There are a number of limitations in Pokémon Champions, making it a game of strange obstacles rather than a comprehensive competitive experience. While this unique restrictions of the game allows for fresh battles that don’t use every mechanic from throughout the long series, it is presented in ways that create a lot of hurdles for players to run into. Some walls are, frankly, odd to see in this highly anticipated battle simulator, especially with how players are supposed to overcome them.
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In many ways, Pokémon Champions was expected to be an introductory point to the VGC, or competitive online multiplayer for the iconic turn-based RPG. The many nuances of Pokémon‘s history comes from how Pokémon types, moves, and evolutions interact, creating highly complex team battles for players to approach tactically. Although more accessible than online resources like Pokémon Showdown, some features of Pokémon Champions feel less than beginner friendly.
Pokémon Champions’ Limited Pokédex & Item Restrictions Have Fans In An Uproar
Before the game even came out, Pokémon Champions was criticized for its incredibly limited Pokédex size, which only encompassed 186 of the series’ 1,025 Pokémon. This fraction, while larger than some mainline games, is only a small portion of the franchise’s history. By comparison, Pokémon Stadium 2 had 251 Pokémon from both the Kanto and Johto regions as another battle simulator. While it was inevitable that some Pokémon wouldn’t make the cut, the sheer amount of lost creatures has left some fans disappointed.
Ordinarily, the promise of more Pokémon being added to Pokémon Champions later would help to alleviate these concerns. However, Nintendo is tying many additional Pokémon to monetization practices, forcing players to spend in-game resources to acquire their favorite Pokémon for competitive teams. As of this time of writing, some upcoming Pokémon are set to be so expensive to unlock that they will require spending real-world money to obtain.
It doesn’t help that gaining Pokémon in this game is tied to a gacha-like system, which only gives you a random selection of Pokémon to choose from when recruiting new team members. Spending money to roll the dice is frustrating, but Pokémon Champions has additional frustrations beyond that. Important battle items are also locked behind monetization, with some only becoming available to players who purchase the game’s Battle Pass. Live service features injected into Pokémon Champions have many fans infuriated, as some have expressed on sites like Reddit.
Battle Pass Features Create A Grind That Feels Inferior To Other Competitive Titles
Accumulating Season Points (SP) in the Pokémon Champions Battle Pass would be fine if all the rewards in it were solely tied to your Trainer’s cosmetics. Unlocking style choices for your custom character is far better than making crucial items and Pokémon locked behind tedious progression systems. SP is not a common resource either, requiring players to participate in difficult Ranked Battles against real players to earn this limited currency. Without solid single-player modes to help earn this resource for free, the grind is even harder.
To make matters worse, your rewards for wins and losses don’t matter when a Season of Pokémon Champions shifts. Every Season, your Battle Pass and SP reset, meaning you lose out on certain rewards that may not be featured again. For example, if an important battle item is at the apex of a seasonal Battle Pass, you may have no way to ever unlock it again if you don’t progress far enough in a Season. When combined with Premium Battle Pass exclusives, such as powerful Pokémon and their Mega Stones, this situation feels almost predatory.
Lack Of Variety In Pokémon Champions Combines With Technical Issues For A Rough Launch
With Premium Battle Pass items also existing within the game’s Store, it feels almost impossible to have every battle advantage without spending money in Pokémon Champions. This has led to many players not purchasing anything at all, creating very narrow options for multiplayer battles. Going onto Ranked usually will see you face some of the same Pokémon over and over, either for how much easier they are to unlock, or how powerful they are compared to the limited creatures available.
Multiple performance issues during those Ranked matches also add to the game’s shortcomings. Long-distance communication errors can cause turns to take forever, causing the grind for currency and resources to take ten times longer than it should. Long-standing problems from Pokémon‘s history already exist, but the larger monetization and netcode issues further diminish Pokémon Champions from being the robust battle simulator that was promised.
Over time, player feedback might cause in-game currency to be less responsible for team crafting in this game, allowing players to make optimal groups of Pokémon without having to spend money. As it stands right now, though, the fun of Pokémon Champions is locked behind features that only serve as barriers to engaging gameplay that has carried the series throughout its long history.
How do you feel about Pokémon Champions following its launch? Leave a comment below or join the conversation in the ComicBook Forum!
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