The word “meta,” or at least the modern, popular use of it, seems to be the best word to describe Pokemon Rumble Blast for the Nintendo 3DS. It takes Pokemon, the game series that spawned tons of cartoons, cards, toys, and other things, makes up a new Pokemon toy line based on the series, then makes a game based on the made-up toy line. From a storytelling perspective, it’s the Pokemon Centipede. It’s not bad, but its concept is very bizarre for a game that’s basically Gauntlet with Pokemon.

Fortunately, you don’t have to think about the game concept. Or, at least, you wouldn’t if it didn’t bring up the toy aspect all the time. Toy Pokemon are like the Pokemon in the Pokemon Mysterious Dungeon series: cute, intelligent creatures that can talk and have societies. They’re also toys in a toy store you power up by turning their Wonder Key. This isn’t just a bookend plot point you see outside of the game, either. Every time you pick a new Toy Pokemon, you see the key wind to activate them. If you want the different legendary Pokemon, you need to go into the Toy Shop as your Mii to invite other players and spend Play Coins from your 3DS to bring customers in to get money. For use in the game’s machines. Which are in the towns of the game. Which are on the table of a toy store. Which are in an autistic boys snow globe, next to a tiny hospital.

Putting the concept to the side, Pokemon Rumble Blast is basically a collect-and-brawl arcade game. You start with a single Pikachu, but by running through linear levels where you get attacked by hordes of Pokemon, you can collect hundreds of the little toys. It’s a very simplified Gauntlet-style game, with an overhead perspective and two buttons to activate the Pokemon’s two powers. Run around, mash buttons, beat level. You can switch out any of your eventually hundreds of Pokemon at any time in most levels, but it takes a few seconds to wind them up, and if your current Pokemon gets hit while you’re winding, the switch doesn’t happen. If your Pokemon are knocked out three times between them in a level, you have to start again (but you keep the Pokemon and money you got up tot hat point).

Each Pokemon plays differently, even those of the same type of Pokemon. When you pick up a new one (by hitting them really hard), they can have any of a handful of different skills, including close-range attacks, long-range attacks, area attacks, and support moves. Each Pokemon can only have two skills at once, and stats are limited to hit points, power level, and a simple start-based attack and defense rating. Special attributes for some Pokemon add a little more variety, but basically each Pokemon is a much less complicated version of the Pokemon from the main games. There is no leveling up, no evolution, and no learning new moves as you fight. If you get a new Pokemon, that’s what it’s going to be like through the game unless you spend money on random and specific move machines that can give them a little more power. Considering the format of the game, the simplified version of the Pokemon stats work well.

While it doesn’t seel like there’s much for the RPG fan or strategist, there is tons of stuff for the obsessive-compulsive 100% completion collector. Every level has about a dozen Pokemon you can capture, and you won’t get all of them for each playthrough. Besides the random Pokemon through the level, you can also capture each boss, which is usually a higher evolution form of the Pokemon in the level, plus a bunch of special Pokemon that only come out under certain circumstances, like unlocking them by spending play coins to get customers in the toy store. There are 600 different Pokemon, and considering you can get different strengths and moves for each Pokemon you catch, that’s a lot of collecting.

Is Pokemon Rumble Blast a deep game? No. Is this a fun game? Yes, if you like button mashing and collecting over strategy and character growth. It has a strange premise, but it doesn’t really get in the way. If you want a Pokemon game that lets you turn your mind off and not worry about things like EV and trading evolutions, pick up this game.

Although this has been bugging me: I’m not a huge toy collector (shut up, everyone I know), but where are these toy Pokemon? Why make a game based on a toy based on a game when you don’t make the toy based on the game? I want wind-up, fighting Pokemon!