Just like the other games in the Rumble series, Rumble World tempers its beat-’em-up gameplay with toy Pokémon. Your Mii is transported into the Kingdom of Toys where toy Pokémon run wild and free. The King, sadly, has only one Pokémon: a Pikachu. After you obtain Pikachu and a hot air balloon, you set off into the world and catch as many new and rare Pokémon as you can.
The graphics and gameplay are the same as Rumble’s WiiWare. You can play as a Pokémon that you’ve obtained, you explore different areas, and obtain small groups of same-species Pokémon. After going through a few ‘rooms,’ you will encounter the boss – a larger, more powerful Pokémon accompanied by an endless supply of minions.
After you defeat a Pokémon, it will either disappear, or will turn into a small toy version of itself. You can pick up the toy and use it to fight other Pokémon. Each Pokémon you find will have different power ratings and different moves. Even though the main point of the game is to ‘Catch em all,’ the combat is a big part of the game as well. Even though the combat is simple, I found it quite enjoyable.
Rumble World is very similar to its 3DS predecessor, Rumble Blast, but the world layout is quite different. In Rumble Blast, you have a vast world to explore, but in Rumble World you travel to different areas via hot air balloon. The Dew Balloon, for example, takes you to areas filled with water-type Pokémon. All of the balloons need air to fly, however, and after you use one, it will take real-world time to recharge before you can travel with that balloon again. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on what hot air balloon it is.
You’ll get a starter balloon at the beginning of the game for free, but after that you’ll need to buy more with Poké Diamonds, the in-game currency. You can spend $0.69/€0.69/£0.69 for 50 Diamonds, with bulk discounts for higher quantities, but you’ll also have the ability to grab some by playing the game. You can do more with Poké Diamonds then just buy balloons. You can buy upgrades and items, and ‘get another life’ when your Pokémon is defeated.
It all depends on the person who plays this game or any free-to-play game in general. If you’re like me, you haven’t (and won’t) spend a single dime on this game and just have fun while being patient and collect the premium currency by doing missions. Either that or you’ve already reached the spending cap, which is which is about 34-39 USD.
You can also customize your Mii. At the kingdom store, you can buy clothes, costumes, backgrounds, and frames that can be purchased with Poké Coins (which is the abundant in-game currency). Personally, all I’ve bought is a waitress outfit, but feel free to dress up and customize to your hearts content.
Pokémon Rumble World takes the basic beatdown gameplay the spin-off series is known for and throws in fun features to make it a truly unique game. The toy Pokémon are simply adorable, the simple combat is quite enjoyable, and the best part is that it’s free. Why wouldn’t you check it out?