You know, this just might be our busiest January ever.
We’re so used to this being a lull in releases that it usually feels like there’s nothing
to cover.
Not so this year.
New games and more information on previously revealed games just keep coming.
And the most recent example of this is the Pokémon fighting game, Pokkén Tournament,
which had an hour long livestream dedicated to showing off its features.
While there still hasn’t been any word of a worldwide release or a port to the Wii U,
it really feels inevitable with a game like this.
And it’s also inevitable that we’d do an analysis on it.
After all, Pokémon is well known for its secrets.
So it’s time for the old Analysis Machine to get back to work to see what kind of hidden
details it can find.
First up, let’s talk about the features of the game.
We’ve seen what its controller will look like and that it’s intended to be a fighting
game catered to both newcomers and veterans.
It also has the usual line-up of modes when it comes to arcade fighters, Single Player,
a Tutorial, Local Battles, and Nationwide Battles.
But Nationwide Battles alone seem to signify that online matches will be a high priority
for the game.
Though it goes one step further with its support of Bandai Namco’s BANA Passport which allows
players to store their information across different machines.
This information is actually quite useful to the players, but we’ll get to why that
is soon.
The biggest takeaway is that the BANA Passport relies on NFC technology which is, of course,
how amiibos are used.
We’re not sure if this could confirm eventual amiibo support, but it could lead to the possibility
of Japanese players being able to use their Passports to take their information between
the arcades and an eventual Wii U port.
This is all just speculation on our part, but the NFC support is interesting nonetheless.
So what information would these Passports carry between the arcade machines?
Actually, quite a bit.
First up are the trainers that appear during the fights.
Well, more specifically trainer, since both players are using the same avatar.
It’s a safe assumption that there will be more trainer avatars to choose from than just
the one shown during the stream.
And thanks to recently released screenshots, we know what a female trainer will look like.
Both avatars look to be older than the protagonists from the main games, maybe in the range of
14 to 16.
But what do these trainer avatars actually do?
Will players be able to mix and match features to make their own or are there preset avatars?
And do these avatars serve any other purpose?
So far, all we’ve really seen is the trainer having some slight battle dialog at the beginning
of a match.
However, there is one other human shown, this young woman that appears both during matches
and between rounds.
But who is she?
It’s possible that she’s an announcer or some kind of promoter for the tournament,
but her clothes don’t really suggest that.
Instead, she seems to be more like a professor or at least a teacher for the player.
She can be seen reacting to the things happening in battle and will even shout out tips in
an attempt to help the player.
Is this her only role though?
Or could there be more to Pokkén Tournament’s single player?
Continuing on, the NFC technology will also be used for the Pokémon players use.
Not only will the win/loss record be tracked, but the Pokémon’s level as well.
But before we get into that, we get a look at the character select screen.
Here we can see all of the playable Pokémon so far which includes Lucario, Gardevoir,
Machamp, Pikachu, and Suicune.
And there appears to be more than enough room for at least nine more fighters.
However, it is possible that the portraits could be resized as more Pokémon are revealed.
What we do know is that Lucario, Pikachu, and Suicune are all considered Standard fighters
while Gardevoir is a Technical fighter and Machamp is a Power fighter.
This seems to refer to their styles in battle which could help players choose the one that
works best for them.
Next to the Pokémon is a stat grid that highlights four different skills, likely Attack, Defense,
Special, and Speed.
We can also see that the Pokémon can gain levels.
Maybe with each level, players can choose where to focus their Pokémon’s stats in
and in time craft a fighter that fits their personal style.
That way even if two of the same Pokémon go against each other, they won’t be exactly
the same; as long as both players keep their stats saved with the Passport that is.
And we get a glimpse of how experience is given at the end of the matches.
After the losing animation, the player’s performance is rated in four areas and then
given a star score out of five.
Could this be what’s used to increase your character’s level?
We can even see that it will take a thousand points to reach the next level.
But no experience is earned for the loser.
Unfortunately, we never see the system in action as every time that the player on camera
won, the stream would immediately switch over to the hosts so this is a feature that the
creators want to stay hidden for now.
But there’s plenty more to this game than just its feature list.
Pokkén Tournament seems to take place in a completely new region, much like Pokémon
Coliseum and Gale of Darkness.
While we don’t know the name of the region, we did learn what the town and volcano arenas
are called.
The town is known a Chrom Town which, interestingly enough, is the root word for color.
This is somewhat similar to Pallet Town which could indicate that this is where your selected
trainer begins the tournament in single player.
And it’s not hard to imagine a young trainer getting inspired to enter the Pokkén Tournament
living in Chrom Town.
