Pokémon Café Mix Review

You are a young entrepreneur in the Pokémon world. For as long as you can remember, you have wanted to open a café for bring joy to the people around you. Oddly, your brand-new café seems to only attract Pokémon though. There is not a human customer in sight. It’s fine. The Pokémon still pay. That’s the story of Pokémon Café Mix, the newest “free to start” Pokémon mobile game. It is a very strange setup but one that is executed with that classic Pokémon charm.

The focus of the game is, of course, making various drinks and foods for the Pokémon that come to visit. This is done via puzzle solving. Making each dish is its own puzzle that involves matching Pokémon icons, dissolving sugar cubes, and adding apples. It is an incredibly smart way to abstract the actual act of making dishes and turning them into a game. Cooking is a puzzle. While the generalities remain the same, the specifics always change, even when repeating a recipe. It is in that way that the game not only justifies why the same task is always different, it immerses the player in the world.

 You likely noticed the term “free to start” earlier. That is Nintendo’s terminology to indicate that there are microtransactions in this game. For the most part, they are tucked away in a shop menu where you can use them to buy powerups and the currency of the game, Acorns. Both can be obtained through playing the game normally so there is little reason to make a purchase. The only paid exclusive at the moment is a special Pikachu in a chef’s hat. It’s very cute but you can already get a Pikachu with a different hat for free. It’s refreshing to see a game with microtransactions (As much as they should be here) not push them on the player.

All the food is, of course, Pokémon themed.

The watercolor-esque aesthetic of the game brings it all together. Everyone from coworker Leah (The only other human around) to partner and guest Pokémon look insanely adorable. All the partners (Who each have a unique skill while solving puzzles) have hats and ascots that match Leah’s and, presumably, the player’s. It is very cute. The entire came is cute.

Pokémon Café Mix is a fun mobile game to pick up once or twice a day for 10 or so minutes. Beyond that, it would most likely get boring. It helps break up the day and is a visual treat, especially if you are a Pokémon fan. Give it a whirl if you like puzzle games or Pokémon. Also, there’s a Charizard with an ascot and that needs to be experienced.