New Pokémon fighting game Champions was released yesterday (April 8) but fans aren’t impressed with the latest spin-off.
Pokémon Champions is a free-to-play, competitive battling game that’s currently available to play on Nintendo Switch consoles ahead of a Mobile launch later this year.
Champions lets you build a team from Pokémon you’ve recruited in the game, alongside those captured in other titles (and transferred using the HOME system). You can take part in a number of different game modes including double battles, online ranked battles and casual battles.
“This new, battle-focused game will feature familiar mechanics such as Pokémon types, abilities and moves, creating an environment conducive to rich and varied strategies for new and experienced trainers alike,” explains a description of Champions.
However players have complained about the lack of different Pokémon in Champions with only 186 from a possible 1025 available. The game’s graphics have also been criticised and some players have experienced weird bugs, including enemy Pokémon healing themselves during battle without using items and Pokémon getting deleted while using the HOME feature.
Someone posted this in a server I'm in
Pokemon Champions is not a real video game pic.twitter.com/gjx9TH5Qv9
— Flare (@FlareGamer64) April 8, 2026
“Lack of items, small Pokémon roster, no 6v6 private battles, performance issues on Switch 2; this definitely shows this was rushed. I’ll probably see where it’s at in a year but for now, it’s an easy skip for me,” wrote one fan on Reddit. “I genuinely don’t understand how a game like this releases with performance issues. It’s a first party title that was released exclusively on Switch and Switch 2… and it’s not exactly a demanding game,” said another. “Free service game doesn’t mean it should suck ass,” added a third.
There has also been a lot of backlash to Pokémon Champions’ “predatory” monetisation. The game is free-to-play but players can pay for a monthly membership which will give them more Pokémon storage, more useable teams as well as membership-exclusive missions and battle songs. A paid battle pass will give players access to a number of unique rewards including clothing while the paid starter pack is advertised as making it “easier to both obtain and train Pokémon”.
“It feels like everything about the player experience was sacrificed for monetisation,” wrote one fan.
It comes after cutesy Pokémon spin-off Pokopia became the best-reviewed entry in the long-running franchise when it launched last month.
In other news, the Nintendo Switch 2 launch of new James Bond game 007: First Light has been delayed until later this summer.
The post Pokémon fans aren’t impressed with new “half-baked” fighting game ‘Champions’ appeared first on NME.
Pokémon fans aren’t impressed with new “half-baked” fighting game ‘Champions’
Source: Pinay Confessions PH
0 Comments