Pokemon Shuffle

 3DS
User Score
6.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 143 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 143
  2. Mixed: 56 out of 143
  3. Negative: 38 out of 143

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  1. kitsuneae
    Apr 1, 2015
    4
    As "Free to play" microtransaction games go, this one isn't the worst. It is possible to beat and catch most pokemon without spending anything. It is possible to earn the "cash currency" in game in limited amounts. As long as you're not looking for long play periods, it is possible to have fun. From there, the good things end.

    There are world contests and the winners are always either    As "Free to play" microtransaction games go, this one isn't the worst. It is possible to beat and catch most pokemon without spending anything. It is possible to earn the "cash currency" in game in limited amounts. As long as you're not looking for long play periods, it is possible to have fun. From there, the good things end.

    There are world contests and the winners are always either people who have won other global contests or paid lots of money to get all the EX stage pokemon. Those EX stage pokemon, by the way, are all timed levels that are harder than normal with some sitting at 15 second or less to win. The regular rounds start out reasonable but end up just plan unfair with the Wacky Workshop being the nastiest, unbalanced gameplay I have ever seen outside of intentionally brutal "masocore" games.

    Once you beat the pokemon, you caught it, right? Nope! Catching these pokemon requires that you had time/moves left, which often is impossible. This "you can beat but not catch" trick is where Shuffle hopes to rake in lots of money as a high catch chance never seems to be enough I have had it fail at 80% or higher catch rate on a regular basis. Even worse, some of the nastiest pokemon to catch are some of the weakest to use making the frustrating effort not worth it.

    The visuals are OK- very simple but they get the point across. The sound is horrible, however, with repetitive music and annoying sound effects. Play this one on mute! There are no 3D effects in this game.

    Yes, I have seen worse "Free to play" games, but I still can't recommend this as a game overall. Maybe it's ok if you just want to kill five minutes a couple times a day, but there are better, more fun games for doing that. Scrape some change from under the couch and buy one instead of playing this.    … Expand
  2. Arie
    Apr 3, 2015
    2
    From a player who grew up respecting Nintendo's sensibility, to me, this game is an all-time low.

    The playstyle is self explanatory; it plays like any Bejeweled ripoff possibly could, aside from your ability to completely overlook wherever each piece is located and move them in a free range of motion. You're limited to a certain amount of moves, and those moves are replenished via    From a player who grew up respecting Nintendo's sensibility, to me, this game is an all-time low.

    The playstyle is self explanatory; it plays like any Bejeweled ripoff possibly could, aside from your ability to completely overlook wherever each piece is located and move them in a free range of motion. You're limited to a certain amount of moves, and those moves are replenished via in-game currency bought with real money. Now, this would be fine with any game that was targeted toward a more adult audience (i.e. Game of War, Clash of Clans, Candy Crush, etc.) but, think about the target audience here.

    Little kids with too much time on their hands and probably not connected to a bank account with which to do as they please.

    The game is easy at its start -- you get a starter set of five hearts, which replenish one at a time after a span of thirty minutes. Five rounds in, you get a jewel. Five more rounds, you get another. After that, you're on your own, because, lo and behold, the notorious check-in button appears. Legendary Pokemon that you can catch become available. But, before you touch that continue button, keep in mind that this is a pay-to-play game, and, if gamers have learned anything from EA from their days of hashing out DLC, it's that we are always seen as wallets for the big bad boys of the gaming industry to stick their grubby hands in.

    Though, I had kept the completely innocent image of Nintendo in my head. They'd never do that! They saved the gaming industry from those who did that exact thing!

    I was wrong. Nintendo is doing exactly what screwed over the industry in '83. In order to even get through the fight with Rayquaza, I had to use all thirty moves (plus five more via a booster. And I had upped my attack as well), only to deal a third of damage to the damn thing. At any situation like that, an adult would be able to discern how much **** that is.

    Let's keep in mind that it's mostly kids playing this. Would an average kid not just grab his or her parents' credit card, load up on jewels, and grind the damn thing?
    They would. They **** would.

    Thanks, Nintendo. You might be the reason the industry is screwed over in the end.    … Expand
  3. bowyer
    Apr 3, 2015
    2
    The game is fun, but the constant attempt at getting money from microtransactions is upsetting. I would pay $10 for the full game, but I refuse to pay the microtransactions.
  4. rubin
    Apr 15, 2015
    0
    This is literally no different than 9000000000000 bejeweled / candy crush clones available on the app store. This particular game also includes an annoying RNG mechanic that sometimes makes you miss out on capturing the enemy Pokemon even if you ace the stage (!). If you played (and got bored of) at least one of those "match 3" games like me you will find 0 entertainment value in Pokemon Shuffle.
  5. Mesouse
    Apr 26, 2015
    0
    If you loved playing Candy Crush on your pretentious little iPhone your mommy bought you after your old one became obsolete mere weeks after it was released, then I promise you'll love Pokemon Shuffle. If you're a rational, intelligent human being, however, you'd best keep reading.

