14 DAY TRIAL // Pokemon Shuffle is now available in all regions on the eShop, for Nintendo 3DS owners to enjoy for free.
The Pokemon Company and Nintendo released the new game, a match-three puzzler featuring popular Pokemon critters and mechanics, as a freemium app, available exclusively on the Japanese corporation's handheld console family.
The game tasks players with matching three or more Pokemon in a line, in order to attack and achieve progress in a variety of different stages, with the aim of each match being to reduce the wild Pokemon's health points to zero within an allotted number of moves.
Pokemon trainers can pick up the title at no cost and they start the game with five Hearts, each of the stages played expending one. When players run out of hearts, they have to wait for them to replenish, before being able to continue playing.
A slew of social features
Pokemon Shuffle also includes a ton of connectivity features, using the StreetPass, enabling users to swap play records with others in order to gauge their progress through the game, and earn bonus Jewels.
The game is monetized through in-app purchases, and gamers are able to buy Jewels, which can be redeemed for a variety of different perks, including in-game currency used to purchase more items, more hearts in order to keep playing without having to wait for them to be replenished, and even the ability to continue a match after your turns run out.
Players who wish to earn more Jewels can make use of the StreetPass functionality, as passing by a large number of people, or by the same player multiple times, offers more chances to earn bonus Jewels.
The Pokemon Company plans to enhance and expand the game with numerous free special stages, scheduled to be added regularly to the game throughout the year.
If you want to learn more about the experience, you can check out the Pokemon Shuffle website.
