'Pokemon Rumble World' gets physical release in Europe, no more paid transactions

Currently, fans can download “Pokemon Rumble World” for free on their 3DS or 3Ds XL. However, for those who aren’t interested in free-to-play games with microtransactions, Nintendo has announced that “Pokemon Rumble World” will be getting a physical release in Europe early next year.

For those unfamiliar with the game, “Pokemon Rumble World” is a spinoff title that has players controlling Pokemon in real-time battles and is similar to a beat-em-up or a top-down action roleplaying game (RPG). The goal is to catch Pokemon for the king of a toy-filled kingdom and explore various areas with plenty of Pokemon to catch and battle.

The free-to-play version tends to rely on the game’s currency to get past certain points in the adventure and get the best Pokemon. According to Gematsu, the retail version will be much more balanced than the free-to-play version, with no paid content and a daiy dose of Poke’ Diamonds, the game’s currency.

An article from Eurogamer has also confirmed that the original free-to-play game required Poke’ Diamonds for the player to make money in the adventure, though it wasn’t needed to progress through the game. That said, it was probably difficult to get through certain sections without money, which the retail version will fix upon release.

To date, this is the first free-to-play “Pokemon” title to get a physical release. It will be interesting to see how the game does in sales, since it might lead to more retail copies of free-to-play games like “Pokemon Shuffle.”

While it’s not a proper “Pokemon” experience like “Omega Ruby” or “X” and “Y,” it seems like “Rumble World” would be a fun distraction for fans of the series. The video below shows off various creatures taking out numerous enemies with special attacks.

No price has been revealed for the retail release for “Pokemon Rumble World,” though it will be available on Jan. 22. It’s also unsure if the retail release of the game will be available in other countries aside from Europe, though strong fan demand could always change that.