Scam Alert: This "Free" Pokémon Game Makes You Pay After 15 Minutes

The game we're talking about is Pokémon Friends. Yes, it's technically free on Android and iOS, but after barely 15 minutes of play, you're slapped with a huge paywall. No time for fun, you're already being asked to get out your credit card. And the worst part? That's just the beginning.

A game for children? With a paywall in ambush

The principle is simple: you make plush toys of your favorite Pokémon by earning yarn through mini-games. Each type of thread corresponds to a type of Pokémon (water, fire, etc.). Cuddly toys are randomly generated, a perverse enough mechanism in itself. It's called a "gacha game", where the rewards are randomized to encourage you to play harder to get the plush you really want.

But before you know it, you're stuck. Play two levels, and you're done. You have to wait hours to play again... or go to the store. And yet, the game page promises over 1200 puzzles. But where are they? Behind a paywall, of course.

A toxic business model

What's most infuriating is that the mini-games are far from bad. They're not revolutionary, but they're addictive enough to get your attention, even as an adult. But once again, you're held back by frustration. Want to keep going? Paying becomes a disguised obligation.

After ten minutes or so, you come across the message below inviting you to take a trip to the store to buy DLC if you want to play as many times as you like. And if you refuse, you have to wait until the following day to be allowed to replay a fistful of levels.

$10 to unlock a "free" game

The basic $9.99 pack gives you unlimited access to the game, and then, miraculously: no more limits, no more timers, no more waiting. No more waiting a dozen hours to continue playing. All of a sudden, Pokémon Friends becomes fun, almost addictive. The magic finally happens... but why didn't it come to mobile from the start?

Especially as the game has also been released on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, as a paid version at... $9.99! But no, instead, we're taking you through the frustrating process, hoping you'll give in. It's a model that barely admits to itself, but one that's becoming increasingly common. Particularly on mobile, where players are more accustomed to and desensitized to microtransactions.

A children's casino

Rather than "free-to-play", we should be talking about "free-to-try" with Pokémon Friends. You can install and try the game for free on your smartphone. You then have to pay to unlock all the content. Many premium mobile games have adopted this approach. And there's nothing outrageous about that.

Many players prefer to pay for a game rather than play yet another freemium game crammed with ads and in-app purchases. Except that for Pokémon, this strategy seems ill-intentioned. Not only is the price of $9.99 to unlock the game high, but you don't even really unlock the whole game.

Once again, you have to pay cash and buy packs to unlock all the levels. And if you want to get all the plushies, unlocking all those levels is almost indispensable. On the game's virtual store, pack prices range from $17.99 to $39.99. There's a reason why Pokémon Friends' ratings on the App Store and Play Store are so catastrophic (between 1 and 2 stars).

Pokémon Friends could have been an excellent little premium game, but instead it bowed to the worst trends in "free" mobile gaming. What do you think of Pokémon Friends? Do you think it's a rip-off?

Via: Kotaku Source: The Pokémon Company