Right out of left field The Pokémon Company has just announced that there is a brand new Pokemon title available today for Android. It’s called Pokemon Playhouse, and it seems to have been designed as an official Pokemon game for a younger generation of Pokemon fans.
First and foremost Pokemon Playhouse is a game geared towards children. While I’m sure that anyone can enjoy the more simplistic gameplay of this release, it is undoubtedly designed for kids between the ages of 3-5. This means that there is no need for any reading or math skills, which is most definitely highlighted by the fact that a friendly human character narrates the entirety of the title.
As far as gameplay is concerned, the majority of goals will revolve around meeting new Pokémon by way of exploring various areas in the game. Each location will feature a different activity for its young players to enjoy. These range from caring for your Pokémon, grooming them, and even identifying Pokemon in the night sky. There is also a secondary task of hatching Pokemon eggs by simply carrying them around as exploration happens and goals are completed.
Now since this is a children’s game, many parents may be wondering how it’s monetized. Well, I think everyone will be glad to hear that Pokemon Playhouse is completely free to play. Not only is there no introductory price, but there are also no advertisements or in-app purchases. Heck, the game doesn’t even track your usage, which says a lot about The Pokemon Company and the respect they have for their users.
While I’m sure all the more hardcore Pokemon fans out there would rather see a traditional Pokemon game come to Android, at the very least we have been given something that can easily introduce a younger generation to the franchise. When you consider that Pokemon Playhouseis free for anyone to play and that it’s super friendly to children, even if they lack reading and math skills, I see no better starting point for those that can’t quite yet handle the main series of games.
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