Released by surprise on May 30, 2018, the day after the announcement of Let’s Go, Pokémon Quest was the first free Pokémon game on Nintendo Switch. With its cube-shaped Pokémon and semi-automatic expeditions, it offered a small adventure to play in short sessions while waiting for the big releases of the year. It arrived a month later on iOS and Android.
An island made of cubes
The player explores Tumblecube Island with Pokapi IV, a little drone, in search of its treasures. The whole art direction is built on cubes: the Pokémon, the trees, the rocks. The result is colorful, readable and endearing, and the 151 Kanto Pokémon take on a toy-like charm. The story is almost nonexistent: you simply chain expeditions from one world to the next.
Almost automatic battles
An expedition pits a team of three Pokémon against waves of enemies. The Pokémon move and attack on their own; the player simply chooses when to trigger their special moves, each with its own cooldown. You can even leave everything on automatic. It is relaxing, but the depth mostly lies in the preparation: team composition and Power Stones.
Power Stones are the heart of progression. Each Pokémon carries a Power Tray where you place stones that boost its HP or attack, and others that change its moves. Optimizing your trays becomes a real game within the game.
Cooking, a good idea
You do not catch Pokémon: you attract them to your base by cooking dishes with ingredients picked up on expeditions. Each recipe attracts Pokémon of a certain type or color, and the quality of the dish improves the chances of attracting rare Pokémon. It is a simple and fun mechanic that makes you want to try everything.
The free-to-play model
The game relies on a battery that limits the number of expeditions, and on PM Tickets that speed up cooking or recharging. You can progress without paying, but slowly. The paid bundles, from €4.99 to €29.99, are one-time purchases rather than repeated spending: they add decorations with permanent effects and increase the battery. An honest approach that avoids the worst pitfalls of the genre.
Should you play it today?
Pokémon Quest remains a good little game for anyone who wants a light, colorful Pokémon adventure. It is played in short sessions and requires no investment. Players looking for depth will quickly tire of it, as the repetition of the expeditions is real. The last update dates from January 2019: the game will not evolve any further.
Our verdict
A free spin-off that is cute and well thought out, ideal in small doses. It does not try to be more than a pastime, and that is perfectly fine.
What we like
- Charming cube-based art direction
- Cooking to attract Pokémon
- Power Stones, simple but strategic
- A reasonable free-to-play model, with no subscription
What we like less
- Very passive battles
- Slow progression without purchases
- Expeditions quickly become repetitive
- Only the 151 Kanto Pokémon
