. Defeating Pokémon trainers earns Mega Stones, which allow certain caught Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution once enough of them are matched during a stage, granting bonus effects. Players can also unlock Expert levels, which require defeating a Pokémon within a time limit using unlimited moves.

The game follows a freemium format where players need hearts to attempt each stage, recovering up to five hearts by waiting a certain amount of time. Coins can be used to purchase power-ups, such as extra moves, before entering a stage. Extra hearts and coins can be purchased with jewels, which are either earned by defeating trainers or purchased using Nintendo eShop funds. The game supports internet connectivity offering bonus items and special limited-time stages to those who check in, as well as StreetPass functionality.

Did You Know?

• Pokémon Shuffle was announced as a free-to-play game on January 14, 2015.
• The last Pokémon added to the game was Marshadow in July 2018.
• The mobile version was released in Japan on August 24, 2015, and other territories on August 31, 2015.