The wide-spread Pokemon Go fever has now died down and people have returned back to their couches. But, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo are still riding the nostalgia wave and has today further expanded on the existing game lineup with the introduction of another ‘mobile’ game called PokeLand. It will be available both on Android as well as iOS, as free-to-play with in-app purchase options.
First spotted by Kotaku, the mobile game is presently available in closed beta for users in Japan. PokeLand, as the name itself suggests, is not about roaming the streets to catch Pokemon using augmented reality. It is instead an amalgamation of this said gaming phenomenon and a familiar Pokemon Rumble title.
In this game, you’ll instant notice similarities if you’ve played Pokemon Rumble, a widely popular RPG brawler that was launched on Nintendo’s Wii, 3DS and Wii U consoles. You’ll roam around barren lands in search of new pocket monsters to capture and train for gym battles. Yes, the battle system for this game will be much better than the one we’ve come to hate on Pokemon Go.
Nintendo has already selected around 10,000 recruits to test out PokeLand on Android, where the game is currently going in alpha testing mode. The game is said to feature six islands, 52 different stages, and 134 types of Pocket Monsters. The alpha test will provide users access only up to the 15th floor of the Champion Tower and run until June 9. Sadly, the data stored during this test phase will not be transferred to the official app, so you’ll have to start afresh.
Pokeland, as mentioned on the official website, requires a constant internet connection and a Nintendo account to make the game work seamlessly. The Nintendo account is being natively integrated into this RPG battle game, so you might be able to post your Mii character over into the game as your Pokemon Master avatar. Some known game analysts also suggest that it means the game is expected to offer only Nintendo rewards — nothing new has been designed to compensate for that.
This announcement, for those unaware, comes on the heels of the launch of another mobile-focused Pokemon game known as Magikarp Jump. It gave importance to the least desirable and easily forgotten characters of the well-known Pokemon franchise and pits it against other Magikarp in a jumping competition. You can build up the strength and jumping power of your Magikarp with training, regular food intake, and support from other Pokemons.
