Pokkén Tournament is a game that takes elements from the Tekken series and mixes it into the world of Pokémon. Players choose from a selection of Pokémon and fight one-on-one in a 3D arena. This isn’t your typical Pokémon game; you must take control of your pokémon directly and get in there with punches, kicks, and special moves from the Pokémon series. Each pokémon has different attributes in stats such as power and speed, and their own move lists, combos, and special moves that you will have to learn in order to be an effective fighter.
You start off choosing a pokémon to be your main and you will use this pokémon during the story mode. You can change this at any time. After battles, you earn levels and skill points which you allot to your pokémon’s stats. Stats being attack, defense, synergy, and strategy. You can use your skill levels outside of story mode, bringing them into local battles, but you also have the option to turn skill levels off during local battles if you want an even playing field. And if you like cosmetic items, battles also earn you in-game currency that you can spend on clothing for your avatar. The selection of clothing is fairly extensive and each piece gives you a number of colors to choose from.
The fighting system isn’t incredibly deep, but it is involved enough to be engaging. Going through a Pokémon’s combos and move list won’t take you very long, and you will have to make effective use of your options to be successful. Pokkén Tournament uses a triangle system like one might expect from a fighting game. Normal attacks are beaten by counter attacks, counter attacks are beaten by grabs, and grabs are beaten by normal attacks. Beating a move in this way will give your attack priority and cause a Critical Hit, dealing more damage. Grabs can also beat blocks, and taking too many hits while blocking while break your guard and leave your temporarily stunned. This was implemented reasonably well and will keep you predicting and planning your attacks.
There is an emphasis on what’s known as the “Synergy Gauge”, which will fill up as you attack your opponent. Filling up the Synergy Gauge will allow you to unleash a Synergy Burst. A Synergy Burst lasts a short time and will boost your attack and defense. Before your Synergy Burst runs out, you can use a Burst Attack which deals a hefty amount of damage to your opponent. The Synergy Gauge adds a layer of depth to fighting as you will need to keep an eye on it and use it at the right time, as well as properly time your burst attack, lest your opponent blocks or evades it.
Phases also play a big role. Pokkén Tournament seems like it can’t decide between being a 3D fighter or a 2D fighter. During battle, the fight will switch between “Field Phase” and “Duel Phase”. The battle will begin on Field Phase, which lets you move freely in three-dimensional space. This feels rather clumsy, slow, and odd, and not what you would expect from a 3D fighter, and more from a mini-game. It’s certainly not bad, but it could control a lot smoother. Synergy Power will appear on the ground during Field Phase, which you can run into to pick up and help fill your Synergy Gauge. You can turn the option off for Synergy Power to appear if you feel you want a cleaner fight.
Certain attacks during Field Phase will force the battle to shift to Duel Phase. In Duel Phase, the plane locks into two-dimensional space and character move sets will change slightly. This is a bit more fast-paced and focused and plays pretty nicely. After enough striking, it will switch back to Field Phase. Phases will constantly be switching back and forth, so you will have to quickly adapt to the changes.
What’s more is the addition of Support Pokémon. Ahead of time, you will choose three sets of Support Pokémon. Each set contains two pokémon, and you will choose one of those three sets before the battle begins. When the battle begins, you will have to choose which one pokémon you will use, and you can choose between the two at the start of each round. Support pokémon are on a timer and will become available to use after a certain amount of time. When you call in a Support Pokémon, it will come onto the battlefield for a moment, and depending the on the pokémon, will either attack directly, cause a harmful status effect to your opponent, or give you an enhancement in some way.
Bringing this further, different Support Pokémon have different charge times, and the pokémon you’re fighting as affects the charging speed as well. Also ahead of time, you can choose a cheer that your advisor, Nia, will give you between rounds. The cheers will give you an enhancement depending on what you’ve chosen and the circumstances of the battle. This brings a huge amount of combinations and an element of strategy to the game. However, the effects from Support Pokémon are somewhat underwhelming. Many of the effects are too weak or just easy to avoid. This slightly dampens the element of strategy and almost feels pointless, but it does manage to be a lot of fun picking and choosing. This support system could have been a little better had the waiting period been longer and the effects stronger.
Online multiplayer has no real issues. I played several matches online and experienced no lag whatsoever. There are ranked and unranked matches, and people who quit during a match will incur a penalty, losing in-game currency. Hopefully this will be enough to discourage rage-quitters. Online matches do not use skill levels, so every match is on even ground.
Overall, Pokkén Tournament is a lot of fun. The fighting system may be too shallow for some competitive players. Phases are kind of odd, but offer a unique take for players looking for something different. If you’re looking for a serious fight, you may be disappointed. People wanting something different and just plain fun will find that this does a great job at delivering. This is highly recommended for big fans of Pokémon. For fans of the Pokémon series who want another level of engagement, Pokkén Tournament will be a blast.
