I've wanted this game for like 6 years, ever since I saw it in a store the last time I was in Japan and didn't pick it up assuming I'd find it cheaper somewhere else (although I never did QwQ). Finally got it for like 8 bucks last week and got to playing it this week. I assumed it'd just be some kiddy, throwaway game, but it's actually a lot more than I bargained for in terms of content and difficulty!

On its most base level, this is a Pokemon-themed Typing of the Dead but on a DS and typing largely Pokemon names instead of words and phrases like in TotD. Given that it's every Pokemon between 1st and 5th generation, that's well more than 500 Pokemon with tons of stages with various modifiers in the most extreme varieties. I'm fairly sure the English title (as this did come out in PAL territories, just never the US, but I played the Japanese version) calls this a "Typing Tutor," but that is just plain old false advertising as far as I'm concerned. This game is a lousy typing teacher, but it is a great typing score attack game.

Each stage has certain challenges within it to try and complete, from getting a certain number of Pokemon in a row without making errors, to catching a certain total number, to getting a certain high score. The first dozen or two stages are pretty doable, but after a certain point I just had to throw in the towel as far as getting all the medals though. Not knowing all the Japanese Pokemon names is probably the biggest reason why, as a big part of getting high scores is starting to type their names before the text-box prompting you what their name is pops up, I just eventually had to accept I'd never be able to 100% this game. On top of Japanese keyboard layouts being JUST different enough that the technical, non-letter key entries were always difficult to remember, this was a game I got a lot of playtime out of but eventually had to accept that I'd never be able to reach some of the absolutely astonishingly high score challenges they set for you XD

Verdict: Recommended. It's a fairly simple premise, but damn if it isn't addicting. As far as original Pokemon spin-offs (i.e. not Mystery Dungeon) go, this is definitely near the top of the list as far as quality goes. The Japanese version has all the stuff you'd type in roman characters as well as Japanese, so even if an English version didn't exist this is a fairly import-friendly game. If you're looking for a DS game that's a bit out-there but also loads of fun, this is definitely a good one to pick up. Just keep in mind that if you're not a big (or even mild) Pokemon fan, you'll likely eventually get frustrated with just how much the game's hardest challenges demand an encyclopedic knowledge of their names.