Pokémon Friends debuted during today’s Pokémon Presents as a new puzzle game for Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, Android, and iOS devices. Developed in collaboration with Wonderfy, Pokémon Friends is a puzzle game featuring over 1,200 brainteasers inspired by the world of Pokémon. Solving puzzles earns Trainers yarn, which is used in the Plush-O-Matic to create Pokémon plushies. Those plushies can be used to help residents of Think Town as well as to decorate the player’s customizable in-game plush rooms. Players can rearrange furniture and wallpaper to reflect their personality in their customizable in-game rooms.
Each of the puzzles was designed to bring out the fun in critical thinking. Other features include friend quests, daily progress, and up to 150 plushies to collect. The game supports up to five separate save files, so it can be shared with family. Since the game is clearly aimed at younger audiences, Pokémon Friends has an adjustable built-in daily puzzle limit to manage playtime for younger Trainers.
The game’s monetization is a bit confusing. It’s free-to-download on mobile devices, but has limited access to puzzles. There’s a Basic Pack and two DLCs available, with each DLC costing $15 each or $26 for both. The Nintendo Switch version costs $10 but comes with the Basic Pack, which is required to use additional DLC. Purchasing the Basic Pack lifts the daily untangle limit and unlocks several more puzzles and features. You can learn more about the available packages here.
