With 2021 being thePokemonfranchise’s 25th anniversary, fans have been treated to plenty of newPokemoncontent and game updates this year. From April’sNew Pokemon Snapto the upcoming Pokemon music album and highly-anticipated Sinnoh remakes, there is plenty forPokemonfans to enjoy. Fans can also expect aPokemon-focused MOBA calledPokemon Unite. Recently,Pokemon Unitegot a new trailerand confirmed its release date for some time in July.
The franchise is known for creatingnew regions for eachPokemongames, with the most recent being the Lental region forNew Pokemon Snap. It seemsPokemon Unitewill continue that trend, as the battles in this MOBA take place on the Aeos Islands. Special energy from this region can be harnessed to make Pokemon grow stronger and use enhanced abilities, and it is also what is used to score goals in all of the game’s battles. Depending on howPokemon Unitemakes use of its variety of maps, they could end up being the stand-out feature for thisPokemonMOBA.
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Pokemon Unite Has Multiple Unique Maps
In a series of tweets officially released byPokemon Unite, four different maps were revealed: Remoat Stadium, Mer Stadium, Auroma Park, and Shivre City. The standard map forPokemon Uniteis Remoat Stadium, which has been featured extensively in trailers and playtesting sessions. This stadium is large enough for two teams of five to compete with standard game rules. It is unclear whether the other maps will be rotating game modes or permanent. While other MOBAs likeLeague of Legendsare best known for its characters, they still typically have different kinds of maps to keep gameplay fresh, andPokemon Uniteis following suit.
Mer Stadium looks eerily similar to Remoat Stadium, and may actually be set up on the same island, just in a different style. With two less goals per team, games will likely go by faster. Teams of four compete against each other in Mer Stadium. Auroma Park may have two goal zones, but they are shared by between both teams.Pokemon Unitehas a starting roster of 19 Pokemon, so maps like Auroma Park will need more player communication when picking team compositions, as it will only see teams of three compete against each other. This map also has the unique feature of conveyor belts, which are somewhat common inPokemongames.
The fourth map revealed so far is Shivre City, which is probably the most unique and visually appealing. Shivre City is a snowy nighttime map set in the midst ofilluminatedPokemoncity streets, and its unique feature is the speed flux zones at certain parts of the streets. Player will get a temporary movement speed boost that may help them close in on an enemy, or escape one. In the Shivre City map, players will have to focus on directly battling enemy players, as it will end up increasing their goal-scoring speed.
Another thing that will make each map unique is how they will likely all feature different Wild Pokemon. Maps like Remoat Stadium may featurethe Legendary Bird Pokemon Zapdos, while others like Shivre City might feature a Pokemon like Avalugg. Auroma Park will have the Legendary Pokemon Regigigas for players to defeat in order to receive a buff, plus a special Abra that could appear and give players more points. On Remoat and Mer Stadiums, there is a beach area that would probably have different thematic Pokemon.
With all these unique features in mind, it would make sense that the maps in this MOBA could help keep the game fresh and exciting. If the maps are part of rotating game modes, then it could just be fun temporary content for players to enjoy. If all the maps are permanent, then gameplay on different maps could be just another layer of skill and game knowledge that player have to learn.
Whileevery mainlinePokemongame has unique regionswith a lot of depth, spin-off Pokemon game regions are typically a bit lighter on region design.Pokemon Unitemight not have a ton of lore behind its region, but at least its variety of maps will add an exciting element toPokemon’s first foray into MOBA territory.
Pokemon Uniterelease on Nintendo Switch in July 2021, and on mobile devices in September 2021.
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