Pokémon Café Mix - Gotta Serve 'Em All!

Host Pokémon in your very own cafe.

A Unique Puzzle Game Filled to the Brim With Nostalgia

Pokémon are everywhere. Whether you're watching television or playing video games, you'll find Pokémon lurking around every corner. It makes sense, then, that there would be plenty of ways to see Pokémon on your mobile device. Pokémon Cafe Mix is unique in the fact that it uses the license to do go in a different direction than Pokémon Go, Pokémon Sword & Shield, and other Pokémon games.

Make it Double - Concept 4/5

Pokémon has always been, at least at its heart, a game about making monsters fight against one another. Sure, sometimes that means that you take control of them in an arena and other times it means you get turned into a Pokémon to explore, but you're always working with the Pokémon to fight battles and do something. That is, at least, until now.

Pokémon Café Mix is a huge departure from the traditional formula.

The concept behind this game can probably be attributed to cat cafes - those cute little coffee shops that have plenty of cats running around. Pokémon Café Mix puts you in charge of a café full of Pokémon, with your major goals involving filling orders so that you can improve your café. This is a simple concept that really works well with the license.

Safe and Soft - Graphics and Audio: 4/5

Honestly, Pokémon Café Mix is the kind of game that really makes you want to sit down and relax. The colors are warm, the Pokémon look lovely, and the screens are all just busy enough to keep you occupied without overwhelming you. It's a pretty game that's meant to keep your attention, but it's not so overwhelming that the visuals will stress you out.

... the kind of game that really makes you want to sit down and relax.

The soundscape is likewise light and inoffensive. The music will probably get stuck in your head if you play enough but you're not going to run out and stream the soundtrack. This is good, solid Pokémon music that makes it a little easier to enjoy a game that's already designed to keep you playing as long as possible.

A Puzzling Experience - Gameplay: 3/5

While the concept of the game might be all about running a café, the reality of the game is more about making matches and filling orders. This isn't quite a match-three game like Candy Crush, but that's absolutely the easiest comparison that one could make. You're going to match a number of different icons and use special abilities to fill orders and clear boards, which makes this game a lot like hundreds of others.

Pokémon Café Mix | Credit: nintendo.com

The other thing that makes this game like hundreds of others is that there are also plenty of microtransactions. Want to keep playing after you run out of lives? You can pay for that. Need some more special abilities after you've used them all? That's right - pay for them. It's not the worst type of monetization out there, but it does take away from an otherwise inoffensive little time waster.

A Pokémon Mix - Replayability - 3/5

The biggest problem with Pokémon Café Mix is that it gets in its own way. It is charming and fun to play, but the monetization mechanics will keep you from progressing when you get on a roll and the constant presence of microtransactions does remove some of the joy from the game. If you are looking for a solid time-waster, though, this might be a good fit for you.

TL/DR

Pokémon Café Mix is a café management/matching game that leverages Pokémon to make something a little more adorable than usual.