Pokémon Unite: Better Than It Has Any Right To Be

The Pokémon series has been popular since it first hit the world in 1996 (1998 internationally). Since its early days, it’s only continued to grow ever larger into an array of different genres, nailing each one it goes for. Unite is no different, as the series has made a MOBA that is both fun and more accessible to a wider audience (i.e. not just the LoL community).

As someone who only has a small bit of experience in the genre with a playtime of about ten hours stretched over years, I wasn’t so sure this game would grip me, as no MOBA really has before. Having been playing it pretty religiously the past few days, I’d say that it’s done a fantastic job.

While the game isn’t as complex as something like Dota or League of Legends, its simplicity is what actually makes me love it so much. It’s easy to pick up and put down, while gradually learning how to improve your play. I don’t feel like I need to look at a spreadsheet to do well in a match, and I much prefer that overall. However, if you’re coming here for the same complexity from other titles, you’ll be disappointed, I think.

Before I go farther, I should mention the current Pay to Win information that we recently got when a streamer, MoistCr1TiKaL, put to test how paying for enhancements on items could effect the game. It turns out that shelling out around $100 gave him an overwhelming advantage, allowing him to curb-stomp anyone he went against.

I’m far from an advocate of these tactics and if you ask me, it’s disgusting and should be patched out ASAP. This is a competitive game, and allowing people to pay their way to the top is not okay. It’s just a scummy tactic to get more money from people.

I personally haven’t seen anyone who’s been vastly overpowered, but with it being an option that’s been proven to be effective, more people will opt in to paying for a quick advantage if something isn’t done about it.

I’d really like to see that issue dealt with, as this game is addictingly fun for me, and as a lover of all things Pokémon, it would feel really bad to have a game like this tank because of bad microtransactions.

Until I see it get worse, I’m going to keep pushing forward. As someone who’s played entirely free so far, I can say that I’ve been getting enough rewards in-game to ensure that I’ll never need to pay a cent. I’ve even naturally progressed to get the enhancement items to help me have a stronger chance in battle, which really just speaks to the idea that giving people the opportunity to buy them is almost entirely pointless, because they’re not illusive.

Right now, I’m not going to recommend you the game, due to the nature of its store currently, but the game is very fun and made well. It’s the only MOBA I’ve gotten hooked on, and it holds a lot of charm. Please Nintendo: make sure this game doesn’t fail and just take out the Pay to Win option.