Pokémon UNITE

About

Pokémon UNITE is a single player and multiplayer strategy game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Tencent Games and was released on September 21, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

Pokémon UNITE is a fantasy strategy game that features 5-on-5 team battles with trainers from around the world. The objective is to score the most points within the time limit by defeating wild Pokémon, leveling up, and preventing the opposing team from scoring. With stunning game mechanics, exceptional visuals, and excellent music, the game offers a hilarious and occasionally buggy experience that requires teamwork and strategy to emerge victorious.

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56%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

gameplay410 positive mentions

stability198 negative mentions

The game has great graphics and fun gameplay, making it enjoyable for both casual and competitive players.
Regular updates and new Pokémon keep the game fresh and engaging.
The ability to play offline is a great feature, allowing for flexibility in gameplay.

Matchmaking is often unbalanced, frequently pairing skilled players with inexperienced teammates, leading to frustrating losses.
The game suffers from connectivity issues, with frequent lag and crashes, especially after updates.
The introduction of paywalls for new Pokémon and cosmetics has made the game feel increasingly pay-to-win.

gameplay
873 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
45%
8%
The gameplay of this Pokémon MOBA is generally praised for its fun mechanics, smooth controls, and engaging graphics, making it accessible for both new and experienced players. However, many users express frustration with unbalanced matchmaking, frequent AFK players, and the overpowered comeback mechanics, particularly related to the Zapdos feature, which can overshadow earlier gameplay efforts. While the game offers a unique twist on traditional MOBA elements, issues like lag, bugs, and a pay-to-win model detract from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is so smooth; there are no big bugs, and the game is very stable.”
- “The gameplay is fun, the concept-wise it's not unique, but puts its own spin on the classic gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is simple and easy to understand, making it a great entry game for MOBAs without overwhelming players.”
- “Extremely repetitive gameplay, balancing is terrible and a few Pokémon are extremely overpowered making most of the characters absolutely useless.”
- “The gameplay itself is a frustrating grind, teammates are frequently braindead and useless.”
- “The actual gameplay is repetitive and dry.”
graphics
707 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
23%
2%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many users praising their quality, smoothness, and vibrant animations. However, some players have reported issues such as lag, frame rate drops, and problems with the graphics settings not functioning as intended. Overall, while the visuals are a highlight for many, connectivity and performance issues detract from the experience for some users.
- “Great game, good graphics and overall very good.”
- “The graphics are amazing, it's so smooth, the gameplay is fun, the players are friendly even if they lost, and it's so amazing!”
- “I love this game so much, the graphics, the mechanic and everything.”
- “The game will hang at the loading screen when the highest graphic option is chosen.”
- “Even though I already downloaded the high-quality graphics data and set my graphics to high or even highest in the settings, I still encounter bad graphics like blurry in-game names, blurry letters when you go to your profile, and when you're in-game, the gameplay is blurry, the names, the Pokémon, and even the map.”
- “The graphics are nothing special, yet I have to run it at 30 fps and it is still skipping frames and doesn't run smoothly.”
stability
203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and glitches, particularly after recent updates. Many players experience issues during login, matchmaking, and gameplay, leading to significant frustration and penalties for disconnections. While some users note that the game can be enjoyable when functioning properly, the overall consensus is that the current state is plagued by instability that detracts from the gaming experience.
- “Best game ever played, no glitches at all. Graphics are quite good; when you play this game, you will feel that it's real and you are part of this world.”
- “The game itself isn't too buggy or laggy, but once your internet starts acting up, you're not going to be able to move or do anything in-game.”
- “The game is good, not very buggy or laggy.”
- “Can't log in using my account; every time the game updates, they ask me to log in, but the screen freezes every time I try to.”
- “Ever since the update, I can't log in to my game. First, it opens normally, but when it comes to the purple screen, it freezes and then turns black. After some minutes, the screen becomes okay, but the game repeats this every time. Whenever I uninstall and then install it for the first time, it is okay, but when I open it one more time, the same problem repeats. Please fix this bug.”
- “The game constantly freezes, and the offline mode won't work without internet.”
optimization
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
Overall, the game's optimization is a significant concern among players, with frequent reports of lag, connectivity issues, and poor performance on various devices, even those with good specifications. Many users express frustration with the matchmaking system, which often pairs players with mismatched skill levels, leading to unbalanced games. While some players experience smooth gameplay, the consensus is that the game requires substantial improvements in network stability and performance optimization to enhance the overall experience.
- “Optimization needs a little care, as is the usual with these kinds of mobile games, but overall I am not disappointed.”
- “Great game, great controls and optimization.”
- “The game is super fun, it just suffers from optimization issues and has connection problems even on amazing and stable connections.”
- “Game is very poorly optimized.”
- “It is a shame that rather than optimizing performance, this update made my device completely incompatible.”
- “Games poorly optimized and lags on the best of connections.”
story
106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
80%
8%
The story aspect of the game is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players expressing a desire for a more structured narrative or story mode to enhance their experience. Users feel that the current mission system is cluttered and repetitive, often forcing them into monetization traps without providing meaningful rewards or a cohesive storyline. Overall, players believe that adding a compelling story element could significantly improve the game's appeal and gameplay experience.
- “The ease of playing and the story mode is incredible.”
- “This game is good , but want a storyline with a multiplayer Pokémon game for mobile phones.”
- “Totally a pay-to-win game with the leveling of the holding items, and even worse (for me), I bought the game pass, and now they are forcing me to buy Garchomp to try to complete the missions. I started paying a week ago, and I didn't get the missions from that week; now it is nearly impossible to get the Gengar skin without paying more, and that skin was the only reason for me to buy that game pass.”
- “The missions of the battle pass are terrible.”
