Nintendo’s Worst-Reviewed Video Game Franchise Isn’t Too Surprising

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Among Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon games, Nintendo boasts an impressive array of popular franchises. Many of their characters are well-known, even to those who seldom touch a controller. However, every publishing company has games or series that don’t resonate with their target audience as expected. If you’ve ever pondered which Nintendo franchise received the least favorable reviews, it’s not entirely unexpected. Interestingly enough, it’s actually a spin-off from the wildly successful Pokemon universe.

Metacritic offers a useful function that allows you to organize a publisher’s entire catalog of games based on their review scores. This means you can quickly sift through and identify the top-rated and lowest-rated titles, from publishers like Bethesda, Nintendo, and more. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the Pokemon Rumble franchise didn’t achieve the success they aimed for.

Compared to some other video game titles within the Pokémon series, the Pokémon Rumble games have generally received lower ratings from both critics and fans. In fact, when aggregated, these games rarely scored higher than 60 points. As a result, they’re not commonly discussed outside of dedicated Pokémon communities, which supports the idea that it was Nintendo’s least successful franchise in terms of public reception.

Pokemon Rumble Was a Fun Idea Nintendo Never Quite Got Right

In 2009, the first “Pokemon Rumble” was released for the Nintendo Wii, marking an exciting period in Nintendo’s history characterized by innovative experiments, largely due to the Wii Remote technology. Essentially, “Pokemon Rumble” aimed to transform Pokemon into a type of dungeon-exploring version of “Super Smash Bros.” In many aspects, it could be seen as a precursor to “Pokemon Unite,” where players direct Pokemon in battle as they traverse a sequence of dungeons.

The concept is intriguing, blending the excitement of combat games with the cherished universe of Pokémon. However, the initial release failed to meet the standards set by critics. It earned a moderate Metacritic rating of 59/100, with numerous reviewers expressing dissatisfaction due to the monotonous gameplay pattern. Additionally, lacking depth in the aspect of nurturing and enhancing your Pokémon leaves the game feeling oddly disconnected from the overall franchise experience.

Even though the initial Pokemon Rumble games received moderate criticism from critics, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company continued to produce new titles in this series. For instance, Pokemon Rumble Blast came out in 2011 for the 3DS, followed by Pokemon Rumble U in 2013 on the Wii U. In 2015, Pokemon Rumble World was the latest effort to keep the franchise going during the 3DS era. However, a new version, Pokemon Rumble Rush, released for mobile devices in 2019 but was short-lived, closing down after only a year. Regrettably, it appears that Nintendo and Pokemon have yet to find the secret recipe for success with the Pokemon Rumble series.

The Original Rumble Had Its Fans, But The Sequels Only Got Worse from There

As a dedicated Pokemon Rumble fanatic, I must admit that the original title may not have set the world alight with critics, but boy, did it strike a chord with us gamers! The game earned an 8.1 on Metacritic from users, and that’s down to its addictive gameplay, particularly the repetitive aspects that we found irresistible. Many of us described it as “really addictive” and a whole lot of fun, especially with the entertaining four-player co-op modes.

Now, I won’t claim it was deep or groundbreaking, but it certainly captured our interest. Unfortunately, its sequels didn’t fare so well, critically or among fans. The problem? They kept on using the same formula instead of evolving and improving upon it.

The latest installment of Pokemon Rumble, titled Pokemon Rumble Blast, garnered less favorable critical reception compared to its predecessor. This led to a lower Metascore of 56. In contrast to past excitement, this time fans showed less initial enthusiasm. Instead of refining and enhancing what made the original Pokemon Rumble successful, the game repeated several errors from its predecessor. The gameplay remained monotonous without offering significant new features, only expanding the pool of Pokemon available to play. Contrary to expectations for improvement based on feedback, the series remained stagnant in this release.

Unfortunately, the following games didn’t quite find the right formula either. On its own, the Wii U console struggled, and the game Pokemon Rumble U for Wii U didn’t fare any better. It continued to be as basic as its earlier versions, with some arguing that it was primarily an effort to demonstrate the purpose of the Wii U’s controller technology.

In contrast to the comments received on earlier Pokémon games, Nintendo chose to stay true to their traditional formula with the last game for the 3DS, Pokemon Rumble World. Instead of making improvements to alleviate criticisms about repetitive and basic gameplay,

Regarding the 2019 mobile game version of Pokemon, I don’t have much to add other than it didn’t manage to stay in the competitive free-to-play mobile gaming market for long. Compared to enduring games like Pokemon Go, it seems that the formula used in Pokemon Rumble may have contributed to its short lifespan.

Despite an intriguing foundation and high expectations following its initial release, the Pokemon Rumble franchise failed to learn from its errors, resulting in it being the lowest-rated Nintendo series overall. Although some enthusiasts yearn for another opportunity, there’s been no sign of a new game as yet. If a new installment does materialize, let’s hope they manage to execute well this time around.

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2025-08-23 20:15