If there’s one thing that Christmas was made for, it’s playing Monopoly with your family and friends. It might be a family wrecking game that brings out the worst in people after a few glasses of brandy and some mince pies, but for me, it’s not Christmas without someone claiming they know the house rules while my uncle lands on Free Parking and grabs a massive wad of cash. And for a Retro Gamer like me, the only way to make Monopoly better is by adding my favorite characters into the mix.
Monopoly has teamed up with Nintendo many times before now with Mario Kart & Super Mario collaborations, and now it’s the turn of Pikachu and pals to take over the board and add their own spin to the game. Think of it as Monopoly with a difference, and that difference is Pokémon and Pokéballs as you play to catch ’em all.
Yes, in this version of Monopoly, you’ll be taking on the role of a Pokémon Trainer through famous locations from the Pokémon series. Pokéballs take the place of currency, and you’ll need to take control of different locations such as Desert, Countryside, & City (replacing the streets from the original Monopoly board). There are 48 different Pokémon to catch, and you’ll need to collect one from each Pokémon-type to win.
And yes, there are Gym Battles with other players too. It feels less like Monopoly and more like an extension of the Pokémon Trading Card game, but I’m certainly not complaining. Nor am I complaining about the Iron and the Dog pieces being replaced by 4 brilliantly designed Pokémon pieces. Play as Pikachu or one of the three starter Pokémon from Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly.
So how much is this new game and when is it releasing? Well, it costs $24.99/£24.99 and will ship before Christmas. It’s available to pre-order now from Amazon with a release date of December 20th! I know what I’ll be doing on Christmas Day – let me know if you’re also going to be battling your family (on the board, obviously) over The Holidays by using the comments below!
