Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The first hour has a clear purpose: get you comfortable with the Pokémon Trading Card Game instead of throwing you into a confusing pile of cards and exceptions. Asobikata DS was distributed with the Beginning Set, and it feels built to be opened alongside that product. The tutorials establish the rules step by step, while the digital rulebook gives you somewhere to return when a detail refuses to stick.

Once the lessons are complete, the five CPU characters offer the practical test. That matters more than a rulebook alone, because card-game rules tend to make sense only after you use them in a turn-based match. You can move from being told how play works to checking whether you can actually apply it against an opponent.

The limitation is equally clear: five CPU opponents is a small finish line. This is a focused learning tool with a little follow-through, not an endlessly expanding strategy game. It earns its place if you are new to the physical card game or want a guided refresher, but experienced Pokémon TCG players will exhaust its purpose fast.

Graphics

The DS screen is chiefly used for instruction: tutorial material, a digital rulebook, and card-game matches against CPU opponents. That practical focus suits a companion designed to teach the Beginning Set rather than distract from it.

Story

Progression is framed around learning first and competing second. You complete the tutorials, then face the five CPU characters, so the small sense of advancement comes from gaining confidence with the rules.

That structure gives beginners a useful goal. Instead of treating the rulebook as homework, you have opponents waiting at the end of the lessons and a reason to absorb what the tutorials are teaching.

There is not much room here for a grand journey; the hook is personal improvement. Each match can act as a check on whether the card-game basics have clicked, which is enough for an introductory release but not much more.

Overall Experience

Asobikata DS knows exactly what it is for, and that honesty is its strength. If the Pokémon Trading Card Game looks inviting but its rules feel intimidating, this is a gentle bridge between opening a Beginning Set and playing with confidence.

Its short runway also means you should judge it by usefulness, not sheer volume. The tutorials, rulebook, and CPU matches form a sensible sequence, but the five-opponent challenge leaves limited reason to linger once you understand the fundamentals.

Give it a chance if you want guided Pokémon TCG instruction on Nintendo DS or you are specifically working through the Beginning Set it accompanied. If you want a fuller standalone digital card-game campaign, move on to the Pokémon Trading Card Game for Game Boy Color instead.

Retro Replay Score

5.8/10