The Pokémon Company has shared plenty of new details on Pokémon Unite, confirming that the game will launch on Nintendo Switch next month.
Mobile players will have to wait a little longer – the game hits Switch first in July, followed by a mobile launch in September – but it'll be free-to-start on both platforms and cross-platform play is "planned". A brand new trailer has been released to give us a fresh look, so make sure to watch that above.
UNITE takes place on Aeos Island, a mythical island said to be on the ocean’s unexplored frontier. There, players will find the Unite Battle Committee (UBC), which runs a series of Unite Battle tournaments. These battles let players form teams of five and compete against each other to see who can score the most points before time runs out. You'll also come across a mysterious new form of energy known as Aeos energy which can be used in Unite Battles to evolve Pokémon.
Here's some (well, lots of) PR:
The Rules of Unite Battles - Unite Battles are where Trainers and their partner Pokémon compete in 5-on-5 team battles. The key to victory in a Unite Battle is to have a higher score than the other team when time runs out. To earn points for your team, you must gather Aeos energy by defeating wild and opposing Pokémon and then deposit that energy in one of the opposing team’s goal zones. Unite Battles take place in various stadiums, and the rules for each stadium differ. There can be different numbers of team members, different match lengths, and even different Legendary Pokémon that appear.
Face Off against Skilled Teams - In Unite Battles, cooperating with teammates is important. When battling a skilled team or when at a disadvantage, you might be able to open a path to victory by coordinating with teammates. In ranked matches, you can earn performance points, which can increase—or decrease—your ranking depending on the results of the battle. When just starting out, you’ll battle at the Beginner Cup level and begin making your journey to Master Cup. Additionally, those who become ranked will be recorded on a global ranking board for all the world to see.
Level Up - Before every Unite Battle, participating Pokémon are returned to Lv. 1 through the power of Aeos energy, and throughout each battle, they gain Exp. Points and level up. As Pokémon level up, they learn powerful moves and evolve, and when a Pokémon reaches higher levels, it also learns its Unite Move—a powerful move that can only be learned and used in Unite Battles. Unite Moves can change the tide of battle!
Battle with a Fresh Look - In Pokémon UNITE, you can change the appearance of your Pokémon and Trainer. Take part in Unite Battles while showing off your own unique style! You can use Holowear, a special technology that uses Aeos energy, to dress your Pokémon in a variety of outfits. You can also customize your Trainer’s appearance, clothing, and accessories to make sure your Trainer always looks their best, both in and out of battle. You can update your profile with a Unite snapshot that features your Trainer’s avatar and partner Pokémon, and you can even customize the snapshot by changing your Trainer’s expression or pose or by adding stickers. Before entering a match, you and other players can see each other’s Unite snapshot, too!
Find Your Role - Many different Pokémon, such as Charizard, Pikachu, and Greninja, appear in Pokémon UNITE. Although type strengths and weaknesses do not exist in Unite Battles, each Pokémon has its own unique stats and role—Attacker, Defender, Speedster, Supporter, or All-Rounder—that reflects its play style. You’ll want to practice with various Pokémon to find out which best suit you. To use a Pokémon in Unite Battles, you need to have a Unite license for that Pokémon. Unite licenses can be obtained through the Unite Battle Committee, where you can exchange Aeos coins (earnable via Unite Battles) for your desired license.
Enjoy Even More Pokémon UNITE with the Battle Pass – You’ll have the opportunity to earn in-game rewards through the seasonal battle pass. To earn these rewards, you’ll need to level up the pass by completing missions. Additionally, players can upgrade their battle pass by using Aeos gems, enabling them to claim even more rewards.
Obtain Items via Shops - Pokémon UNITE has three types of in-game currency: Aeos gems (paid), Aeos coins, and Aeos tickets. Aeos coins and Aeos tickets can be acquired by playing the game. At the Unite Battle Committee, players can use Aeos coins or Aeos gems to obtain Unite licenses, which allow them to take Pokémon into Unite Battles. At Aeos Emporium, players can use Aeos coins or Aeos gems to obtain UBC-approved goods like Pokémon held items or Trainer fashion items (fashion items can also be obtained using Aeos tickets). Zirco Trading specializes in Holowear, which can be obtained using Aeos gems.
