A fair portion of games these days feature companion titles which act to provide more for the standard game. For the most part, these companion games only offer a small piece to the game sometimes offering access to additional items not available to players who don’t use the companion game. With Pokemon Black and White 2, the companion game Pokemon Dream Radar offers similar things for its partner game.
Most companion games are for mobile devices providing what is commonly just a simple application that partners with the core game. Pokemon Dream Radar goes down a much different route, where Pokemon Black and White 2 use the DS, Dream Radar uses the following system the 3DS as a connectable experience that provides the player with some excellent bonuses. Yes, in some way Dream Radar acts in a similar way to many companion applications but where it differs is in offering an actual game experience.
Pokemon Dream Radar makes use of the Nintendo 3DS’s Augmented Reality functions providing a shooter like experience. Dream Radar arms you with a little laser beam which you use by moving around the 3DS system to locate targets to shoot, in this case you must find pink and yellow clouds which appear on the screen as if they actually existed in the room. The main goal is the use the laser to shoot these clouds, following this you must quickly try to scrounge up the little orbs they dispense which are called dream orbs. Though it is worth noting that things go a bit deeper.
Dream orbs are collected by quickly aiming the 3DS system and using the laser to collect each one, commonly with added bonuses made for timing and speed. The key thing that makes this enjoyable is the fact the game has you collecting these in order to add a specific set of perks to make your life and experience something that I found kept me busy whenever I loaded the game up.
Things go a whole lot deeper when it comes to shooting clouds, at any time Dream Radar provides a set amount of clouds to appear which vary in two different colors. The most recurring of these is the pink clouds which provide dream orbs when shot, the other though is the more important one that makes up the meat of the game, the yellow clouds. These particular clouds all involve timing something I will admit I didn’t have very often, these clouds have to be shot at the point where they are at their brightest, this then activates one of the most fun parts with this experience trying to get the reward.
Unlike traditional Pokemon games Dream Radar is not about fighting to weaken the target and then throwing a pokeball, the game offers a much different experience as the Pokemon or in some cases item appears as a purple circle, sort of as a break in the dream scape. Facing down the Pokemon can be a daunting task something I had to face on several occasions, the purple circle bounces all around the area of your 3DS system and struggles to avoid being caught, in many ways this can be likened to going fishing and catching a fish as in order the Pokemon you must keep the circle in sight and keep shooting to weaken it down and wipe out any of its remaining energy.
For most games I would gladly go on about some of the other features and gameplay elements found in the game but disappointingly there really is not much else when it comes to a general gameplay experience. The game itself is sorely lacking in content, which is partly forgivable given that this is only really a companion game. Once the dream clouds have been dealt with the game sends you back to the main menu and asks you to wait real world time for the clouds to regenerate, which really annoyed me. On a more positive note, this time spent waiting does usually act as a good thing, firstly it breaks up what can sometimes be really tedious gameplay, and secondly it allows you to take a break and do something else which makes the game feel like it lasts longer then it really does.
In regards to what is offered by this game to benefit Black and White 2, Dream Radar offers the chance to collect a handful of Pokemon that usually come with hidden abilities unavailable through the base game. The real bonus is how though is how this game helps you to collect Pokemon for the core game that can be harder to get, on the whole the game offers the chance to collect at least fifteen non-legendary Pokemon, along with a selection of bonus legendries.
The real bonus that provides reason especially for me to play this game is the addition of a couple of special Pokemon that aren’t available in Black and White 2. Creatures Inc. has given access to three legendary Pokemon in their special forms, trying to get these Pokemon takes patience but managing to get them is a reward in itself.
One thing I found when I started this game was that I was a bit bored and found the game to be a bit n the tedious side to start and this is understandable, at no point does this game ever try to feel like its older and arguably better siblings. The interesting thing about this is after giving the game sometime the gameplay starts to become somewhat hypnotic as I strived to capture every dream orb and better my skill. Before long it is easy to get won over by the charm of this game that keeps the game enjoyable.
The key part of Pokemon Dream Radar is to own a copy of Black and White 2 as it offers the ability to transfer the Pokemon you collect here over to the main game. On its own Dream Radar offers nothing for people that don’t own the main game even if it is somewhat enjoyable. What must be remembered is this is a companion game, but it is also one of the best augmented reality games around that is worth the play and provides enough bonuses to merit the play.
