Pokémon ROM hacks seem to be taking a back seat in favour of Pokémon browser games at the minute, and it's taking me back to my youth. I remember playing browser games at school when I was a teenager instead of listening to the teacher, which is probably why I was always destined to write for a gaming publication. But browser games just promote the kind of procrastination that helps you switch off for a little while, and they do it without you having to open up an emulator and mess about with ROMs.
Pokémon Zarza is a new hub for Pokémon minigames on the internet, and it's awesome. I came to it after seeing a post about a battle arena segment on X where players can take in any of the original Kanto Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in one-on-one real-time battles, pulling off moves using the A/S/D/F keys and dodging with the space bar. It's simple to use and a nice little game to mess around with on a coffee break.
But then I got to looking at the other minigames that are included in this collection, and they're awesome. I've been fighting Street Fighter-style with Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee; I've played Angry Birds with Pikachu, Pidgey, and Charmander taking down Gastlys; and I've played a Super Mario-esque game where you play as a trainer and have to collect coins and avoid walking Pokémon.
Here's the full list of minigames available:
- Pokémon Arena - Real-time battle arena
- Jumps - Jumping game where you have to avoid Pokémon and get coins
- Bubbles - Kind of like Beehive Bedlam/Bubble Bobble, clearing Pokémon in bubbles from levels
- Pokémon Slingshot - Angry Birds with Pokémon
- City Race - Bicycle racing game
- Shove Off - Sumo Wrestling-style gameplay
- Balls - Four-player air hockey with Voltorbs
- Crates - Crate-bashing game where you have to take out opponents
- Pokémon Volley - Volleyball with Pokémon
- Head Soccer - Head balls into goals
- Pokémon Fight - Street Fighter-esque gameplay
- Moles - Whack a Diglett
- Onix - Snake, but with Onix
- Zarza Jetpack - Flappy Bird with a Pokémon Trainer
- Cloudbound - Tower level jumping game
- Take Cover - Berry throwing game
The games are available in Spanish, English, Thai, and Chinese. I've got a sneaky suspicion that AI will have been used to make these games, but I can't confirm how much it's been used currently, as there's very little information on the website as the the developers behind the site. What I can tell you is that you can play with a friend in a private room so you can experience all of the action together!
Head to Pokémon Zarza to get playing!
