Pokémon Rumble — the player controls Pokémon as they battle other Pokémon in a series of linear dungeons and indoor arenas. The game features real-time melee combat-based gameplay that has been compared to Smash TV.
The game defaults to the Wii Remote, which is held sideways, but Nunchuk, Classic Controller (Pro), and GameCube Controller are also supported. Using one of the optional controllers allows two players to share the same Wii Remote. Controllers can be changed in the multiplayer booth in the Terminal after completing the first stage.