Pokemon UNITE Reviews

Pokemon UNITE is ranked in the 34th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6.5 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2021

Pokémon Unite's potential is undermined by its balancing, and might not have enough to offer either of its target audiences.

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IGN
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Jul 30, 2021

Pokemon Unite is an entertaining casual MOBA constrained by its overcommitment to simplicity (and some questionable microtransactions).

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
6 / 10
Jul 23, 2021

An addictive and accessible MOBA which takes advantage of the Pokémon license to great effect but is hampered by an abundance of free-to-play irritations.

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6 / 10.0
Jul 31, 2021

Pokémon Unite is a fun and carefree MOBA, at least until you realize how much time you have to spend accumulating resources to upgrade your characters without spending money. The premises are good, despite the fact that it is a game that risks very little: it will be the long-term strategies that will determine the goodness of the project and, of course, its success.

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6 / 10
Jul 31, 2021

It is difficult to recommend Pokémon Unite to 'free' players unless they're truly in it for the long haul. The gameplay is engaging, with a large roster of Pokémon that can be tried out in offline modes, but owning iconic Pokémon such as Lucario or Garchomp to play in Ranked will require an immense amount of Aoes Coins or paid-for Aeos Gems. A lot of joy is to be found in Quick Matches due to daily map rotations, but ultimately Unite is too geared toward grabbing people's purses to win games rather than providing an even playing field for everyone. Players that don't pay will likely find frustration in constantly matching with others who have spent money; it's worth keeping that in mind before committing to Pokémon Unite.

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Jul 28, 2021

While Pokémon Unite's core gameplay is fun, strange design choices and a convoluted microtransaction system complicates a simple MOBA.

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Chris Wray
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Aug 2, 2021

Pokémon Unite is a genuinely fun and charming game, with quick and accessible combat with enough tactical element to keep it interesting, while not overwhelming newcomers to the genre. However, it is predatory in all the worst ways, copying the worst tactics of pay-to-win free-to-play games, such as five currencies, loot boxes, buyable (with real-money) boosts, and items that influence battle, and more. While the game can be fun, the predatory tactics leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

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Jul 25, 2021

While Pokémon Unite offers a new way for fans to enjoy Pokémon battles together, the frustrating limitations created to encourage microtransactions make gameplay less about having fun and more about completing missions for currency. While it may appeal to fans of mobile app-style games with a similar structure, those who want the ability to experience everything Pokémon Unite has to offer without spending money will need to sink a large amount of time into grinding before having the means to truly access most features. With improvements to the ability to earn currency and a better item level system tied to use in battle instead of paid upgrades, Pokémon Unite would be a more enjoyable experience for players.

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GameXplain
GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked-a-lot
Jul 30, 2021
Is Pokémon Unite a Good MOBA? - REVIEW (Switch) video thumbnail
Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Sep 28, 2021

Although the game struggled with some balancing at the start - a problem common to any new competitive game - developer TiMi Studios has consistently released fixes. Pokémon Unite was released in July but got significant patches in August and September to address some glaring issues (an overpowered Gengar, for one). However, if you're looking for a game that's going to drop a new map every other week - or quirky battle modes - Pokémon Unite is not that game (so far). Even today, you'll find yourself playing in the same old stadium in every match.

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Unscored
Jul 26, 2021

Overall though, the game is a genuinely pleasant experience that I have been really enjoying both on my own and with friends.

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Unscored
Aug 1, 2021

I've enjoyed my experience in Pokemon Unite, and I feel that the core 5v5 matches are definitely something that players can sink a lot of hours into. The gameplay is a bit more forgiving than League of Legends to newcomers, but you'll still have to work to figure out how to master a particular Pokemon's skills and fit them into a wider team strategy. The pay-to-win criticisms lobbied by the fans are valid and are concerning given the Pokemon franchise's younger demographic. If Tencent can tweak their revenue strategy to make it so that players don't need to pay money in a free-to-play game in order to compete, than Pokemon Unite should have a long shelflife and could be Nintendo's first successful foray into the MOBA competitive scene.

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