3DS Pokémon Badges

I have Pokémon badges on my 3DS. No, not the physical kind, but the virtual kind. They're present on my Home screen along with all the app and game icons that I have. These badges take up the square spaces where the icons are present, which would otherwise be empty if they don't belong to a game or an app. And all of these badges come courtesy of a game/app called Nintendo Badge Arcade.

As its name implies, Nintendo Badge Arcade allows you to get badges for many of Nintendo's popular franchises, including and not just Pokémon. The game/app is constantly updated and as such every time it starts it has to connect to Nintendo's servers and log in; you can't "enter the arcade" if you cannot connect for whatever reason. Once you do enter the arcade, however, you are able to grab badges in a crane game-like approach, which can be tricky at times. You get a few free plays each day, but after that, you have to spend eShop balance for more plays. What you can and do get, however, are artsy badges that can help liven up your Home screen.

The Pokémon badges are quite attractive to have as well. They run the gamut from Pokémon as they are commonly illustrated to ones in specific art styles, such as pixels. One unique set I have and have fully collected is the Spring Selection with Pokémon that are squeezed into an egg shape; there are seven of these and I have them all laid out on one part of my Home screen. Granted, I haven't touched the Badge Arcade in a while and haven't updated my collection, but it would always be nice to have a few more.

As for decorating, all the badges you collect are integrated to the Home screen, which means you don't need to run Badge Arcade to decorate. At the Home screen, the option to decorate is available in the options on the upper-left or once you've placed at least one badge and have it selected; your badges will then be available for placement anywhere there is an empty space on the screen. Also, these badges go great with certain Home screen themes, some of which are also obtainable through Badge Arcade. The decorating possibilities are literally endless.

I like how Nintendo took advantage of the fact that the Home screen is not necessarily filled up with icons for every player and made the empty squares functional for a different purpose, which in this case is to make it pretty. In return, the badges provide another way of showing what I like and allow me to express my creativity. Considering these functions, I think it's high time to see if I can get new ones and change up the look of my Home screen.