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The Pokemon franchise has sold millions, with its’
videogames, films, television shows and Trading Card Game.
Pokemon Link is the latest in the Pokemon series after
the last releases: PokemonXD: Gale of Darkness on the
GameCube and Pokemon
Dash on the NintendoDS. Pokemon Link has often been 
compared to Zoo Keeper, but the release actually has little
in common with the aforementioned NintendoDS Launch Title. Pokemon
Link could easily be seen as a cynical cash-in on the Pokemon
franchise as, although the many characters may fit well, there was
no real need to brand the puzzle game with a popular Intellectual
Property.
This
game does exactly what it says on the case. The idea is to
“link” Pokemon, hence the name Pokemon Link. You
have a 5x5 Grid on the Touch Screen and a 5x6 Grid on the top; you
can only link Pokemon on the Touch Screen though. You clear
the Pokemon by making a link of four of the same type of Pokemon
and then you have a Link Chance: an opportunity to link three Pokemon,
followed by links of two, until the Link Chance runs out. You move
the Pokemon around by using the stylus on the Touch Screen;
you can either move them vertically or horizontally. The top screen
shows the overflow from the Touch Screen from which the Pokemon
don’t link – as stated above, they can only link together on
the Touch Screen.
The
game starts with you watching a short Cut-Scene, which sets you up
for the game and, to cut a long story short,
you just have to take back the Pokemon that have been
stolen. The there are a few Training Missions to help you to get to
grips with the game, after this there are a few Warehouses, with
more unlocking as progress is made. The warehouses are completed by
linking the number of Pokemon that it states before you
enter the Warehouse. After you’ve done a pre-set amount of
Warehouses, a Boss Stage will appear on the Map. The Boss Stages
are a little more complex than the normal Levels as the Boss will
make your screen go black every so often which makes it a
challenge, also if you slow-down towards the end of the Level the
Boss will just keep adding more Pokemon to the number you
have left to clear. There is
another Single-Player Mode available as well; the Endless Mode. The
Endless Mode is, well, do I really need to explain? You can choose
a starting Level, between one and six, in which you just have to
keep on making links, building-up a High Score until the screen
fills. This gameplay mode is really a filler rather than an
essential part of the game as such.
The Multi-Player is one of the most successful parts of this
game. There are two different modes available Battle Mode and Pair
Mode. The Battle Mode is a simple two-player battle where you have
to try and survive longer than your opponent. During this mode, if
you manage to get a few links together you speed-up the rate at
which the Pokemon come down on your opponents screen. You
can see an outline of the amount of Pokemon on your
opponents screen via a small gauge in a corner with an amount of
reds dots on, signifying Pokemon. The Pair Mode is clever as
you and your opponents are on the same team trying to get a High
Score. You can see the amount of Pokemon on your opponents
screen the same as with Battle Mode. If you or your team-mate get a
good combo then lots of Pokemon disappear of your team-mates
screen. The DS Download functionality also offers a rather
rewarding feature that lets the person/people without the game
download a package allowing them to play the Endless Mode.
This game doesn’t offer the sharpest graphics even seen on
the NintendoDS, but they’re not the worst either. Obviously,
being a puzzle game, the height of the NintendoDS’s graphical
prowess was always going to be irrelevant to the release. The Pokemon
do look a little different than they do on other games. The
Theme Tune for the game is a lively tune fitting for this type of Pokemon
game. Although the general sound affects are a little irritating as
you get the links.
This game won’t be the biggest seller of the Pokemon
franchise, but it will be a decent seller on the NintendoDS. As
this game will appeal to different ages, as it’s a simple yet fun
and addictive puzzle game that will eat-up your time without you
realising, and seeing that it does have the Pokemon-attachment,
it’s likely to do well. It may only get what it deserves though,
as the game is an improvement on Pokemon Dash, but is still
not the most impressive game released on NintendoDS. A worthwhile
Puzzle game for anyone with the inclination, but these people and Pokemon
fanatics will most likely be the limit of Pokemon
Link’s success.
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