Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher
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This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Missing release dates |
Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher | |
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![]() Title screen | |
Basic info
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Platform: | PC |
Category: | Minigame |
Players: | 1 player |
Connectivity: | None |
Developer: | Left Brain Games, Inc. |
Publisher: | Garr Group |
Part of: | Generation III miscellaneous |
Ratings
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CERO: | N/A |
ESRB: | N/A |
ACB: | N/A |
OFLC: | N/A |
PEGI: | N/A |
GRAC: | N/A |
GSRR: | N/A |
Release dates
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Japan: | N/A |
North America: | 2006 |
Australia: | ??? |
Europe: | ??? |
South Korea: | ??? |
Hong Kong: | N/A |
Taiwan: | N/A |
Websites
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Japanese: | N/A |
English: | Play the game on the developer's website |
Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher is one of three Flash-based computer games that were developed for the 10th Anniversary Perdue Farms promotion. The other two games are Pokémon Team Rocket Blast Off and Pokémon Seek & Find. Pokémon Poké Ball Launcher is a simple game where the player throws Poké Balls to catch Pokémon.
Gameplay
The player controls either Ash or May as a trainer trying to catch Pokémon. To catch a Pokémon, the player simply has to hit the Pokémon with a thrown Poké Ball. The player has a limited amount of time and Poké Balls with which to catch enough Pokémon to win.
Before the player can throw a Poké Ball, they must first release them from a dispenser at the right of the screen and pick one up. When the player is holding a Poké Ball, they throw it by simply moving the cursor where they wish to aim and clicking the left mouse button. The player may release Poké Balls from the dispenser by either pressing the spacebar (hold to release multiple balls) or by clicking on the dispenser. Released balls will roll along the ground to the left. Whenever the player is not holding a Poké Ball, they can pick one up by simply moving their character's avatar - which also follows the mouse cursor - over a Poké Ball. Poké Balls that previously rolled past the player can even be picked up.
The Pokémon appear on-screen for short periods of time before disappearing again. Different Pokémon are constantly appearing, disappearing, and reappearing. There is always at least one Pokémon on screen, and generally never more than three.
If the player catches a Pokémon while it is moving as it appears or disappears, then the player gains a ten second bonus to their time limit and they do not lose that Poké Ball - it bounces off of the Pokémon towards the dispenser, and from there it rolls along the ground again as if it was just released.
The last two levels also introduce a rule where the player may only capture a certain number of any Pokémon. If the player attempts to capture more of a Pokémon they have already captured the maximum amount of, the player's time limit receives a ten second penalty. This encourages the player to remember which Pokémon they have already captured.
Levels
There are three possible levels of gameplay. In all levels, the player must catch a certain number of Pokémon within the time available to them and using the Poké Balls available to them. In Level 1, after the player catches a given Pokémon, that Pokémon will not appear again. In the later levels, caught Pokémon will reappear, but the player must be careful not to attempt to capture too many or they will lose ten seconds from their time.
Level 3, allowing only one of any Pokémon to be caught, forces the player to remember which Pokémon they have already caught. The strictly limited number of Poké Balls also forces the player to either not miss any throws or to time some to hit a Pokémon while it is moving, to get the Poké Ball back (as well as a time bonus). In addition, the amount of time Pokémon linger on screen is shortened in this level, which, especially combined with the lower initial time, makes for a quicker pace overall.
Level | Pokémon needed | Initial time | Poké Balls | Catch limit |
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Level 1 | 10 | 2 minutes | Unlimited* | 1* |
Level 2 | 20 | 2 minutes | 50 | 2 |
Level 3 | 15 | 1 minute | 15 | 1 |
Beating Level 3 allows the player to view an exclusive 10th Anniversary music video, but the video is not viewable in the online version of the game.
Pokémon
All Pokémon appear in all levels of play.
# | Pokémon | Type | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0012 | ![]() |
Butterfree |
Bug | Flying | |
0013 | ![]() |
Weedle |
Bug | Poison | |
0046 | ![]() |
Paras |
Bug | Grass | |
0048 | ![]() |
Venonat |
Bug | Poison | |
0050 | ![]() |
Diglett |
Ground | ||
0056 | ![]() |
Mankey |
Fighting | ||
0061 | ![]() |
Poliwhirl |
Water | ||
0074 | ![]() |
Geodude |
Rock | Ground | |
0093 | ![]() |
Haunter |
Ghost | Poison | |
0111 | ![]() |
Rhyhorn |
Ground | Rock | |
0116 | ![]() |
Horsea |
Water | ||
0120 | ![]() |
Staryu |
Water | ||
0127 | ![]() |
Pinsir |
Bug | ||
0147 | ![]() |
Dratini |
Dragon | ||
0172 | ![]() |
Pichu |
Electric | ||
0263 | ![]() |
Zigzagoon |
Normal | ||
0269 | ![]() |
Dustox |
Bug | Poison | |
0294 | ![]() |
Loudred |
Normal | ||
0323 | ![]() |
Camerupt |
Fire | Ground | |
0326 | ![]() |
Grumpig |
Psychic | ||
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This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames. |