Pokemon is seeing a resurgence on the backs of Pokemon GO and the changes that Sun and Moon made to the longstanding handheld game series, and The Pokemon Company is now seemingly preparing a Pokemon Rumble spin-off for mobile devices called Pokeland. The game allows players to control toy Pokemon and sends them out exploring a series of islands rife with different pocket monsters. Players will encounter 134 different Pokemon across 52 stages spanning six islands and can head to a 15-floor Champion’s Tower to test their Pokemon in battles. Players can also use in-game currency to buy items and perks and can utilize various gear to strengthen their companions. The game is currently in a closed alpha, with all of its 10,000 Japan-only slots already filled. In the future, more maps will be developed that players will be allowed purchase with diamonds.
For those unfamiliar with Pokemon Rumble, the game gives you a collection of toy Pokemon to play as. You can expand your roster by sheer luck as defeated Pokemon will occasionally turn into collectibles on the battlefield. The game is simple at its core; you have a few key stats, and a couple of moves for each Pokemon. You head through a stage, defeating Pokemon as you go, until you eventually encounter a boss Pokemon and a number of its lackeys, one of which can be seen in a promotional image below. The boss Pokemon are often rare, such as legendaries or starters, and infrequently turn into collectibles when defeated. You can, however, always repeat a stage in an effort to catch all rare pocket monsters.
Pokeland may shake up the established mechanics of the Pokemon Rumble series as its method of acquiring new Pokemon looks different from the rest of the series; as seen in the middle screenshot below, it looks as though you may get them from inside Pokeballs at some point in the gameplay, though this screenshot could simply be showing a player obtaining their starting Pokemon. The game is only playable online and requires a Nintendo account, so those in other regions looking to sideload the APK and get in on the fun unofficially are likely out of luck. Still, Pokeland will likely be released in the West in the future and more details on that front should be available later this year.
