Pokémonis a franchise that is universally known and loved, so when a recent Pokémon Direct sneakily released the puzzle gamePokémon Friends, many people likely downloaded it before the stream was even over. Available on Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, as well as iOS and Android,Pokémon Friendsfeatures more than 1,200 Pokémon-themed puzzles. It looks cute, has quick and fun little puzzles, and lets you decorate rooms with adorable plushies. Add in a nice cup of tea, and what could be more cozy than that?
Pokémon Friendscame as a lovely surprise when it was announced andlaunched during the recent Pokémon Presents streamevent in July 2025. I happen to be one of those excited fans who went andpurchased the full game for the Nintendo Switch 2 right away, including the extra DLC packs. It can also be downloaded for free on iOS and Android devices, but the amount of microtransactions and paywalls involved makes it less relaxing of an experience.
Pokémon Friends Blends Puzzles With Making Plushies
The entire gimmick ofPokémon Friendsrevolves aroundcompleting puzzles to earn yarn, and then putting that yarn in the Plush-O-Matic to make plushies. As you solve each set of three minigame-like puzzles, you are rewarded by getting an amount of untangled yarn in return, which can be used to create adorable Pokémon plush toys. Then, these plushies can be used either as decorations in customizable rooms or in completing quests for townsfolk.
These plushies may not be the central focus of the game, with much of the emphasis being on the puzzle mechanics, but they are absolutely what caught my attention when watching the reveal trailer. The idea sounds perfect for someone like me, especially as itprovides a way tocollect Pokémon plush toyswithout clutteringmy entire home with them. Unfortunately, it isn’t a perfect experience, andmight not be the idealPokémonpuzzle experience for everyone.
These plushies may not be the central focus of the game, with much of the emphasis being on the puzzle mechanics, but they are absolutely what caught my attention.
In the game, there is a full Plush Dex of the available toys that can be made, which is unsurprisingly less than thefull Pokédex currently in existence. However, creating them all is not the smooth process that it feels like it should be, with thePlush-O-Matic acting more like a gacha machine, producing randomized results based on the yarn used, which often leads to several duplicates.
Puzzles Start Out Too Easy But Difficulty Grows With Levels
30 Puzzles In Basic Pack With More DLC Available
When I started playingPokémon Friends,I commented to someone that it felt like I wasplaying a game for very young childrenbecause the puzzles were so ridiculously simple. Thankfully, though these minigames certainly feel as though they were designed for mobile devices rather than the Nintendo Switch 2,the difficulty levels did increase as I continued to playand leveled up the individual puzzles.
It’s impressive how many different styles of puzzles there are,with 30 types included in the base game and an additional 20 if both DLC packs arepurchased, which I did. For the most part, each of these puzzle styles presented very different game mechanics and kept things interesting and engaging. At least, until I turned off the daily limits.
This game is absolutely intended to be played in short bursts at a time, and not have someone spend hours on their sofa playing the puzzles over and over. Without the game stopping me after a set number of puzzles, I found myself getting a little bored by the puzzles, even though there were 50 variations in rotation. This also created a bit of a frustration when it came to quest rewards, as I will discuss later.
Untangling Yarn Is A Bit Of A Stretch As A Puzzle Reward
Doesn’t Make Much Sense, But The Plushies Are Cute Enough To Overlook It
It’s a cute gimmick to have the puzzles be related to making cute plush toys, and perhaps this is more a me-problem than anything, but I still don’t understand how the connection is supposedly made in completing little puzzles and unraveling a massive mess of tangled yarn.If even one of the puzzles had something to do with fixing a knot of yarn, it might have made more senseto me.
This really doesn’t impact this assessment or matter much to anyone, but it was still a puzzling idea to me on its own. At least the plushies are cute.
Think Town Plush Quests Are Too Few And Far Between
24 Hour Waits Before A New Quest Is Too Long
While I absolutely enjoy the game, my biggest frustration withPokémon Friendsis the lack of quests. Every day there are one or two NPCs wanting a specific type of Pokémon plush as a daily quest.Completing these quests can provide you with furniture to decorate your rooms, including shelves which can be useful for not having all the toys just lined up on the floor.
With the number of duplicates that can come up from the Plush-O-Matic’s randomization,this is an excellent way to get rid of excess plushies. Actually, it’s the only way since there is no trading system with other players or much else to do with them other than keep them in your bag or place them in a room.
As I said earlier, however, I was playing the game with the time restrictions off. This meant that I was playing for hours without any new quests, because they only come once a day. Additionally, there was only one new quest 24 hours later, which didn’t even scratch the surface of what I wanted. Perhaps having these quests tied to the number of puzzles completed could be a better method, but again,it feels as thoughPokémon Friendsis simply not meant to be played more than a little bit per day, perhaps trying to bemore likePokémon Sleepthan mainlinePokémongames.
Pokémon Friends Is Certainly Fun, But Ultimately Didn’t Grab Me
It’s Easy For This Game To Simply Be Forgotten
Overall, I have absolutely enjoyed my time withPokémon Friends. The puzzles are certainly enjoyable, particularly as the difficulty becomes more noticeable, and theentire experience is so pretty and cheerful that it is hard not to just smile. Sadly, even after just a couple of days of playing it, I found myself forgetting the game existed until I turned on my Switch 2, which is a bad omen for me continuing to play much more. Perhaps this would work better if I were playing it as a mobile game that is picked up in small burstsrather than a Switch 2 game.
Sadly, even after just a couple of days of playing it, I found myself forgetting the game existed.
One final small note: organizing the plushies in a digital room is somewhat frustrating, as the drag-to-place mechanic consistently places them in unwanted locations. If we could change the angle of the room to an overhead look while placing the plush, perhaps this would be easier. But, even though it can take some work, there is certainly a satisfying little dopamine rush when it comes to seeing your little virtual room filled with all your favorite Pokémon inPokémon Friends.
Reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2