- “It's a lovely game with beautiful graphics, but there's no interesting story to it. It's kind of addictive, but I think it's a pretty cool game overall.”
- “This is one great game, but one thing is missing: a story mode.”
monetization
103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
36%
38%
The monetization practices in the game have drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling them as predatory and excessively aggressive. While the absence of ads is a positive aspect, the high prices for in-game purchases, particularly for essential items and characters, have led to perceptions of the game as a cash grab, often favoring pay-to-win mechanics that undermine the overall experience. Despite its engaging gameplay, the overwhelming focus on monetization has left many players frustrated and disillusioned.
- “On top of all that it is very free-to-play friendly and there's no ads.”
- “It has no ads and addictive gameplay; I can't find anything wrong with it :)”
- “This game is super fun, though in-game purchases are expensive.”
- “Terrible monetization practices and ridiculously overpriced everything (40 USD skins!?)”
- “Greedy microtransactions ruined it; gameplay is solid, great community, exciting updates, and a great MOBA spinoff of the main game overall with just some minor-to-tolerable issues about balancing and game matchups, but the devs decided to crank up every price possible and force every microtransaction down the players' throats.”
- “Pokemon Unite is a good game, but it is ruined by the microtransaction practices that make this game pay-to-win. Just by paying money to upgrade items, you get a pretty severe advantage over players who didn't spend money. They should have just stuck with cosmetics that you could pay for instead of a system that literally gives you an advantage in the actual game.”
grinding
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, citing excessive time requirements to earn in-game currency for new characters and upgrades. Many feel that the monetization strategy encourages spending rather than rewarding gameplay, leading to a sense of imbalance and dissatisfaction, especially when paired with poor matchmaking that often results in uncooperative teammates. While some enjoy the gameplay, the overall sentiment is that the grind is overly demanding and detracts from the experience.
- “The game is made solely for the purpose of forcing you to spend the first buck, and after that hooking you into keep spending over and over, with all the different in-game currencies you don't have a chance to fortify your strategy. There will always be something new missing, and they release new stuff faster than you can earn it by playing (grinding). Balance is not good, bugs happen a lot, which raises the question: why are there no bugs on transactions?”
- “To get a new Pokémon takes ages just to build up enough coins just to get one. Some don't seem worth it in the end, so you end up spending money just to get gems to speed this up. It's not really balanced and overly grindy.”
- “The game is very grindy. I see that, but can you please make it easier for us players? Waiting for a week to get only 2100 Aeos is good, but when it is limited, you can do nothing.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
54%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the background tracks and finding them fitting, while others criticize the repetitive nature of the music and express frustration over technical issues that cause the music to continue playing even when the game is unresponsive. Overall, while the soundtracks are appreciated by some, many users desire more variety and improvements to the music experience.
- “I really did enjoy playing this game; the graphics, music, Pokémon, and the overall quality of this game are great.”
- “The graphics are great, the music is fitting, and the gameplay is fun; simple yet complex.”
- “The music, the concept, and everything is just amazing!”
- “Boring background music.”
- “The same mind-numbing music.”
- “Now it's just a black screen with the music playing in the background.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted by players, who find it both entertaining and amusing, often pointing out the absurdities in gameplay mechanics and matchmaking issues. Many reviews mention funny moments related to player behavior, such as AFK players and quirky in-game actions, which contribute to a lighthearted experience despite the game's flaws. Overall, while the humor is a strong point, it is often juxtaposed with frustrations regarding gameplay and system limitations.
- “This game is funny; when you play a standard game, the random trainers use the names of players but move like computer trainers (when back to base, they walk to base instead of clicking the icon). If you lose the game, the win presentation decreases.”
- “It's not perfect, but it's funny. A lot of people complain about buffs being taken for mid laners. Have you played other MOBAs? They also don't explain that buffs are exclusive for specific roles.”
- “Hahaha, funny game.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Overall, players express mixed feelings about the game's replayability. While some enjoy the fun gameplay and customization options, many feel that the limited map variety and high costs for skins detract from the experience. There is a strong desire for more playable Pokémon and content to enhance replayability, with some players noting that the game has potential for greater enjoyment if these aspects are improved.
- “Fun gameplay, easy controls, good replayability, lovely graphics and lots of expanding customization and cosmetics.”
- “Tons of replayability.”
- “Initially I thought it was going to be very simple without much replayability, but boy was I wrong.”
- “Needs more map options; they're all repetitive and add more playable Pokémon.”
- “However, the store for skins is incredibly expensive, and as such, it hurts the game's replayability.”
- “The game's okay, but the replayability is close to non-existent in the current game state.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of frustration and emotional investment in the game, highlighting the disappointment of playing with uncooperative teammates and the challenges posed by the game's controls. Despite these issues, many find the overall experience to be wholesome and rewarding, especially when playing with friends.
- “It is so heartbreaking.”
- “Other than that, this game is super wholesome and super free-to-play.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviewers praise the character development for its impressive Pokémon designs and the variety of game modes and areas that enhance gameplay. However, there is a desire for the inclusion of more Pokémon, such as Tyrantrum, to further enrich the experience. Overall, the character design is highlighted as a standout feature.
- “I love the character design and would appreciate more Pokémon like Tyrantrum in the game.”
- “The character development is impressive, with a variety of designs that keep the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
- “The game features amazing character design that enhances the overall experience.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users feel that enhancing the chat feature and incorporating emoticons in Pokémon Unite could significantly improve the game's atmosphere, making it more engaging and interactive.
- “I think Pokémon Unite needs to update the chat feature to include all or emoticons in the game to enhance the atmosphere.”
- “The overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the immersive qualities that make a game engaging.”
- “The game's environment is visually appealing, but it fails to create a compelling atmosphere that draws players in.”