With the release of the (surprisingly fun) movie Detective Pikachu, Pokémon is once again in the popular consciousness. And license holder The Pokémon Company is trying to capitalize on that by releasing the free-to-play Pokémon Rumble Rush for mobile devices.
Pokémon is a huge global franchise that spans different mediums: games, anime, books, and over a dozen animated films. But the mobile games are usually simpler than the role-playing entries on Nintendo consoles. Rumble Rush is the latest in the Rumble spin-off franchise, one that originally started on the Wii. Other Pokémon mobile games include the popular Pokémon Go (it brought in $65 million in April alone), Pokémon Duel, Pokémon Quest, and Pokémon: Magikarp Jump.
In Rumble Rush, you explore different islands filled with the iconic creatures, and battle them with your partner Pokémon by tapping on the screen.
After each fight, enemy Pokémon have a chance of joining your team. Defeating the Super Boss on each island will also reward you with items that you can use to improve your Pokémon. Rumble Rush is available now on Google Play in Australia, with a worldwide release to follow for other Android and iOS users later this year.
The next games in the mainline RPG series are Pokémon Sword and Shield, both of which are coming to Nintendo Switch in 2019.