Pokémon Champions

Pokémon Champions proves that the tried-and-true combat system that helped define Nintendo’s monster-catching monolith has endured for a reason, but it’s going to need a lot of updates and maybe even an evolution of its own before this is the definitive way to do battle.

Right now, Pokemon Champions provides two different experiences for seasoned players and newcomers respectively--and unfortunately for newcomers, it's an uneven one that will require a lot of their own dedication and time to improve.

With that all said, the core mechanics of online competitive Pokémon battles remain as solid as a Steelix. Predicting whether your opponent will switch out their Whimsicott, protect with their Mega Charizard Y, or try to catch you off guard with a powerful, offensive attack creates mind games as addictive and intense as ever.And as someone who has participated in competitive Pokémon on-and-off since 2011's Pokémon Black & White, the ease with which I can now train Pokémon has me hopeful that Champions will, much like Scarlet & Violet before it, evolve into a more complete, comprehensive experience. But as it stands, the convoluted monetisation, disappointing performance, and inexplicable bugs make this another lacklustre Pokémon experience to add to the pile.

The appeal of Pokémon Champions is narrower than you might expect, as hardcore VGC vets or those hoping for a Pokémon Stadium-like experience will likely be disappointed by the game's small Pokédex and other limitations. The real target audience is clearly newcomers curious about competitive play, and the game does a fairly good job of welcoming them in without emptying their pockets. The nitty-gritty of PvP Pokémon battling has worked for 30 years, and it's not broken here, but a lot more could have been done to support the experience. Of course, plenty can change with updates, but as is, this game is a Pokémon Contender at best.

Pokemon Champions is a competent option for those that only care about Pokemon battles, but it doesn't offer much else.

As a whole package, it’s still early on in its life, so while it may be currently barebones, I do think that Pokémon Champions has an excellent blueprint laid out for future updates. Looking at it for what it is, a way to get new players into the competitive scene and to practice for official events, Pokémon Champions nails exactly that.

There are still a few gaps, but if you love Pokémon battles, you'll have fun; otherwise, give them a try: this time, admission is free.

Pokémon Champions arrives with the great proposal of turning Pokémon’s competitive scene into a separate, free-to-play experience. While it does an excellent job of making this game mode more accessible than ever, limited content, technical issues, and bugs compromise its launch.

Focused entirely on battles, Pokémon Champions forgets to give them soul, variety, and ambition, leaving a functional but poor, repetitive experience far from Nintendo 64 glory.

Pokémon Champions is surprisingly accessible without spending any money if you’re a casual VGC enthusiast. Launching with a few bugs and less content than fans of the series expected, it’s clear that we’ll have to wait for future updates to know where the series is heading in this purely online competitive Pokémon game. The fact that you can play the game without importing from Home by recruiting and tweaking stats on the fly makes this game a very competitive hub for the series. We hope future monetisation plans will not eventually wring out casual players from the game’s population. A tailored selection of Pokémon and items for this first season has both casual and competitive fans creating a brand-new meta for competitive play, and while it falls short in some areas, the game has the potential to become the ultimate generation-spanning battle arena for everyone.