Pokemon Conquest – Review
A deep and satisfying Pokemon experience.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.First things first: Pokemon is amazing. Its classic formula – collecting and battling cute little monsters like so much electronic cockfighting – has been entertaining kids and serious gamers alike for more than a decade, but its last few iterations perhaps haven’t innovated quite so much.
Pokemon Conquest changes everything.
The twist is simple; instead of playing a small child in a modern world, you play a young feudal Japanese warlord fighting for his homeland commanding multiple armies. The armies, of course, fight with pokemon, in pitched battles across complex terrain.
Battles are turn-based, and are tactically extremely rich, as there are roughly 200 hundred of the adorable little so-and-sos to collect, selected from all five generations, each with special moves, strengths and weaknesses. It might look like a children’s game, but it has the feel of a particularly maximal version of chess.
There’s plenty of game to get through, with a story campaign lasting up to 20 hours, and three times that in post-game content. The catch ‘em all aspect is still present, of course, but it’s no longer the be-all and end-all. Instead it’s the hors d’oeuvres to a far deeper and more satisfying Pokemon experience.
Score: 5/5
Format: DS
Price: £34.99
Developer: Tecmo Koei
Publisher: Nintendo
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments