logo
This New Free Mobile Pokemon Puzzle Game Lets You Weave Digital Plushes

This New Free Mobile Pokemon Puzzle Game Lets You Weave Digital Plushes

CNET3 days ago
The Pokemon Company unveiled a host of Pokemon content at its Pokemon Presents event on Tuesday. We saw a new trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, a release date for the second season of the Netflix series Pokemon Concierge and a free, new mobile game you can play now, called Pokemon Friends.
The latest Pokemon mobile game is a puzzle game where you untangle threads of yarn in order to weave Pokemon plushes for your in-game collection. You can play it now on iOS and Android devices for free, or you can buy it for $10 on the Nintendo eShop.
Here's what you should know to get started with Pokemon Friends.
Puzzles, yarn and Pokemon
To earn yarn, you have to solve puzzles in the game. To get to these puzzles, tap the Psyduck tile with the word Untangle near the bottom of the screen in the main room of the game -- poor Psyduck is always tied up in knots. Some of the puzzles include connecting a string of lightbulbs using only one line and rotating a box in order to free Pokemon, like Slowpoke, from the box.
Slowpoke are always getting themselves into some kind of mess.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
After solving the series of puzzles, you are rewarded with a certain number of inches of yarn. Your reward depends on how quickly you solve the puzzles, so if you want the most yarn to make more Pokemon plushes, you have to be faster than an Electrode.
How much yarn you get depends on how fast you solve the puzzles.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
Once you have your yarn, you'll stamp your calendar, which shows all the days you've solved puzzles for. You can use your calendar to keep track of what days you've solved puzzles, and you can use it to go back to older puzzles and try to beat your high score.
You can revisit old puzzles from your calendar.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
When you have your yarn, tap the Plush-O-Matic -- the machine that looks like a giant Pokeball -- and you'll be able to make plushes with your yarn. Then tap Make and you can choose which yarn to create a Pokemon plush with. Certain yarns are used to make a handful of Pokemon, but it only took one bundle of yarn to make my first few Pokemon.
However, I can't see a way to make one particular Pokemon. For example, when you select Fiery Yarn, you can tap Plush Rates in the bottom right corner of your screen to see what Pokemon that yarn can create. I found that my Fiery Yarn could create a Charmander, Charizard, Scorbunny or Fuecoco plush, but I had a 25% chance to make any of those Pokemon -- I got a Scorbunny!
It's a cute little Scorbunny!
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
After tapping the Plush-O-Matic, you can also tap Catalog to see details of which plushes you've created, like their size, how many of them you own and what yarn it takes to create them.
Decorate with your new Pokemon friend
After you've woven your Pokemon plush, it's time to decorate. From the main room of the game, tap the tile in the bottom left corner of your screen that has a Scorbunny on it -- it was like that before I got my own Scorbunny. This will take you to your own room, which you can decorate with your plushes.
Once in the room, tap the tile with the Pawmi and Buneary in the left corner of your screen to pull up all the plushes. Tap the plush you want to decorate with and then you can drag and place it anywhere in the room.
Scorbunny and Pikachu are friends so they are sharing the basket.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
You can also tap the green chair under the Pawmi and Buneary tile to add or change furniture in the room. Beneath that tile is an hourglass icon. Tap and hold the hourglass to rewind your room, kind of like an Undo button.
And in the bottom left corner of your screen is a toy chest with Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly Pokemon. This is the Tidy Up button. Tap this and then tap Pokemon plushes or furniture around the room to remove them from the room. And if you accidentally remove something, no worries, tap and hold the hourglass to undo the change.
After decorating, tap the green door in the top right corner of your screen to go back to the main room.
The mobile version is free but…
The mobile version of Pokemon Friends is free up to a point. I could only solve the second series of puzzles the first time I played the game, but that might be different for you.
After you solve your daily puzzles, Pokemon Friends says you can buy DLC to keep playing. To do so, tap Shop in the top left corner of your screen and you can buy different bundles.
You might have to buy DLC at a point if you want to continue in Pokemon Friends.
The Pokemon Company/Screenshot by CNET
The Basic Pack ($10) lets you play puzzles as often as you like. Other packs include new puzzles, wallpapers for your plush room and more, and those packs start at $15.
It's unclear if you can solve a limited number of puzzles every day without issue, or if you'll have to buy the Basic Pack at some point to continue playing.
The Pokemon Company did not immediately respond to my request for comment.
For more on the July Pokemon Presents, here's all the free stuff you can get from the event.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones review: A one-way ticket to Tinny City
Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones review: A one-way ticket to Tinny City

Tom's Guide

time6 hours ago

  • Tom's Guide

Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones review: A one-way ticket to Tinny City

