Summary

  • PokeRogue is the hot new Pokemon fan game on the block.
  • PokeRogue is entirely focused on battling.
  • Shiny Pokemon are even more valuable in PokeRogue, acting as a roguelike mechanic as well as a funky colour swap.

You may be surprised by how many Pokemon fan games exist, considering how famously litigious Nintendo is. While many have been shut down over the years for reasons only known to the big N and Mario himself, more proliferate the internet, spreading like wild Fire-types in a Desolate Land.

The latest obsession for Pokemon fans is browser game PokeRogue, a Pokemon roguelike that focuses entirely on battling. There’s no exploration – no overworld at all, actually – no gimmicks, just battling. And that’s what makes it so moreish.

I’ve played Pokemon roguelikes before, and some good ones. Pocket Crystal League was a great deck builder, utilising berry mechanics to simulate a pixel-art card game unlike any Pokemon title or TCG to date. Then there’s Pokemon Emerald Rogue, which has a very confusing layout and steep learning curve, but a great gameplay loop when you get into it. PokeRogue might be better than both.

How To Play PokeRogue

Let’s start at the beginning. First, you have to pick your team. You have all the starters from Gen 1-9 available to you, rendered in gorgeous animated sprites as if Pokemon got stuck in 2004. Yes, it’s another Gen 3 hack, but I’m more than okay with that, seeing as I have such fond nostalgia for those games.

The care that has gone into creating new animated sprites for every Pokemon that has been released since then is meticulous and beautiful. Each starter is worth three points, and your starting party can’t exceed ten. So, three starters to begin. But every Pokemon you catch on your run becomes available for selection on your next. Catch a Zubat? You can start with it next time for two points. Catch a Raichu? Pikachu will set you back four points next time around.

Each battle acts like a level. Win ten battles and you’ve cleared a floor. This is the only time your team will get fully healed free of charge. Between battles you can spend your meagre earnings on Potions, Revives, and other items, as well as picking one freebie to progress to the next battle.

PokeRogue cleverly implements items from many Pokemon games to create interesting interactions. Lures from Pokemon Go, for instance, increase the likelihood of finding double battles, which offer twice as much experience as encountering a single Pokemon. While each floor has a level cap (which you can only surpass using Rare Candies, another handy item), you want to be as close to it as possible for the difficult trainer battles.

PokeRogue Best Strategies

Everyone has their own way of playing a roguelike, but for me, the best bet is setting up to sweep. Your stat buffs (and debuffs) carry over from wild encounter to wild encounter, so a Speed Boost Torchic with the Swords Dance TM can run through an entire floor without much trouble.

My favourite starter to date is Doduo.

However, your buffs are reset before any trainer battle. Still, setting up on an appropriate ‘mon against your rival Ivy or any of the game’s Gym Leaders is a legitimate strategy. I tend to focus all my best items on one or two monsters, aiming to sweep at any chance.

While items like Lures only last for a set number of encounters, more rare upgrades like the Map, Exp All, Mega Ring, and Dynamax Band last for your entire run. These allow you to make your Pokemon more powerful or pick routes which you have type advantages in, and can help you to race through floors with ease.

What’s The Deal With Shinies In PokeRogue?

In PokeRogue, shiny Pokemon are even more important than in main series games. As well as having that funky discolouration that makes every battle cooler, shinies increase your chances of getting better items between battles, making them an invaluable resource to stack alongside your other bonuses.

You can find shinies in the wild, but the easiest way to get your hands on one is through the in-game Gachapon machine. You can spend tickets (all earned in-game) on hatching eggs from Legendary or shiny machines. The eggs are nowhere near guaranteed to hold a Legendary or shiny respectively, but it’s your best bet. Whether you gamble on getting a game-breaking Zacian or risk hatching a shiny Trubbish is up to you, but these systems add yet more layers of depth to PokeRogue.

We started from the bottom now we here

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PokeRogue is so popular right now because it’s so easy to get into. Everyone knows how Pokemon battles work. Sure, the experience is completely different to a main series Pokemon game, but roguelikes are pretty universal too. If not, it’s not difficult to get your head around. PokeRogue’s gameplay is simple, and there’s beauty in that simplicity. It’s more engaging than any Nintendo-produced Pokemon game since New Snap, it’s more exciting than many of the mindless roguelikes churned out for a quick buck on Steam.

PokeRogue is a labour of love. From the stunning sprites, to the pumping music, to the invigorating gameplay loop, it’s clear this was made by passionate fans. Now all I have to do is work out how to make this Xurkitree broken beyond belief.

Next: I Need To Play Nintendo's 2D Version Of Breath Of The Wild