Okay. I’m not proud of this, but I only made it through Pokémon Yellow because I thought Pikachu was cute. Fast forward to today—I’m bored at work, someone sends me a link to Squirdle, and I figure, “Sure, why not? I know some Pokémon.”
Mistakes were made.
What Even Is Squirdle?
Imagine Wordle, but instead of a five-letter word, the answer could be any one of a thousand tiny monsters. No pressure, right?
You type a Pokémon name (any of them), and the game gives you hints about how close you are in:
Generation (1–9)
Types (Water, Fire, Confused, etc.)
Height and Weight (because apparently, that matters)
So I guessed “Charmander.” Game says nope—wrong gen, wrong type, wrong everything. Then I guessed “Snorlax.” Warmer. “Onix”? Colder again. I spiraled from there.
Chaos Ensued
At one point I guessed “Ditto” because I ran out of ideas.
I tried “Eevee” four different times hoping it would magically be right in a different dimension.
I ended up rage-Googling “small purple Gen 3 Pokémon.”
I finally got it. It was Sableye. Cool. I’ll remember that… until tomorrow.
Why It’s Actually Kinda Fun
Despite getting completely clobbered, Squirdle was weirdly enjoyable. Every round taught me something new. I remembered old favorites, discovered new ones, and actually got better the next day.
Also, it gave me an excuse to text my Pokémon-obsessed cousin and yell, “Why does Gliscor weigh 90kg???”
Should You Play It?
If you’re a Pokémon encyclopedia, you’ll love Squirdle. If you’re like me—more of a “that’s the yellow one, right?” kind of person—you’ll struggle, but you’ll also laugh a lot. And hey, learning is part of the fun.
Verdict:
Squirdle is chaotic, educational, and slightly evil. I highly recommend it.