Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Pokémon Friends by developer, Wonderfy:
Pokémon Friends (Nintendo Switch)
Developed by Wonderfy, a Japan-based company that specialises in creating content intended to “bring out a sense of wonder” in children, Pokémon Friends is a brand-new puzzle game developed for smartphones and the Nintendo Switch family of systems. It was first made available for download in both the App Store and Google Play Store hours before being officially revealed during the Pokémon Presents, which aired on July 22, 2025. But, once Pokémon Friends was unveiled, the game was then released on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 eShop on the same day.
Having previously worked on Pikatto Pikachu for Pokémon Kids TV, Wonderfy are no strangers to working with the Pokémon IP. Nor are they strangers to working on brain-teasing puzzle games. So, on paper, it’s a match made in heaven, but how does Pokémon Friends stack up in reality? That’s what we’re going to be diving into right now, but first, it’s time to address the Copperajah in the room.
As a game available for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Android, and iOS devices, there is one big difference between the console versions of the game and the smartphone version. On mobile, Pokémon Friends is free to download, but players are limited to one puzzle a day, whereas on console, it comes with a price tag. For $9.99, Pokémon Friends comes packaged with the base version of the game and with the Basic Pack. With the Basic Pack, the one puzzle a day limitation is removed, with new puzzles, plushies, and features added.
For those who prefer to play the free version of the game, the Basic Pack can be purchased via the in-game shop. Also available for purchase as DLC are two additional packs, the Puzzle On! Pack #1 and Puzzle On! Pack #2. Both packs add new puzzles, plushies, and wallpaper, and they can be purchased for the console version of the game as well. For the players who hope to purchase both packs, you’re better off holding out for the combo pack at a better price. On console, the bundle consists of Puzzle On! Pack #1 and #2, whereas the combo bundle on the smartphone has both packs and the Basic Pack.
Furthermore, other than the price tag for the console version, other version differences between console and smartphone are that for the smartphone version of the game, you have three choices of graphics settings (Detailed, Balanced, Smooth). The console version, however, has no need for these options, as it is the superior version. The setting it offers instead is that you can set how many times you would prefer to do puzzles a day, from 1 – 10 to Unlimited.
And for anyone who was hoping there might be some crossplay available like with Pokémon UNITE, think again. With The Pokémon Company handling Pokémon Friends’ publication on mobile devices, Nintendo is responsible for publishing Pokémon Friends on console, and there is no crossplay available at all. So, if you were hoping to play the game on both platforms and are willing to pay, you’re better off choosing the console version. But now that we’ve tackled that bit, it’s time to talk about the setting and gameplay of Pokémon Friends.
Set in a delightful little place called Think Town, Pokémon Friends is a puzzle game that sees the player open their very own plush store. By completing “bite-sized” puzzles, players can untangle yarn, which, when entered into the Plush-O-Matic, will create a lovable plush. From Plain Yarn to Soggy Yarn, Grassy Yarn, Toothy Yarn, to Feathery Yarn, each different yarn represents which type of Pokémon plush it can create.
So, if you’re looking to create a specific plush, your best bet is to check out the plush rates for each yarn type to see what Pokémon plush they can create and what the odds of making it are. For instance, Feathery Yarn offers 24.50% odds on creating Pidgey, Swablu, Starly, and Rookidee, but 2.00% for Rayquaza. Additionally, when making a plush, you will have a 24.00% chance of getting a bonus plush from the same category, or 4.00% if you’re lucky enough to get Rayquaza as your bonus plush.
Should you wish to create a plush you have already created, you will require additional yarn, but all details on the necessary yarn and details on any plushie you have already made, can be found in the Catalog, which is accessed via selecting the Plush-O-Matic. As for what can be done once you have a plush or two, or as many as you desire, there are two options. One game mechanic has you use them to complete quests for the townspeople.
This is done by accessing the available quests and seeing if you have the corresponding plush to complete the request. If you do, players are rewarded with Friendship points and the occasional gift. Earn enough points and you can level up, earning new stamps, and as for those gifts you get, they play into the game’s other main mechanic.
With the freedom to design your very own plush room, players can access three rooms, where the wallpaper can be changed to any design you’ve unlocked already. Furniture can be placed wherever you wish, within reason, and players are free to place their plushies in any order they like.
Got a favourite? Put it in a place of pride, but just keep in mind when creating your paradise plush room, that if one of the plush you place is required to complete a quest, unless you have a spare you can use instead, you will need to pack the plush away to give it away. But, by giving it away, you will no longer have it, hence why it’s best to give away a spare if you have one or make one if you don’t.
So, with all else covered, let’s talk about the puzzles. By selecting Untangle, players can play through one set of three randomly selected puzzles, out of the 1,200+ made available in Pokémon Friends. If it is your first untangle of the day, in addition to the yarn you will get for completing the puzzles, you can place a stamp on the in-game calendar, marking your achievement, and depending on how many days you play in a row, bonus yarn can be obtained as well.
Should your performance in playing the puzzles fall short of your expectations and you wish to try again, the calendar will give you the chance to do so. Your high score won’t be updated if you get a better one, but at least you’ll be able to practise a puzzle you struggled with. As for the puzzles themselves, with an extensive line-up available, they all start off as being very easy, but every time you complete them in record time, the next time you see them, they will have levelled up and become progressively harder.
Each puzzle offers something new in terms of gameplay, as Pikachu’s Power Line will have you light up every lightbulb without crossing over, Hopping Hurdles will task you with navigating a Scorbunny across trampolines to a flag pole and Sableye’s Twisty Tracks will have you rotating train tracks until safe passage is guaranteed. But where the puzzles really come into their own is that, because Pokémon Friends is also a mobile game, touchscreen controls are supported and are available in the console version of the game as well, so instead of solely having to rely on button inputs, touchscreen controls is also an option and for some puzzles in particular, will enable you solve them quicker. For a quick list of each puzzle type available in Pokémon Friends, we’ve got you covered right here:
- Pikachu’s Power Line
- Hopping Hurdles
- Think Outside the Box
- Sableye’s Twisty Tracks
- Don’t Slip Up, Piplup
- Just Passing Through
- Minccino’s Clean Sweep
- Leapin’ Litten
- Greninja’s Secret Shapes
- Spheal Spinner
- Pansage and Pals Café
- Makuhita’s Mighty Moves
- Find the Froakie!
- Last Balloon Left
- Lotad’s Ferry Service
- Pumpkaboo’s Shadow Show
- Flight Paths
- Medal Match
- Secret Stone
- Klefki’s Keys
- Shine on Cherrim
- Take It for a Spin!
- Dig, Drilbur, Dig!
- Tidy Toxel’s Toys
- Count on Gimmighoul
- Perfect Fit
- Squirtle the Gardener
- Wooloo’s Way Home
- Pattern Path
- Tandemaus Teamwork
While Pokémon Friends may not appeal to every Pokémon fan, as the target audience is for those aged 4 and up, it is still a delightful little puzzle game, nonetheless. Pokémon plushies have risen in popularity over the last few years, so it’s no surprise that we’ve got a plush-focused game now. But for those who are on the fence, we would recommend trying the mobile version first, without purchasing the Basic Pack and if you like what you see, then you can make the choice of buying the DLC for the mobile version, or just purchase the console version for the same content, but with better performance.
Game Specifications:
Developer: Wonderfy
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Digital)
Genre: Education, Puzzle
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Price: $9.99
File Size: 731 MB
Nintendo.com Listing
