The Pokémon Trading Card Game is, first and foremost, a bad card game. Or at least it was bad at the time of this game’s release with the limited number of cards available. There simply aren’t enough options to build interesting decks or pull off complex combos. But the problems go deeper than just a lack of variety. Some of the basic concepts of the game are fundamentally flawed.
The most obvious problem is that you have to fill at least one third of your deck with energy cards, although these cards only serve a single purpose and cannot be played more than once per turn. This ratio makes it statistically very likely that you or your opponent will either have too many or too few of these cards during a duel, which is often already enough to give one side a decisive advantage. One of the most frustrating ways to lose a duel is to draw energy cards for several turns in a row when literally any other card would have helped. This basically turns stalling into a necessity, which is always a bad sign if you want to have fun.
Moreover, the system of multiple types with different weaknesses and resistances does not translate well into a card game, especially in the simplified form that was chosen for the adaptation. Gyms being restricted to only one type already trivialized most of the challenge in the main series, but at least there the type chart is a complex and overall well balanced system that gets even more interesting with immunities and dual types. But here every Pokémon only has one weakness and/or resistance, so as long as you put enough cards into your deck that counter the type used in a specific club, you can only really lose because of bad luck.
Speaking of bad luck, the most aggravating part of the experience must be the staggering number of chance-based elements in the game. Deck building games already are dependent on luck by default, so adding these many coin flips to what feels like every second card effect makes some duels feel like the outcome is entirely left to chance. Especially when these coin flips often decide whether a card is overpowered or useless. I can’t even imagine what the main series would play like if every other move had an accuracy of fifty percent.
All these factors combined lead to an experience where most of your losses and victories feel cheap and undeserved. There were multiple boss fights where I was crushingly defeated at first, just to beat my opponent in the next game after two or three turns because they didn’t have any Pokémon on their bench. Duels tend to either end in a blink or drag on forever. The whole game is a tedious and mindless grind.
I remember liking this game as a kid, like so many other Pokémon crazy kids did. But I was really surprised to see how often this game shows up on lists about the best Game Boy games. Most recommendations tend to focus on how well the video game does as an adaptation of the card game. And to be fair, some elements are competently made. The soundtrack is catchy, and the presentation of the duels simple and effective, even though some of the pixilated artworks look plain ugly. The ability to take on the clubs in different orders is also a nice touch. But none of this matters when the core gameplay is so broken.
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The most obvious problem is that you have to fill at least one third of your deck with energy cards, although these cards only serve a single purpose and cannot be played more than once per turn. This ratio makes it statistically very likely that you or your opponent will either have too many or too few of these cards during a duel, which is often already enough to give one side a decisive advantage. One of the most frustrating ways to lose a duel is to draw energy cards for several turns in a row when literally any other card would have helped. This basically turns stalling into a necessity, which is always a bad sign if you want to have fun.
Moreover, the system of multiple types with different weaknesses and resistances does not translate well into a card game, especially in the simplified form that was chosen for the adaptation. Gyms being restricted to only one type already trivialized most of the challenge in the main series, but at least there the type chart is a complex and overall well balanced system that gets even more interesting with immunities and dual types. But here every Pokémon only has one weakness and/or resistance, so as long as you put enough cards into your deck that counter the type used in a specific club, you can only really lose because of bad luck.
Speaking of bad luck, the most aggravating part of the experience must be the staggering number of chance-based elements in the game. Deck building games already are dependent on luck by default, so adding these many coin flips to what feels like every second card effect makes some duels feel like the outcome is entirely left to chance. Especially when these coin flips often decide whether a card is overpowered or useless. I can’t even imagine what the main series would play like if every other move had an accuracy of fifty percent.
All these factors combined lead to an experience where most of your losses and victories feel cheap and undeserved. There were multiple boss fights where I was crushingly defeated at first, just to beat my opponent in the next game after two or three turns because they didn’t have any Pokémon on their bench. Duels tend to either end in a blink or drag on forever. The whole game is a tedious and mindless grind.
I remember liking this game as a kid, like so many other Pokémon crazy kids did. But I was really surprised to see how often this game shows up on lists about the best Game Boy games. Most recommendations tend to focus on how well the video game does as an adaptation of the card game. And to be fair, some elements are competently made. The soundtrack is catchy, and the presentation of the duels simple and effective, even though some of the pixilated artworks look plain ugly. The ability to take on the clubs in different orders is also a nice touch. But none of this matters when the core gameplay is so broken.
____________
More Pokémon reviews
Pokémon FireRed
More Game Boy reviews
Mole Mania
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe