Shuffle Secrets

It's actually been some time since I've written about Pokémon Shuffle - particularly its 3DS version - on this blog, which may be because of the obvious decline of the 3DS. Even so, it's one of the games I still play on it, primarily because of its accessibility and simplicity, and especially with other things I have going on. Even with that, the game still has a few intriguing secrets (or at least non-obvious things) of its own, and they deserve a bit of discussion as well, for which this post is for that.

When playing a certain Escalation Stage - one of the types of Special Stages in the game - every so often, the Pokémon will become "angered" after a stage level is completed. In this state, its stage level is elevated temporarily to a higher level, usually 3 to 5 levels more than what it would be at that current point. Defeating the Pokémon elevates the stage level to that level plus one; failure to do so (whether by running out of moves or quitting the stage) returns the Pokémon to the normal stage level, likewise if the Pokémon is not battled within 10 minutes after entering that state. The process is almost completely random and does not occur consistently; in fact, in the past, this state sometimes enabled one to skip major prize stages, which is both beneficial as the prize is still rewarded, and an "unfair advantage" if the skipped prize stage is a hard one. Nevertheless, the "angered" state still occurs and is still quite useful for saving Hearts.

Another secret involves one of the enhancements, which would be the Raise Max Level. As I've noted previously, this enhancement "uncaps" the maximum level of a Pokémon to a certain extent. Initially, this only was possible for a select few Pokémon, with more being added over time. Today, however, this enhancement can be used for all Pokémon, with at least 5 for all and more for others. Even with that, it is most likely that one will not use it for absolutely every Pokémon, since not all may be battle-ready in difficult stages. The usage scenario will therefore likely remain to use the enhancement for the most useful and necessary Pokémon before the others, especially those that aren't at maximum level. Even with this enhancement having a broader scope and being given more, wisdom in usage is still important.

Finally, for those who have completed the 700 Main Stages, they can be challenged again as something called UX Stages, which are accessed immediately after completion of Stage 700. These stages are the same as their regular counterparts, even in the same order, but with one important difference: they are much harder to play through. These stages, therefore, are a test to see how higher-level and therefore stronger Pokémon fare in battle. All the same, S Ranks obtained in these stages also count for unlocking Expert Stages, so they become a kind of "alternative assistance" for those who are having trouble earning S Ranks on some of the regular Main Stages in addition to their role as a challenging front. Those who have the mettle and many powerful Pokémon should definitely give these stages a try.

Now that they're out in the open, these "secrets" can hardly be classified as secrets anymore. But for those who are still playing and haven't discovered them, they remain as such, until they are discovered, of course. As for the voyage of discoveries within this game, I'm sure many have finished theirs, but mine (and quite a number of others) will continue, at least until there are no more secrets like these to be fleshed out and the game wraps up on the 3DS due to its decline.

One year ago: Pokémon Game Journals
Two years ago: All That He Wants... (Is Another Victory)