Some of the best headphones come cheap, so I was really hopeful when I unboxed the Mixx StreamQ C4. However, my hopes were quickly dashed by the disappointing sound quality. Muddy soundscapes, flat bass, and tinny midsections were enough to put me off. The StreamQ C4 are definitely the kind of headphones that'll send you to Tinny City (which basically just means they don't sound great). For some people, though, poor sound isn't as much of a dealbreaker as for others. If you're one of those people who need affordable headphones with great ANC, then the StreamQ C4 headphones might be the ones for you. If you want seriously decent music quality, though? I don't think these are the headphones for you. I'll discuss everything in full in this Mixx StreamQ C4 review. Price $59 / £49 Connectivity Bluetooth 5.3 ANC Yes Battery 40 hours Weight 14 ounces Dimensions 3.5 x 5.9 x 7.1 inches Colors Black, white Compatibility iOS, Android The Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones are $59 from Amazon U.S. and £49 from Robert Dyas in the U.K. This makes them some of the cheapest headphones I've tested, alongside the EarFun Tune Pro, EarFun Wave Life ($59), and EarFun Wave Pro ($79). Just a little bit of foreshadowing for you: I didn't award any of those EarFun headphones above a 3, and obviously, I only awarded the Mixx StreamQ C4 a 2.5. The only budget headphones I wholeheartedly recommend are the $79 JLab JBuds Lux ANC, which sound great for the price tag. We also tested the 1More Sonoflow Pro and loved the budget cans. The main thing I like about the Mixx StreaMQ C4 headphones is their comfort. The earcups are pillow-soft and don't smell like plastic, unlike EarFun gear, which has a tendency to. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mesh casing over the plastic interior is quite thick and soft, so my ears don't touch the drivers as I'm listening. The headband is padded, which adds to the comfort, and the headphones don't clamp onto my ears. I could wear these headphones for hours and hours because of how comfortable they are. The controls are easy to use and accessible: on the right cup, there is a button for play/pause, Siri (or your phone's equivalent), and an ANC button. I love that the headphones announce which ANC mode you're switching to, as some budget headphones lack this important feature. On the bottom of the right cup there's a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired playback. Yes — you can listen via Bluetooth or wired connection (the headphones don't have to be turned on for this to work). I'll talk about this more in detail in the 'Audio quality' section below As I mentioned earlier, you can listen via Bluetooth or aux cable. However, the aux cable that came with my Mixx headphones didn't work. Thankfully, I had other aux cables so I could test this properly. However, it's still worth noting that the provided aux cable was faulty. The Bluetooth connection initiated quickly. However, there's no multipoint connectivity, which you can get on other budget headphones like the $59 EarFun Wave Life. It's also worth remembering that if you listen via wired playback, you won't get digital features like ANC or EQ. As for other features, well, there are very few. That's kind of expected on a pair of $59 headphones, but I still found myself a little disappointed. There's no app, which you get with similarly-priced EarFun and JLab gear. You can switch the EQ using the on-cup buttons. I liked the bass boost the most, but none of the three (voice, bass, music) options sounded particularly great. Yes, there's ANC, and yes, it's pretty good, especially considering the $59 price tag. However, I was still yearning for a little more. I wish I could adjust the EQs manually. To test the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones, I listened to a range of genres on Qobuz, our best streaming service for audiophiles. Oh, I have some bad news. The StreamQ C4 headphones don't sound good at all. 'The Sofa' by Wolf Alice was tinny and flat, and the vocal pinched at the top of the treble. It was like I was listening to the vocal layer through aluminum foil. After 'The Sofa', I listened to 'Indexical reminder of a morning well spent' by The Japanese House. This is a soft, ambient guitar track with layers of atmospheric vocals, relaxed percussion, and textured guitars. I couldn't pinpoint the different instruments across the track; everything blended together like a muddled, tinny mess. Determined to find something that sounded good on the StreamQ C4 headphones, I switched to more electronic genres. I listened to 'Gossip' by Confidence Man & Jade, which has a synth bassline and Spanish-influenced guitar samples. The female vocals were clear, but there was very little bass to dance to, and the snare drum was very tinny. So indie, ambient, and electronic sounded poor. I thought, well, I'll put something heavy on, maybe that will negate the tinniness. I played 'Afterlife' by Evanescence, which quickly proved me wrong. Somehow, Amy Lee's voice sounded deep-fried. Like it was encased in an egg roll wrapper or something. And that's coming from someone who could eat about 50 egg rolls in one go. The bass was lackluster and the kick drum was tinny. On top of that, the heavy chorus was a mess of guitar, bass, and vocals, and I couldn't discern the instruments from one another. I switched genre to Skepta's 'Victory Lap', which is a grime track with a pulsating, growling bassline. I was hopeful, but unfortunately the bass was crackly and pressurized, as if the headphones couldn't handle the frequency. The only song that sounded good was 'Hold On' by MpH, which has a really satisfying stereo vocal and synth section. This section sounded great, although the tinny drum machine soon came in and ruined the immersion. As the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones have wired and wireless listening, I listened via the provided aux cable too. I played 'Cobra' by Megan Thee Stallion, and while the bass was more powerful than Bluetooth playback, I was still yearning for more. 'Clover' by Billie Marten, which is an acoustic indie track, was nicely layered, but the vocal was a little tense and pinchy. I was really disappointed with the audio quality of the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones. The bass was disappointing and weak, and the midrange was tinnier than a can of tuna. I wouldn't recommend these headphones for music lovers. I actually loved the ANC on the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones. There are three modes, all controlled by a button on the right earcup. The modes are: transparent, ANC on, and ANC off. While the ANC makes the audio quality a little harsher, the sound wasn't particularly impressive to begin with so I found the overall impact was negligible. Transparency mode let in the right amount of noise — I couldn't hear traffic noise outside, but I could hear people talking around me. For a pair of $59 headphones, the ANC is remarkably powerful, and I can recommend these for a noisy environment like an open-plan office or a gym (there's no IP rating though, so I'd be wary about getting these headphones wet). However, as I made clear in the 'Audio quality' section, I wouldn't recommend them for music. To test the call quality of the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones, I called my boyfriend, who is definitely a quality control at this point as he's been my guinea pig for most headphones I've tested. He said it was like I was speaking through a wall, so he didn't particularly enjoy the call quality. I had to repeat myself a few times, but he couldn't hear the environmental noise around me. I wouldn't recommend these based solely on call quality as a result of the muffled mics. I listened for well over 6 hours and the battery only went down to 90%, which is pretty impressive. Even so, this battery life is nothing in comparison to the unkillable EarFun Tune Pro, which lasted for over a week during testing. I still have nightmares about trying to drain their battery. However, if you want a cheap and cheerful pair of headphones with reliable battery life, then the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones won't be disappointing. There are just better headphones — for both sound quality and features — for similar price points (cough JLab JBuds Lux ANC cough). I feel like the Mixx StreamQ C4 headphones know what they are, and they're not ashamed of it. These headphones are budget-friendly for people who hold ANC above anything else. There's nothing wrong with that. If you want headphones that are comfy enough to wear for hours, with awesome ANC that'll drown out all the sounds around you, and you aren't fussed about music quality, then I've just found your best headphones for the least amount of $$$. However, if you want your music to sound decent, you've really got to spend a little more. Not much more, thankfully, but $20 more for the JLab JBuds Lux ANC. So far, no other headphones I've tested have come close to these headphones for the price. I will continue the search for JLab-beating budget cans, as the StreamQ C4 unfortunately fell a little flat.

