To be honest, I haven't played a collection-based development mobile game for a long time. The last time I got into trouble like this was probably the revised version of Emerald on Symbian. At that time, I used my Nokia N73 to secretly access the gym under my desk. The teacher confiscated it and I had to beg my grandpa to sue my grandma to get it back. Nowadays, mobile phones have been replaced with full-screen screens, and game screens have evolved from mosaic to 1080p with full special effects. Sometimes I have to sigh, times have really changed.
The game Pocket Awakening was forced on me by an old comrade of mine. He said you used to be so crazy about playing Pokemon, this must be to your liking. I didn't have high expectations at first. After all, there are too many mobile games on the market under the banner of collecting elves. When you enter, you can get a three-piece set of krypton gold card drawing, combat power list, and automatic path finding. In essence, it is no different from a reskinned page game. But this game is not bragging, and the first impression it gives is really solid.
First of all, the picture is really beautiful. The bright and clean feeling of the Japanese comic style is created. It is not a 2D texture with a plastic texture, but has light, shadow and dynamics. The special effects of the skills during combat are indeed worthy of the word "movie-level", especially the close-ups of the ultimate move. It can be seen that the development team has put real effort into the art. I specifically checked the developer Xi'an Qingshan Zhushi. It seemed that they had released some decent cards before, but this time they really made a breakthrough in terms of expressiveness.
Let's talk about gameplay. There are more than 800 kinds of elves. This number honestly shocked me. Although I know that some of them are made up of evolved forms or regional variants, the ability to achieve this scale shows that the planners have used their brains in content reserves. In terms of cultivating the multi-value system, we do not simply engage in combat power crushing, but retain elements familiar to veteran players such as attribute restraint, personality, and individual values. This alone deserves a good review. After playing, you will find that each elf can find its own tactical position, instead of always having a few T0 characters running rampant.
My personal favorite parts are the Gym Challenges and the League Championship. This gradual difficulty curve reminds me of the tension I felt when I played against the Four Heavenly Kings. Moreover, the game does not force you to spend money. Even if you spend 0 yuan, you can pass the map through the lineup. This is very rare in the current mobile game environment. I have also experienced a few peak guild duels. Although cross-server matches sometimes encounter equipment monsters, the overall balance is quite balanced and I will not be tortured to the point of uninstalling.
Of course it's not without its flaws. For example, the sense of immersion in the main plot is a little weak, the amount of text is small, and the NPC dialogue is a bit tool-like. There are also daily tasks, although the rewards are good, but they do feel a bit mechanical if you complete them too much. But considering this is a free game, it's very conscientious to do this. Sentiment, to put it bluntly, means being willing to give time. Pocket Awakening at least makes me willing to spend half an hour every day to see those familiar elves and listen to the familiar battle BGM.
One final digression. I caught a Shiny Pikachu in the game, and I was so excited that I took a screenshot and sent it to my college roommate group. As a result, they thought my account had been hacked and asked me if I was under too much pressure. Hahahaha, actually no, it's just that the long-lost childhood excitement suddenly came to me. Maybe this is the real charm of a good game. It doesn't let you play rankings and make money, but it makes you think of that afternoon when there was no mortgage or KPI, but only a Pikachu and a handheld console.
Recommended for all adults who have ever dreamed of becoming an elf trainer. 🧡