Matthew BaileyToday, we are finally going to hit the big guns and look at “스플렌더: Pokémon””Splendor: Pokemon Edition” (which I now realise is its proper name and not “Pokemon Splendor),” a game that has caused quite a stir in the group over the last few months. Finally, after probably more games prior to a review of any game I’ve pretty much ever reviewed on here, played with Jack(.8.) and Toby(5), let’s talk about it.
“Splendor: Pokemon Edition” is a South Korean import version of Splendor themed around the Pokémon franchise. But whether you like the theme or not, in my opinion, this is the best version of Splendor you can buy. “Splendor: Pokemon Edition” is a set collection game where you are trying to be the first person to collect a set of Pokemon worth 18 or more points.
You set out the game into rows of four Pokemon, ranging from levels one, two, and three, along with two special piles at the top for legendary and mythic Pokemon. The levels one, two, and three get gradually better as you go up the levels, which gives you more points. As well as offering points, owning Pokemon also gives you access to permanent Pokeballs, which are the currency used to buy Pokemon from the display.
On your turn, you can do one of four things: you can either take three ball tokens of different types but not a master ball, take two ball tokens of the same type, but there must be at least four tokens of that colour left, reserve one card from the display, placing it to the side which you could then buy later and take a master ball, or catch a Pokémon from the display and add it to your permanent collection.
In order to buy Pokemon from the store, you use the balls that you have gained or the balls that are permanently attached to the Pokémon to purchase them. As you go through the game and gain more Pokemon, you have more permanent balls to play with, allowing you to purchase better things. The game tends to start slightly slow as you are trying to get the best possible collection of Pokémon to give you a good start in order to be able to snowball the game and buy things later. It is a testament to how well-balanced it is, though, in that in every single game we have played so far, usually, there’s only a turn or two at the most between the winner and another player being able to potentially get the all-important 18 points.
A key extra from normal Splendor and something that really makes this game stand out is the ability to evolve your Pokémon. This essentially allows you to evolve a card that you have in your bank into one that’s in the display with a much cheaper cost than if you would buy it. Another key thing about this mechanic is that it takes place outside of your normal turn, meaning it’s not just cheap but also an extremely efficient way to improve your score.
The number of different Pokeball tokens available is actually fairly limited, meaning that sometimes you find yourself in a position where you can’t save up what you want in order to buy what you need. This makes the game more strategic and also adds a nice social element by trying to predict what colour tokens the other player is going to need. This also stretches into what Pokémon you can put into your side hand, allowing you to purchase later but also quite importantly stopping another player from buying that.
I have always enjoyed Splendor, but I prefer Century overall, I think. Now that Splendor: Pokemon Edition might just be the King of this genre. I absolutely adore Splendor: Pokemon Edition and all of the additions it makes to the Regular game improve it in every aspect. Equally, the Pokémon theme fits so well with the set collection and the Mechanics of the game that it all just works perfectly.
The boys, particularly Toby, absolutely adored this, hence we have already got at least half a dozen games in in the last few weeks.
One extra part I really like is the metagame of Pokemon collecting. The game comes with a pad with all of the different Pokemon in the game on it, and each time you collect a Pokemon, you get to cross off that you have collected that Pokemon, adding this wider branching meta-game as to which player can collect all of the Pokémon first over a series of games.
Component-wise, again, it is extremely high quality. The Pokeball tokens are made of authentic poker chips which have a really nice weight to them. The cards are a slightly unusual size but are decent quality card stock and everything is well presented.
Now, the biggest issue with all of this review is that “Splendor: Pokemon Edition” is a South Korean exclusive and as such is fairly difficult to obtain in the UK. I purchased mine through https://travel-games.co.uk/ and I would 100% recommend them as a company. There is currently a waiting list for “Splendor: Pokemon Edition”, but if you’re interested, you can sign up and then you will receive an email when your copy is in stock. Equally, it is available on eBay and I know a few other members of our community have had luck buying a copy from there.
Due to its import nature, it’s not the cheapest of games, but I really cannot recommend “Splendor: Pokemon Edition” enough, especially if your little Ford gamer is a fan of the Pokemon franchise. This is the best version of Splendor I have played and one of my favourite set collection games that I have ever played. This is a game that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking for a medium to lightweight set collection game regardless of their affinity for the Pokemon IP.
Absolute top stuff and almost certainly one of our new favourite games.
Disclaimer: Ben Davenward is a member of our community and I consider him a friend. I do however wholeheartedly recommend https://travel-games.co.uk/.
