[[2026 Games#^3b9d07|2026 Games]]  ## 2026-09-06 This game is ridiculous. I played the first **Pokemon Rumble** game on the [[Nintendo Wii | Wii]]. It was hot trash. :) I dropped it after like half an hour, and I was a *very* easy to please child. But now being [[2026-09-06 - On Vacation|on vacation]], I was looking for something mindless to play with an engaging gameplay loop, and came across someone saying that **Pokemon Rumble Blast** on the [[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] was actually awesome and a hidden gem everyone should try. I had thought this game was also trash, of the F2P variety, but it turns out that's a different **Pokemon Rumble**! So I booted it up and started playing. And playing. And playing. And right now, rather than writing this, I wish I was playing **Pokemon Rumble Blast**. This game is deceptive at first. Your toy pokemon winds up and then you attack pokemon from an isometric perspective, like [[Diablo IV|Diablo]] for babies - which is to say, Diablo.[^1] But like a weird-ass onion, **Rumble Blast** peels back, revealing layer after layer of mechanics that, bundled together, offer a lot of depth. You pick up Pokemon after defeating them and can use them, as one example. But swapping between them requires you to have your current pokemon stand still while you wind up the next, making it vulnerable to damage. Each pokemon can have two moves, and they all have various start-up frames, ranges, and the usual status effects that you know and love from the mainline Pokemon games. You can use money to roll for new moves too. First you do dungeons solo, but eventually you'll find yourself crafting a team of your three strongest 'mons and attempting to beat bigger and bigger challenges. And this game can actually be pretty challenging! Positioning, type advantage, how many pokemon are about to attack you - all of it affects your moment to moment decisions, making for some surprisingly engaging gameplay. I'm only on Chapter 3, and I keep getting curveballs. Now Pokemon I'm recruiting are sometimes coming with traits before their names. "Healthy Chikorita" was the first, and the "Healthy" part means they naturally regain HP over time. That's right man, this game has fucking *equipment affixes for Pokemon*. I can't wait to see what else there is to uncover in this game. [^1]: I'm joking I'm joking don't come for me.