Pokemon Unite has become the talking point among gamers, especially Nintendo Switch players -- since its release yesterday. And, because I was curious about the gameplay, I jumped on the bandwagon and download the game on my Switch Lite. I was quite excited to see what Pokemon Unite has to offer that separates it from the other MOBA games.

Once the installation was completed, I ran the game and was greeted with a trailer for Pokemon Unite. After that, I entered my in-game name. For this game, I chose the name “2Shy” -- for those who want to join me in this game, feel free to do so! Add me to your friends’ list.

Next, you will be given the freedom to customize your avatar/Trainer’s looks. Since it’s’ still in the early stages, the customization is still limited. You can choose the gender, hairstyle, clothing, and facial features. Once you’re finished customizing your character, you will have to go through the tutorial for Pokemon Unite.

Gameplay

Now let’s talk about the gameplay. You will be introduced to the battlefield. In this game, the battlefield is mirrored, meaning that you will be on the left side of the map, and the opposing team is on the right. Similar to other MOBA games in general, there are three paths: top, middle, and bottom.

Interestingly, Pokemon Unite doesn’t have any tower -- which is a huge difference from other MOBA games. Instead, you’ll have some kind of hovering rings that you can use to score points.

Unlike most MOBA games, in which destroying the turrets is the main goal of the game, in Pokemon Unite, you have to score as many points as possible to win the game. You can score points using the rings after killing Pokemon around the jungle or the opponents.

There are five rings on each side. Two in the top and bottom paths, one in the middle (the farthest and closest to the base). The rings in the top and bottom paths have limits. Once the maximum points have been met, these rings will be destroyed. While the ring in the mid-path has none -- you can score as many points as you can.

However, it’s not easy to do so as you certainly will encounter opponents. Even when you go to the top or bottom paths, you have to be the first to destroy the rings -- because you’ll get a movement speed debuff if you haven’t managed to destroy the ring in the opponents’ rings.

Skills and Evolutions

Now, let’s talk about the skills in Pokemon Unite. Pokemon Unite is more complex. Each basic skill (there are two of them, unlocked at Level 1 and 3) can be upgraded and divided into two branches (of the skill tree). For example:

• Level 1: You pick Thunder Shock, for Pikachu;
• Level 4: You can upgrade your Thunder Shock. But, you have to choose to upgrade it to Electro Ball or Thunder.

Pokemon Unite still has items, but you don’t buy them in the middle of the game. The items have to be prepared before you get into the match. However, your selection of the skill tree remains the determining factor when it comes to fights.

You can evolve your Pokemon twice:

1. At Level 4;
2. At Level 9.

At Level 9, you’ll also get an Ultimate.

HP & Mana Regen, and Recall

You don’t need Mana in Pokemon Unite. Does that mean you can spam skills? Yup, it does, but you still have to wait for cooldowns.

What if you’re running out of HP? You can regen your HP in the base, your team’s rings, or by using the plants behind the rings. There are two plants behind each ring -- so you can share it with your allies. If you’re far away from the base, you can stop and Recall. You can press the down button or tap it on the screen of your Switch.

In conclusion, Pokemon Unite shares a similar combat system with other MOBA games, yet it has a different way for players to win the game. On top of that, the game’s quite innovative with the skill tree, which allows players to decide what kind of build they’re going after -- without having to be a bit too reliant on items. The average match duration in this game is also similar to other mobile MOBA games, around 15-20 minutes.

So, those were our first impressions of Pokemon Unite. Have you played the game yet? Stick around for more gaming info, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

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