While Game Freak no doubt has its hands full working onPokémon Legends ZA, it’s had the time to work on another project independent of its iconic monster-catching franchise. Although this one is distinctly smaller-scale, being a free-to-play mobile game titledPand Land.
Game Freak is not the sole developer on this title, having partnered with another Japanese studio called WonderPlanet, which has primarily worked on other free-to-play mobile games. Ina press releaseshared earlier today (translated byGematsu), the two studios describePand Landas a “casual sailing adventure RPG… where you become the captain of an expedition team and set out on a journey in search of legendary treasure.”
At first, it sounded to me like an attempt at aping Rare’s hit live-serviceSea of Thieves, albeit with a blocky art style reminiscent ofPokémon Quest(how many of you even rememberPokémon Quest?). Upon watching the trailer, though, it’s more of a dungeon crawler, with you sailing to and exploring various islands with a top-down perspective. That said, there is a multiplayer component likeSea of Thieves, where you’re able to team up with other players and adventure together.
The game promises over 400 party members you can recruit, some of which appear to be blocky, colourful animals, while others are human crew members. The trailer also boasts some nice character art you could easily mistake for being from aPokémongame since they’re clearly done by the same artists for that series.
Pand Landseems like a cute and harmless enough time, though it’s unclear how its monetisation will work, and how much of a grind it can be if you don’t want to fork over real money for its microtransactions. I would say you don’t have long to wait to try it out, since it’s launching on the App Store and the Google Play store on Monday, June 24, butPand Landis so far only scheduled for a Japanese release. There’s no mention of it coming to the West, but WonderPlanet has made a couple of its previous mobile games available worldwide so there’s always a chance.
This is hardly the first Game Freak title to not be related toPokémon. In the past, the studio’s put out games like RPGLittle Town Heroand the free-to-playPocket Card Jockey. It’s also meant to beteaming up with Private Division on a new action-adventure game, but considering Take-Two is reportedly shutting down Private Division in its entirety (according toIGN), who knows what’s happening with that project.
