New findings indicate Pokemon Friends could be a reskinned puzzle game from 2016

Pokemon Friends has received a good amount of criticism, which is largely due to its paid elements and overall generic aesthetic. Recently, Youtuber CandyEvie noticed some striking similarities between the core gameplay in Pokemon Friends and another mobile title ThinkThink. Both were developed by Wonderfly, with the latter releasing all the way back in 2016.

After reviewing footage of both games side to side, it is very likely one will assume that some asset flipping may have occurred. Most, if not all of the puzzles playable in Pokemon Friends are also in ThinkThink, with the obvious difference of presentation. It may be possible that The Pokemon Company had simply asked Wonderfy to create a Pokemon version of its already popular game, but this may not be the case as the game isn’t marketed as such at all. In fact ThinkThink is specifically aimed at a very young audience while Pokemon Friends’ marketing material suggests that it’s a game for all ages. While this theory answers why some feel that the game is too generic, it may also recontextualize how some may feel about the title’s pricing.

Pokemon Friends is free-to-play on mobile and will have you playing puzzles to untangle yarn for plushies. Only a few puzzles are available to you per day unless you buy the basic pack for $9.99, essentially unlocking the full game. On the Nintendo eShop there is no free version – only a $9.99 basic pack version. On top of that both versions also have two paid expansions priced at $14.99 each, and bundled at $25.99. Then there’s a “Combo Bundle” that includes the basic pack and all DLC for $33.99. Of course this pricing had already been controversial, but now knowing that these puzzles may be from nearly 10 years ago could definitely be deflating.

On the other hand, ThinkThink uses a subscription model which allows you to play up to three times per day at $3.99 per month, and unlimited plays for $9.99 per month. These are well thought out puzzles that don’t deserve to be locked behind a subscription and Pokemon Friends allows them to be just purchased at a flat fee. Pokemon Friends does also add some new flavor to the presentation with new animations, and the admittedly shallow plushy and town mechanics. It’s also increasingly rare to find a mobile game that isn’t plagued by microtransactions – even Pokemon spin offs have been susceptible to this. Not to mention that at all price points, you’re still getting a decent amount of content.

We also have a gameplay video comparing the a few puzzles from the two games. You can watch that below.

Pokemon Friends and ThinkThink Gameplay Comparison

Thanks again to CandyEvie for today’s news. If you want to know more about Pokemon Friends, you can read about its announcement here.