Pokémon Friends

About

Pokémon Friends is a single player arcade simulation game with a kids theme. It was developed by Wonderfy and was released on July 22, 2025. It received neutral reviews from players.

Pokémon Friends is a single-player kids arcade game featuring engaging brainteasing puzzles and charming in-game Pokémon plush creations. It offers good graphics that enhance the playful experience, though some players may find the ads intrusive. The game combines fun challenges with adorable Pokémon collectibles for a delightful casual playtime.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

41%

Audience ScoreBased on 980 reviews

gameplay8 positive mentions

monetization56 negative mentions

The puzzle designs are cute and engaging, providing a fun challenge as players progress.
The game has a charming aesthetic and is enjoyable for short bursts of gameplay.
Collecting plushies and decorating the room adds a fun layer of customization.

The game is heavily monetized, requiring payment to unlock more than a few puzzles per day.
Many features and content are locked behind expensive DLC, making it feel like a cash grab.
The time limits on puzzles become frustratingly short at higher levels, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

monetization
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
23%
66%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many reviewers expressing frustration over the numerous paywalls and high costs associated with unlocking content. While the game is free to play initially, players quickly find that most of the experience is locked behind expensive microtransactions, leading to disappointment and a perception of greed from Nintendo and the Pokémon Company. Despite the absence of ads, the overwhelming sentiment is that the monetization model detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “Considering that there's no ads and it's a one-time fee, I think it's a good deal.”
- “I like that this has no ads and isn't predatory.”
- “This game also doesn't need any of the microtransactions to play the game; it should be included.”
- “This game is a cash grab.”
- “You have to pay to play more than 3 puzzles a day, pay to unlock wallpapers for the room, pay to unlock plushes... and it isn't even microtransactions, at a glance they are all $15-$50.”
- “Total cash grab... the idea is nice and all but you really have to pay a lot of money just to unlock more than half the game...”
gameplay
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
79%
9%
The gameplay of the game has been widely criticized for its severe limitations, offering only a few minutes of play each day for free users, which many find frustrating and unengaging. Players express disappointment with the reliance on gacha mechanics, trivial puzzles, and a lack of meaningful content, leading to a repetitive and dull experience. Overall, while the concept is appealing, the execution falls short due to restrictive gameplay and high costs for unlocking additional content.
- “The gameplay is fun, if simple, but I've never seen a laggier game in my life.”
- “There are a lot of different types of puzzles and I like all of them, but in particular I really like the Piplup sliding puzzle. I like the mechanic to move the Piplup; I need to tilt my phone. Not only the puzzles and mechanics, but the art style is really nice too.”
- “At first, I was fine with the gameplay loop of the free version; fun little time waster once a day.”
- “But only being able to play once a day and having that ruined by a mechanic that a huge majority of the population hates in any game (gyroscope controls) is such a letdown.”
- “The gameplay loop is horrible: you play it once every day, you play 3 very short baby-level minigames, you get a random yarn, you use it to gacha random plushies, you place them in a room and that's it.”
- “You get less than 5 minutes of gameplay a day unless you spend money on the DLC, which starts at $10 and ends at $35 or so.”
story
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
87%
8%
The story in the game is described as cute but ultimately lacking depth, with players expressing frustration over the repetitive and tedious quest system. Many users report being stuck on quests due to random yarn drops and limited plush variety, leading to a grind that diminishes enjoyment over time. Overall, while the concept has potential, the execution leaves much to be desired, particularly in terms of quest progression and variety.
- “Then you have quests which can be cool.”
- “It's really cute but there's gotta be a better quest system!”
- “The story is kind of cute, but extremely lacking.”
- “Not much of a story, but doesn't need one.”
- “It's a cute simple game, but the free model means you get barely any gameplay per day and even then your quests you get can get stuck behind due to luck.”
graphics
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
48%
14%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and inviting aesthetic, with many reviewers highlighting the charming art style and appealing visuals, particularly in relation to Pokémon. However, several users noted performance issues, such as low frame rates and input lag, which detracted from the overall experience. While the visuals are a strong point, some players feel that the gameplay mechanics and difficulty scaling could be improved to enhance engagement.
- “The game is cute with great aesthetics and feel, but the difficulty scaling is truly horrendous and could be easily fixed.”
- “One of my favorite art styles for a Pokémon game ever, for a mobile game no less.”
- “The graphics are adorable, but the puzzles are beyond easy and you can only do 3 a day.”
- “The graphics and concepts are let down by the must-buy DLC.”
- “Visuals make things more difficult due to not being clear of where things are.”
- “This game has low FPS (around 15) on my device that can run heavy games on the highest graphics, like Hoyo titles or Wuwa etc. I was excited when I saw this game on YouTube and immediately downloaded it but was disappointed with the FPS.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The game suffers from significant performance issues, including stuttering during puzzles and poorly optimized controls, leading to a frustrating experience for players. This has contributed to a growing distrust in the Pokémon Company due to the prevalence of bugs and performance problems in their recent releases.
- “Each day, you get 3 puzzles to complete, and based on your performance, you receive a set amount of yarn to create Pokémon plushies.”
- “None of that even touches on the massive performance issues.”
- “Also, the controls are not very optimized.”
- “Can't even enjoy stuttering puzzles and so on.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its playful elements, such as the amusing physics of plushies and the irony of pricing, which users find entertaining. Additionally, the juxtaposition of gambling games aimed at children adds a layer of dark humor, making the overall experience both cute and comically flawed.
- “I will say though, that giving the plushies physics is incredibly funny, and I did enjoy stacking them and watching them fall over.”
- “(Also, $49.99 Canadian for the entire combo bundle? Hilarious.)”
- “It's cute and funny.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The music in the game is widely praised as some of the best in the Pokémon franchise, described as cute and pleasing, enhancing the overall fun experience. While the gameplay features engaging puzzles and impressive graphics, the music stands out as a highlight, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some minor flaws.
- “The character designs are amazing, the plush-o-matic scratches that gacha itch without needing to pay money, and the music is some of the best in the entire Pokémon franchise.”
- “The games are fun and the music is cute.”
- “The puzzles are themed enough and the right amount of original and inspired, the graphics are really good, the puzzles are often entertaining and tricky on later levels, the music is so good, and the plush rooms are the perfect feature!”
- “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “While the sound effects are decent, the background music feels out of place and doesn't enhance the experience.”
- “The soundtrack is forgettable and doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, frequently freezing and causing players to lose progress. While it has enjoyable elements, the presence of numerous bugs, particularly in minigames, detracts from the overall experience, and there is no clear avenue for reporting these issues.
- “The game just freezes whenever it wants, causing you to lose a lot of time.”
- “Nice but buggy, and there's nowhere to report the bugs.”
- “The only issue is that several of the minigames are buggy.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that other Pokémon mobile games offer enjoyable replayability without the need for spending money, making them accessible and engaging over time.
- “Other Pokémon mobile games are enjoyable and still fun even if you don't spend money.”
- “The variety of choices and strategies keeps me coming back for more.”
- “Each playthrough feels fresh due to the different paths and outcomes available.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect frustrating due to a restrictive 60-second time limit on puzzle levels, which hampers strategic thinking, and the random nature of quest rewards, leading to tedious gameplay. Many express dissatisfaction, feeling that the game prioritizes money farming over enjoyable mechanics.
- “However, a 60-second time limit makes later puzzle levels nearly impossible if you need a moment to think, and the RNG aspect can make quests very tedious to complete.”
- “This is a pathetic joke, and I'm exhausted by this Pokémon money farming.”