DSSingleCard.com
Setup & Timing
Pokémon Trozei! is set up with the expectation that a lot of the people playing are new and/or casual gamers, which is not surprising, considering how early on in the life of the Nintendo DS the game was released. The menu is self-explanatory and everything is right there (no extensive sub-menus outside of the Adventure mode). The opening credits are slightly annoying, but the download time is respectable, especially considering that there can be people starting and ending their downloads of Pokémon Trozei! Mini at different times. The only complaint here is that the icon for Pokémon Trozei! Mini distribution is one of the small icons at the bottom of the screen that isn't labeled. (Yeah, it looks like multiple people's profiles and that is... okay... but labels are REALLY nice for new players!)
Menus & Navigation
The majority of the menu options in Pokémon Trozei! and in Pokémon Trozei! Mini are large, well-labeled, and have giant buffer zones to provide for no errant taps. (For the exception, see above.)
Ease Of Use / Play Control
Pokémon Trozei! has what very well might be the most flawless control scheme - both in concept and execution - available on the Nintendo DS. Why? The control scheme itself - physically manipulate the locations of the Pokémon - is 100% reactive and does exactly what you tell it to do. No frills. No guessing. No mistakes (except when the player is not paying attention and tells the screen to do something they really didn't mean, but that's not the game's fault). Basically... You want something moved? Move it where you want it. The end.
Content
The look of Pokémon Trozei! basically is a grid and some 2D Pokémon heads. While there's nothing fancy to report on that front, its designs are especially nice considering that there are 386 Pokémon in the game and they all have to look different. Sound is actually important to have on if for no other reason than the sound effects alert you to what's going on when you might be looking at a different part of the playing board (and concentrating intently). In terms of features, Pokémon Trozei! features Single-Card Download Vs Play, Co-op Play, and a Demo. The game does, however, feature the Holy Grail of Single-Card Download abilities: Demo Vs Demo. Yup, that's right: two people with Pokémon Trozei! Mini (the demo) can play Battle (Vs) or Pair (Co-op) against each other. Unfortunately, after doing so, they'll both have to redownload the demo, but it works.
Overall Fun
It's been a while since I've reviewed a truly exemplary game. I've actually had this review in the works for quite some time (it took a long time to program the HTML for Steven's Pokédex) and Pokémon Trozei! was actually one of the first games I ever owned. After a surgery a few years ago, I played the game for three days straight and enjoyed every minute of it. The downloadable demo, which includes the Vs and Co-op modes, plays exactly like the main game (with the exception of the Adventure mode, of course) and is just as enjoyable. The game still invokes a similar drive and desire to collect, just like most of the other Pokémon titles (this time it's "Gotta Trozei 'Em All!"), but in a way that's more "casual player friendly" - a puzzle game. It's not the first puzzle game based on Pokémon and it won't be the last puzzle game based on Pokémon (or so I suspect), but it is one of the best puzzle games (Pokémon or not) available, and not just on the Nintendo DS (IMHO - in my humble opinion).
Add in the Pokémon from Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.
Change the icon for Pokémon Trozei! Mini distribution to something with a label (or only the label).
Allow the Demo Vs Demo disconnects to not require new downloads (see above).
Category Score: 12.5 / 15
Overall Single-Card Download Rating: 94 / 100 (a.k.a. 47/50)
Other information available:
If you'd like to contact this website:
Click here
to return to the DSSingleCard.com Pokémon Trozei! profile.
Click here
to return to the DSSingleCard.com main page.