Will you be checking out Pokémon UNITE when it launches next month? Let us know in the comments below.
Comments 29
I love Pokemon and I enjoy MOBA games on PC so I will definitely check it out
I'll give it a.try, but I really want a vs bot mode. There are times I just don't want to deal with others because I want to try new heroes or something and if a moba doesn't have that capability, then I'm immediately turned off
Looks like Yokai Watch Busters.
Glad it's out pretty soon as I've wanted to give it a try for a while. Hoping cross play comes with the mobile release as I do quite enjoy a bit of casual MOBA to kill the time when I can't be bothered to get my switch out
Really not my thing
@moodycat I believe it's more of stagnation rather than decline, but I see your point.
Well I can safely say that after go, let's go games, sword and shield, and now this I think it might be done with the series.
@SuperGhirahim64 I swear your avatar fits your comment way too well.
hard nope. And I play nearly every Pokemon game
Love Pokemon but this ain't it
Really weird idea, but I'm down to give it a try. League players are absolutely insufferable, so hopefully this'll have a more welcoming and enjoyable community.
Weird idea and definitively not a MOBA fan, but somehow this looks cool to me. I will definitively give it a try. It is good to shake some formulas.
@moodycat Exactly my opinion! I am not a MOBA fan, but between this and Legends: Arceus, I am glad for them to experiment after SWSH, which were the most dissapointing games I have bought in years (mainly due to the lack of difficulty, as without even trying I wasn´t even close to loosing a single battle in the entire game)
Cool, moving on
cheesus why reinvent the wheel?... "simply" make a good nicely animated stadium/battle revolution with flawless internet connection and main series game integration.
I see Absol, I’m instantly interested now. Fingers crossed for Roselia.
@HollowSpectre Let’s GO! was better than XY, SuMo, and SwSh. ORAS and USUM are the best of the 3DS games. Everything went downhill after BW+B2W2. Gen V was so good and it seemed like such a promising direction for the series too. Too bad people complained and boycotted them just because you had to use new Pokémon until the postgame.
You should do what I’m doing. I’m going to stop at BDSP and LA, because one of those will have the same quality as the old games making it a great go-to HD legacy title for all my Pokémon needs, and the other is essentially what that would have looked like of reimagined. Best place to stop.
@Anti-Matter Don’t insult Busters/Blasters
@Friscobay What would the point of that be? Those games main purpose was to let you battle on a big screen, which is pointless now that the switch is a thing. Game Freak should just try to make the main series not look like two action figure smacking each other with particle effects.
I love pokemon and I love the MOBA concept. But this game just looks like it wont be fun. If they'd made it in the same vein as every other moba (equipment, towers, minions, etc) then this would have been passible. If they left in type advantages and disadvantages, that would have served to make gameplay infinitely more interesting then what it currently is now. But in its current state, I'm not convinced it will get anything more then lukewarm reception from the audience.
I love the hell out of mobas, (Not to brag but I would say i'm pretty godly at them and I wouldn't say that about any other game) tecent is apart of this but if we can see more game freak then tecent i'm good, plus all my boys or here.
@Fulbright those games were the best and fun pokemon battle options out there with model & animation that still remain the best in the series. The core pokemon battle mechanic is extremely rich but underexploited.
@Friscobay I guess what meant to say is that the main series should have those graphics
Really hoping Urshifu (both forms) will be playable
Had low expectations after the first gameplay reveal, but this latest footage actually looks fun! The Pokemon attacks look fun to use, and I just love seeing old attacks translating seamlessly into a real-time action gameplay, at least for MOBA standards.
I've always imagined the core Pokemon games getting a turn-based reboot, keeping turn-based combat but completely overhauling most of the old moves to have new tech and usage, to make battles more interesting and tactical, instead of how it is now where most status moves just manipulate stats.
I can't wait to play this!
@Fulbright yep maybe. Although Pokémon battles could be extremely strategic, I do think they deserve a game apart as “revolution”, with no story or exploration needed.
This trailer actually made me excited for the game. The Direct last year felt... weird. Guess the game is more polished now. I'll be all over this with my friends for sure
@SnobbyLuigi Well it certainly doesn't fit quite as well anymore now! But hey, staying positive is a good thing.
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