North America can expect to see its first full-fledged Pokémon 3DS title in the form of Pokémon Rumble Blast! which is set to launch in North America on Oct 24 according to Nintendo. Pokémon Rumble Blast! is the sequel to WiiWare title Pokémon Rumble, and offers a couple of upgrades to its predecessor including an up-to-date Pokémon roster and some multiplayer features that make use of the 3DS wireless capabilities.
Pokémon Rumble Blast! is keeping things pretty similar to the previous title in the series. Like its predecessor, Rumble Blast! will place players in control of various Pokémon wind-up toys and make them run through gauntlets of enemies in real-time combat to reach giant-sized bosses at the end of the stages (think chibi Pokémon meets Dynasty Warriors). Upon defeating a Pokémon there is a chance that it will “drop” as a wind-up toy, picking it up adds it to your roster of Pokémon to fight with.
To keep up with the times, Pokémon Rumble Blast will feature over 600 Pokémon, adding in the new Pokémon from Pokemon Black & White.
Additionally, Pokémon Rumble Blast! will utilize the 3DS’ local wireless and StreetPass features to enable players to interact in either a cooperative or competitive way. Over local wireless, Rumble Blast! offers a co-op mode for two players to battle through stages together. Doing so increases the odds more Pokemon will drop as wind-up toys. Using StreetPass, players can exchange data (like what toy Pokemon they have, their progress and so on) as they are passing by and later view the progress the other player has made or just have a battle against their Pokémon.
On top of the standard “Story Mode” play and the Street Pass Battle Mode, Rumble Blast! will offer a few other types of gameplay. Battle Royale makes a return from Pokémon Rumble. Other modes include Team Battle and a new mode–Charge Battle–which literally puts you in control of an army of your Pokemon as they clash with another army (like I said, Dynasty Warriors meets chibi Pokémon).
While we know the date, there hasn’t been any word on a price yet, but keep checking back for any updates over the next few months.
