Following the Australian rating board leak, Nintendo has confirmed the existence of Pokemon Rumble World during today’s Nintendo Direct broadcast.
The game is a free-to-play title coming exclusively to the Nintendo eShop. This marks the first full-fledged free-to-play game Nintendo has put out after Pokemon Shuffle, their recent free puzzle game on the 3DS – both of which featuring in-game purchases, of course.
The game features over 700 Pokemon from the entire series, ranging from the original Pokemon Red and Blue, all the way to the recent outings in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
The story is centered in the kingdom of toys, where the king has summoned you to capture Pokemon, in an effort to show up a strange magician who has capture Pokemon if their own. You can link up to friends via StreetPass, allowing them to visit your castle town. You can even enlist the aid of your friends in the future, in a “variety of ways.”
The in-game purchases seem to include what are called Poke Diamonds, which are used to buy hot air balloons (the main method of transportation between the castle town and the areas where Pokemon dwell), clothes for your Mii characters (which you use as your Pokemon trainer), and even regenerating your Pokemon’s HP, or your hot air balloons gas.
Pokémon Rumble World is launching on the Nintendo 3DS eShop on April 8th.