    The third entry in the Pokemon spin-off series known as Trozei, Pokemon Shuffle continues the series'    If you loved playing Candy Crush on your pretentious little iPhone your mommy bought you after your old one became obsolete mere weeks after it was released, then I promise you'll love Pokemon Shuffle. If you're a rational, intelligent human being, however, you'd best keep reading.

    The third entry in the Pokemon spin-off series known as Trozei, Pokemon Shuffle continues the series' classic formula of "match 3 severed pokemon heads to damage your opponents so you can capture them". In a terribly ham-fisted attempt at cashing in on the "Freemium" mobile game craze (which are known for using evil psych bull$#!+ to mentally rope players in so they only play for short periods without spending real-world money on virtual currency), Nintendo and Genius Sonority have proven that we, as consumers, are gullible sheep that'll shovel all our hard-earned money into anything with the Pokemon label slapped on.

    Gameplay-wise, Shuffle is nothing more than a dulled version of Pokemon Trozei with a pay-to-win atmosphere. By default, the player can only "save up" (by waiting 25-30 minutes!) 5 hearts, also-known-as "chances", which means that after playing 5 levels (or less if you have to retry any), the player must wait between 30 minutes and two and a half hours before they can play again, which brings me to the topic of microtransactions.

    As with all "Freemium" mobile games, Pokemon Shuffle comes with its own unique (yet equally generic) pseudocurrency, called "Jewels". Jewels can be used for buying more Hearts, buying coins (used for buying power-ups before each stage), and for buying an extra 5 moves in the extremely likely chance that the player fails the current stage. As of writing this review, Jewels cost a whopping $0.99 each, with the obligatory "discount" for buying in bulk, with an insulting mechanic that both prevents the player from having more than 75 Jewels, and making it so, even if , for example; the player has 50 and tries to buy the pack of 35, it's likely that they'll be charged without receiving a single Jewel. (As I currently refuse to support Nintendo by paying for their trash, I won't be buying any Jewels to test this theory out)

    Occasionally, Nintendo will unleash a special competition (in which the prize is an "exclusive" Mega Stone for whatever pokemon is involved) where your only chances of making it within the top 10000 are either:
    a) Spending money on coins and Jewels for power-ups to give you an unfair advantage over the penniless, smelly unfortunates,
    b) Being affiliated with Nintendo,
    c) Being Asian (no racism intended, it just stands to reason that they would have a home-field advantage),
    d) Playing the game all day, every day until your every move is perfect,
    e) Exploiting software glitches to hack your way into a qualifying position.

    Another thing worth noting is the Passcode system, which died the first day. As of writing this, the only passcode that exists has existed since the game's release, good for 2 free "Mega Start" items. The code expires on the 30th of this month (April), which means that either the passcode system will be gone for good, or good ol' Nintendo's been making players wait until that code expires before they release another.

    I personally suggest finding an exploit to hack yourself a handful of gems and coins instead of feeding Nintendo's $#!+ Shark.

    In short, just buy Pokemon Battle Trozei. It's only 8 bucks on the eShop, and it's probably a lot more fun than Shuffle. Then again, performing open heart surgery on an hour of sleep would be more fun than playing Shuffle for 5 minutes.    … Expand
  6. Z4ck0r
    Oct 6, 2015
    4
    Pokemon Shuffle is kind of addicting, but it's a rip-off. It takes two and a half hours for all five hearts to be restored, and say you want a mega Pokemon that is an event, you basically have to play non-stop, and even then you probably wont get the mega stone. If you are bored some day then I recommend this game, but otherwise I don't.
  7. Blazikenpwnsyou
    Feb 21, 2015
    1
    This game is a Pay-2-Play nightmare that Genius Sonority should have never made. You don't move Pokemon during combos, you have to wait for 30 minutes per heart, and you have to spend outrageous prices for gems to exchange for hearts and coins! This is an irreparable gash upon Pokemon's reputation, and it sickens me to even call this a Pokemon game. If you want to play a Pokemon puzzleThis game is a Pay-2-Play nightmare that Genius Sonority should have never made. You don't move Pokemon during combos, you have to wait for 30 minutes per heart, and you have to spend outrageous prices for gems to exchange for hearts and coins! This is an irreparable gash upon Pokemon's reputation, and it sickens me to even call this a Pokemon game. If you want to play a Pokemon puzzle game, play Battle Trozei instead. If you want to play a Free-2-Play game that does the model justice, play Rusty's Real Deal Baseball! Both have more value than this trainwreck. Shame on you, Genius Sonority, shame!… Expand
  8. BROstoise
    Mar 30, 2015
    0
    Damn. It looks like NIntendo has fallen victim to the global scourge of Free to Play gaming. They just had to get some of that sweet candy crush micro-transaction action. Thanks, capitalism.
  9. Crankthatsnes
    Mar 10, 2015
    2
    Cash grab for a mediocre puzzler. We have seen this type of math game before, and while the mega evolution is rather fresh, being able to only play 5 times for every 2 or so hours, unless you pay of course, makes the game not worth the download.
  10. Daveisonline
    Feb 19, 2015
    1
    Encapsulates the absolute worst type of pay model found in Smartphone F2P social games, and being on the 3DS.

