I’ve been to a number of public and press events this year, and I don’t think I’ve seen a hint of Pokémon Rumble Blast until this weekend at New York Comic-Con. Maybe it’s simply slipped beneath my radar, but at the same time Nintendo hasn’t really done much to publicize the game. You’d think a Pokémon title for 3DS would be a big deal, but most of the company’s promotion efforts have gone toward their free Pokémon AR app.
Then again, Rumble Blast doesn’t seem particularly amazing by any means. It’s essentially an expanded version of a WiiWare game called Pokémon Rumble, but on a larger conceptual level it doesn’t seem entirely unlike Pokémon Ranger or Mystery Dungeon. Granted, it doesn’t play like those games — it’s more of a simple action game than an RPG — but like many other Pokémon spin-offs, it appears to emphasize breadth over depth. The entire franchise bestiary through Black and White looks to be included as playable characters, and each has its own trademark moves. A low-level Snivy, for instance, can smack foes with a stream of leaves for damage or else lower their accuracy with a gust of wind.
