Pokémon Battle Trozei Released In North America

Pokémon Puzzle Fans Rejoice! The Nintendo Direct released on February 14th, revealed not only the addition of the new Rock/Fairy type Dianice, but an entirely new game, Pokémon Battle Trozei!  Battle Trozei, is a puzzle based game, where the objective is to line up three of the same Icons, similar to many other puzzle styled games! 

Core Game Mechanics

Any Trainer worth his or her weight in Weedles, would know that this is in fact, not the first time we've seen a Pokémon Trozei game. Originally released back in 2006, Pokémon Trozei for the Nintendo DS , held a similar concept. However, there are a some very distinct differences. Most notably, the original Trozei, required that players slide  rows and columns until they were able to line up four Pokémon. Battle Trozei on the other hand, simply requires players to "Pick up", and match Pokémon Icons into rows or columns of three or more. The more matches made, reduce the number of Pokémon needed to complete a row or column. As a player completes these matches, the Pokémon will disappear, leaving the rest of the icons to fall down to the bottom of the screen.  This can set off a chain reaction which will continue until there are no longer any matching icons. Thus requiring the player to once again take action.

Zones

A new feature to the Trozei series, zones allow players different areas to capture Pokémon. There are thirteen zones set upon a single island, each with a unique set of Pokémon. Every zone is comprised of several stages, with each stage housing several different Pokémon. This makes for a very diverse experience.  It is also worth noting, that the Pokédex makes a return in Battle Trozei, meaning that every known Pokémon, ( all 718 ) are procurable,  all of which must be found in order to complete the Pokédex. The Pokédex feature alone is  sure to give players many hours of game play.

Battling and Capturing

“Battle Trozei, gives players the ability to Battle wild Pokémon.”

The next key change in Battle Trozei, gives players the ability to battle wild Pokémon.  At the start of every stage, a wild Pokémon will challenge the player on the top screen.  By matching the Pokémon Icons on the bottom screen, players can attack the wild Pokémon. The more combos made, the faster they will chip away the hp of the wild Pokémon. Once you have sufficiently lowered their HP to zero , You will be able to Trozei, ( or Capture) the Pokémon, which in turn will add it to your Pokédex. As players progress, they will soon encounter several wild Pokémon at once. This adds a layer of depth to battling.

Abilities

Abilities make a return from the core series of games, allowing players to use the specific abilities of Pokémon they have caught, in order to make stages easier to clear. Abilities, like Flinch Attack causes the wild Pokémon to have to skip an action for that turn. While the Power of Five ability gives the Pokémon a greater attack when a match of five is made. Like type advantages, abilities add yet another layer of strategy into was originally a simple matching game.

Type Advantages and Affection

Another new and exciting feature, is the ability to use types to your advantage. That's right, players can choose Pokémon of opposing types to make battles more strategic. For example, If you encountered a flying type Pokémon, it would be wise to match an electric type Pokémon as it will do more damage to the flying type, thus allowing you to Trozei it faster! As many seasoned Pokémon trainers know, the more often you use a Pokémon in battle the more friendly it will become. The same holds true for Battle Trozei! The more times a Pokémon is used to battle, it will begin to do more damage to wild Pokémon. Both of these features become especially necessary when battling against any of the games legendary Pokémon.

Final Thoughts

Pokémon Battle Trozei, is a great step forward from its predecessor. The changes to its game mechanics build upon an already solid base. Whether you are a puzzle fan or not, this game is sure to be entertaining. The shear amount of options and strategy required to be efficiently successful is sure to delight even hardcore puzzle Gamers. But fans of a more casual nature, shouldn't be scared off. This game is a great addition to the many Pokémon Spin-off games, and any Pokémon fan should find time to check this one out! Pokémon Battle Trozei released today in North America, for the Nintendo 3DS,  and is an exclusive to the Nintendo eShop for $7.99.