    You're given 5 hearts which count as turns, and each take about 1-2 minutes to burn through, after you've exhausted your 5 hearts you can either wait 30 minutes to restore ONE, hunt for Streetpass hits, or buy more hearts. The fact that it has the Pokemon brand slapped all    Encapsulates the absolute worst type of pay model found in Smartphone F2P social games, and being on the 3DS.

    You're given 5 hearts which count as turns, and each take about 1-2 minutes to burn through, after you've exhausted your 5 hearts you can either wait 30 minutes to restore ONE, hunt for Streetpass hits, or buy more hearts.

    The fact that it has the Pokemon brand slapped all over it trying to entice children to play is even more dishonest. Shame on you Nintendo for doing something like this.    … Expand
  11. Devide
    Feb 20, 2015
    0
    Exploitative game that should have never been released on Nintendo hardware. Very disappointing. Mobile is where this should end up. Also to those playing it, if you happen to spend coins on a great ball and the capture fails press home button and restart the game, you'll keep the coins that way.
  12. xveganroxx
    Mar 19, 2015
    0
    There's a fun game hidden somewhere in here, but it costs hundreds of dollars to play. It costs $1 for about 4 minutes of play. $60 could buy you a brand new AAA title, or it could buy you four hours of this. That's two or three days of reasonable play time max.
  13. AJCk19
    Jul 16, 2021
    4
    It is much easier to lose your data on 3ds, because how strict Nintendo's DRM practices are. I wouldn't recommend this version. If you value your game saves and hard work.
  14. andrewmyles2
    Apr 12, 2015
    2
    It's not free-to-play, it's a bloody pay-to-win. Lack of options is appalling: it's impossible (it seems) to turn off very silly tips showing up every now and then. Apart from that, it's a fun game.
  15. Naikado
    Jun 26, 2015
    3
    For a free-to-play casual game, this one starts out pretty cute and simple. Microtransactions exist, and while this is the first of multiple Nintendo-released microtransaction games and that in and of itself is kind of terrifying, the game is perfectly beatable without spending any cash. To a point, at least.

    The game has a great many faults; it has a ridiculous difficulty curve,    For a free-to-play casual game, this one starts out pretty cute and simple. Microtransactions exist, and while this is the first of multiple Nintendo-released microtransaction games and that in and of itself is kind of terrifying, the game is perfectly beatable without spending any cash. To a point, at least.

    The game has a great many faults; it has a ridiculous difficulty curve, offering pathetic reward for overcoming unrealistic challenge later in. A great many of the game's levels require countless attempts to beat without spending jewels or coins, and even then so can be a bit hit and miss, usually coming down to some degree of luck. The gameplay itself is shoddy at best, though has enough ties to Pokemon to merit the branding. It also has the hideous attempt cooldown that basically emulates the game taking itself hostage, trying to siphon away your cash. The buyable content is also unreasonably expensive, and I'm glad I never wasted any money on the game.

    Despite a ton of glaring problems and an undeniable cheapness, the game is fun and enjoyable without spending money; however, if you're looking for a satisfying experience, you should forget about Shuffle; you'll never go ten minutes without feeling like you're being shaken down for money.    … Expand
  16. Foxcek
    Jun 4, 2019
    0
    It seems to me that this part of the Pokemon game is the worst. Made in haste. In General, this game was intended for Android and iOS smart phones. But this game as it can get into the eShop on the Nintendo 3DS! Thank you that it is free and you do not have to pay for it both on smart phones and on the portable Nintendo 3DS console. A typical game in the style of Pokemon. I am shocked thatIt seems to me that this part of the Pokemon game is the worst. Made in haste. In General, this game was intended for Android and iOS smart phones. But this game as it can get into the eShop on the Nintendo 3DS! Thank you that it is free and you do not have to pay for it both on smart phones and on the portable Nintendo 3DS console. A typical game in the style of Pokemon. I am shocked that this greatest company has made such a shameful and worthless game! 0/10… Expand
  17. Biggleboi
    Jul 15, 2020
    2
    This game is just candy crush with a fresh coat of paint but what makes Candy Crush better than this piece of crap is that Candy Crush is an original project Pokemon Shuffle is lazy and is just Candy Crush i'd like to say more but there's nothing else
  18. AlexMakesToast
    Nov 23, 2022
    3
    Shuffle = 3/10
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Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best 3DS Game of 2015
6
#6 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2015
41
#41 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
56

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 16
  3. Negative: 4 out of 16
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 20, 2015
    50
    If you have the patience of a saint and like the pick-up-and-play experience, Pokémon Shuffle might be perfect for you. If you don't like the idea of being nickel-and-dimed to experience puzzling at a normal pace, this game's sure to get your blood boiling. [Issue #14: Old vs. New – March/April 2015, p.24]
  2. NZGamer
    Apr 13, 2015
    45
    Simple gameplay hamstrung by freemium features.
    Read full review
  3. SpazioGames
    Apr 8, 2015
    55
    An unfair business model sucks out all the enjoyment that Pokemon Shuffle can grant if played in very short bursts.
    Read full review
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