《Pokémon Zarza》网页端上线战斗竞技场与 15 款小游戏

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Pokémon ROM hacks seem to be taking a back seat in favour of Pokémon browser games at the minute, and it's taking me back to my youth. I remember playing browser games at school when I was a teenager instead of listening to the teacher, which is probably why I was always destined to write for a gaming publication. But browser games just promote the kind of procrastination that helps you switch off for a little while, and they do it without you having to open up an emulator and mess about with ROMs.

Pokémon Zarza is a new hub for Pokémon minigames on the internet, and it's awesome. I came to it after seeing a post about a battle arena segment on X where players can take in any of the original Kanto Pokémon to battle other Pokémon in one-on-one real-time battles, pulling off moves using the A/S/D/F keys and dodging with the space bar. It's simple to use and a nice little game to mess around with on a coffee break.

But then I got to looking at the other minigames that are included in this collection, and they're awesome. I've been fighting Street Fighter-style with Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee; I've played Angry Birds with Pikachu, Pidgey, and Charmander taking down Gastlys; and I've played a Super Mario-esque game where you play as a trainer and have to collect coins and avoid walking Pokémon.

Here's the full list of minigames available:

• Pokémon Arena - Real-time battle arena
• Jumps - Jumping game where you have to avoid Pokémon and get coins
• Bubbles - Kind of like Beehive Bedlam/Bubble Bobble, clearing Pokémon in bubbles from levels
• Pokémon Slingshot - Angry Birds with Pokémon
• City Race - Bicycle racing game
• Shove Off - Sumo Wrestling-style gameplay
• Balls - Four-player air hockey with Voltorbs
• Crates - Crate-bashing game where you have to take out opponents
• Pokémon Volley - Volleyball with Pokémon
• Head Soccer - Head balls into goals
• Pokémon Fight - Street Fighter-esque gameplay
• Moles - Whack a Diglett
• Onix - Snake, but with Onix
• Zarza Jetpack - Flappy Bird with a Pokémon Trainer
• Cloudbound - Tower level jumping game
• Take Cover - Berry throwing game

The games are available in Spanish, English, Thai, and Chinese. I've got a sneaky suspicion that AI will have been used to make these games, but I can't confirm how much it's been used currently, as there's very little information on the website as the the developers behind the site. What I can tell you is that you can play with a friend in a private room so you can experience all of the action together!

Head to Pokémon Zarza to get playing!

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