As a freemium puzzle game, Pokemon shuffle is a nice alternative that adds its own touches to help itself stand out from the competition. Slight bumps in standard freemium difficulty may discourage players from enjoying the game, but those who stay will have a nice time waster on their hands.
Pokemon shuffle is like any other match 3 puzzle game but comes with the nice twist of potentially catching Pokemon that can latter be used in puzzle matches. The games uses the following currency: hearts that can be used to play sessions and are acquired bi-hourly; coins that are earned through battles and can be used for power ups; and diamonds which extend hearts used and coins earned, but must be manually purchased with real money.
In terms of fairness, the game starts off strong with being able to play multiple sessions in one sitting thanks to ease of difficulty and free bonuses that the game offers. But as all good things come to an end, the game will come to a crawl where games become harder and the need to grind to get a slight chance of victory become mandatory. As a free product, I understand the need to make their money somehow. And as someone who has put in a considerable amount of time into this game, I can certainly tell you that this game will be brutal. Especially in later stages where the game is throwing new tricks like invisible blocks, steel blocks, and smoke.
But for players who stay through the whose and manage, they will find a game that holds up well and is addicting to play. Aside from hourly waiting and late game difficulty, I highly recommend this title.