Released in Europe on May 5, 2006 on Nintendo DS, Pokémon Link!, called Pokémon Trozei! elsewhere in the world, is a puzzle game developed by Genius Sonority. You line up Pokémon heads with the stylus to free them from the clutches of the Phobos Battalion. Simple, fast-paced and well suited to the touch screen, it only lacks a little variety.
A secret agent and stolen Poké Balls
Lucy Fleetfoot, an agent of the secret organization SOL, is summoned by Professor P: the Phobos Battalion has stolen hundreds of Pokémon, locked inside their Poké Balls. Thanks to the Link Ray, Lucy can send them back to the SOL without opening the Balls, as long as she lines them up. Accompanied by Manectric and Aipom, she infiltrates the Battalion’s depots and takes on its generals. The story is only a pretext, but it gives the adventure a thread.
The link, simple and gripping
Pokémon heads fall from the top screen to the bottom one. With the stylus, you slide rows and columns to line up four identical Pokémon; the link then triggers a chain in which three, then two Pokémon are enough. Lining up five Pokémon gives you a Ditto, which works as a wild card. It is easy to pick up and the pace quickly becomes breathless: that is the game’s great success. See the link rules and tips.
386 Pokémon to free
Every Pokémon sent back to the SOL enters the game’s Pokédex, which includes the 386 Pokémon of the first three generations. The rarest only appear after a big combo, and Mr. Foo’s hideout lets you run into more of them: completing the collection noticeably extends the game’s lifespan.
A bit repetitive
Adventure mode can be finished in a few hours and its levels look alike: only the bosses, with their annoying powers, change things up. The music loops over and over. Fortunately, hard mode, the more demanding Endless mode, and two two-player modes extend the fun.
Our 2006 verdict, revisited
We gave it 13 out of 20 at release, praising its innovative style and instinctive controls, but regretting a short and repetitive Adventure mode. Looking back, Pokémon Link! has aged well: its formula was in fact picked up again in 2014 by Pokémon Link: Battle! on 3DS.
Our verdict
An excellent puzzle game, perfectly suited to the Nintendo DS, that you happily return to for a few rounds, but whose adventure lacks variety.
What we like
- Instant pick-up with the stylus
- Fast, satisfying chains
- 386 Pokémon to collect
- Bosses with varied powers
What we like less
- A short Adventure mode
- Levels that look alike
- Repetitive music