Despite Everything, Nintendo Confirms Mario and Princess Peach are Not a Couple
Despite Everything, Nintendo Confirms Mario and Princess Peach are Not a Couple

Newsweek

time7 hours ago

  • Newsweek

Despite Everything, Nintendo Confirms Mario and Princess Peach are Not a Couple

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors Despite being a classic pairing in the world of gaming, it seems that Mario and Princess Peach's relationship isn't as romantic as you might think. While many Mario games end with Peach giving Mario kiss on the cheek or baking him a nice cake, Nintendo confirmed via a post on the Nintendo Today App that the two are in fact just "good friends who help each other out whenever they can". Super Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad standing in the sunset. Super Mario, Princess Peach, and Toad standing in the sunset. Nintendo They're not the only Nintendo couple to receive this confusion. With The Legend of Zelda movie cast announcement confirming a 21-year-old and a 16-year-old for Zelda and Link, respectively, people were concerned about what that meant for how the pair's relationship will be portrayed on-screen. However, despite this, the two of them have rarely been portrayed as having an explicitly romantic bond. "Princess Peach and Mario are good friends and help each other out whenever they can." Via: Nintendo Today app. — Kābī (@KirPinkFury) July 23, 2025 Instead, it seems Nintendo is keen on keeping the relationships between its male and female leads strictly platonic, likely to help maintain some consistency between the various branches of media that it is now reaching out into. The Super Mario Movie stayed away from a romantic storyline between Mario and Peach, so it makes sense that the games should stay the same way. That being said, it's still weird that the Mario cast is still happy to go around playing tennis and go-kart racing with Bowser, despite all he's done.

A Contentious Media Merger, and the F.B.I.'s Epstein Scramble
A Contentious Media Merger, and the F.B.I.'s Epstein Scramble

New York Times

time10 hours ago

  • New York Times

A Contentious Media Merger, and the F.B.I.'s Epstein Scramble

Hosted by Tracy Mumford Produced by Will Jarvis and Ian Stewart Edited by Ian StewartJessica Metzger and Tracy Mumford Featuring Alan Rappeport F.C.C. Approves Skydance's $8 Billion Merger With Paramount, by Benjamin Mullin Trump Spars With Powell Over Fed's Costly Renovations in Rare Visit, by Colby Smith How a Frantic Scouring of the Epstein Files Consumed the Justice Dept., by Adam Goldman and Alan Feuer Gazans Are Dying of Starvation, by Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Isabel Kershner and Abu Bakr Bashir France Will Recognize Palestinian Statehood, Macron Says, by Roger Cohen Israel and the U.S. Pull Back From Talks With Hamas, by David E. Sanger and Johnatan Reiss Hulk Hogan, Shirt-Shredding Superstar of Pro Wrestling, Dies at 71, by Victor Mather Tune in, and tell us what you think at theheadlines@ For corrections, email nytnews@ For more audio journalism and storytelling, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store