After all, even in the game the town is described as being in a lush, green valley yet they
still have a plaza dedicated to Ferrum Battles.
Ah, yes, Ferrum Battles.
That appears to be the official name of the fights in Pokkén Tournament.
So it seems that these fights are not considered typical Pokémon battles even within the game’s
universe.
Ferrum also makes for a cool little easter egg since it means iron in Latin.
After all, Tekken translated into English means Iron Fist.
So these fights are otherwise known as Iron Battles and not only are they popular in this
region, but popular enough to be televised.
Across the bottom of the screen as the Pokémon make their entrance, a ticker can be seen
advertising Ferrum Battle Live Broadcasting.
The network itself seems to be called the FEPN though we’re not 100% sure what it
stands for.
Our best guess is the Ferrum Entertainment Pokémon Network.
Whatever the case, it seems to be immensely popular.
We detailed Chrom Town in our previous analysis, but there seems to be a few more added details
since then; mainly the presence of other Pokémon.
Jumpluff can be seen near the Chrom Town sign, Swanna is swimming in a nearby pool of water,
and there are plenty of others around the farm.
Here we can see Pachirisu, Miltank, a horde of Tailows, a Pidgey, and a few Skiddos hanging
around just outside the arena.
Lapras can be seen near the bridge, but other angles also show off Gible and Heracross.
The most interesting spectator in town though is the lone man sitting on the steps.
At first, he seems to be the only human that can be seen around the arenas.
But there’s actually another young man riding his bike with Volcarona following behind.
So it won’t be just Pokémon watching these fights.
The other arena is called Phos Volcano.
Like Chrom Town, its name has another meaning.
It’s the Greek root word for Light.
So it seems as if this region could have some kind of light or color motif to its naming
conventions.
We won’t be sure though until more arenas are revealed.
However, the in-game description does provide some details on the volcano; namely that this
arena is indeed in a cave within a giant volcano that not only houses rare ores but the ruins
of ancient civilization.
As for why the tournament would allow kids to battle so close to active lava, we have
no clue.
And this isn’t the only volcano either as another can be seen in the background.
The arena itself even contains fossils in the ground so this is a place rich with history
and resources.
And that seems to still be the case since there are a plenty of Pokémon to be seen
on the outskirts of this area.
There are Sableye in the background of one section and one can even be seen riding a
mine cart while a Machoke can be seen turning some kind of handle.
Heatran and Torkoal can be spotted as well hanging out within the cave.
And all around Zubats are flying by.
The one we have trouble identifying though is this one with the wings.
Our best guess is Archeops though we’re not completely sure on this.
There is one last little detail that the game provides on the arenas that’s rather unique.
As the stage is being introduced, Stage Data is provided in the top right corner.
This shows how far apart the Pokémon start from one another as well as the general size
of the arena.
It’s difficult to make out exactly due the stream’s poor quality, but it looks like
the Pokémon start 5 meters apart in Chrom Town while they’re 12 meters apart in Phos
Volcano.
The other two numbers might show the diameter and circumference of the arena.
But again, we’re not positive as it looks like both numbers in Chrom Town say 18.2 meters.
Meanwhile, Phos Volcano shows the number to the left as 12.2 meters and the top one as
20.2 meters.
This is one of the first big clues on how the game might appeal to veteran players.
The exact dimensions are shown because the Pokémon’s moves have a limited range.
Here we can see Pikachu’s Thundershock stop just short of Suicune.
The Stage Data could help advanced players figure out the exact spacing they need in
order to effectively hit their opponent.
So let’s talk about how fights in Pokkén Tournament will play out starting with this
spacing.
Specifically in regards to the switch between 3D and 2D fighting that’s being referred
to as a Phase Change which look to be triggered by specific moves.
We see the Phase Changes happen quite often throughout the stream, always signified by
a blue indicator.
But there seems to be more to the change from 3D fighting to 2D fighting than just opening
up more combo possibilities.
Take, for example, this fight between Pikachu and Gardevoir.
Gardevoir summons Emolga for an Assist, but Pikachu immediately forces a Phase Change.
Emolga ends up never attacking.
Instead it just disappears though the player still has to wait to be able to summon it
again.
It would seem that forcing a Phase Change completely cancels the attack of an Assist
Pokémon.
But it doesn’t just work with Assist Pokémon.
A similar thing happens in the match between Pikachu and Lucario.
Here we see some kind of item appear in the arena which provides a small increase to the
Resonance Burst meter.
Gathering them up doesn’t seem to be a problem as they’re collected even if the player
jumps above them.
The catch is that it only seems to appear when the fight is in 3D.
As soon as a Phase Change happens, they’re gone.
But as soon as the fight returns to 3D, they come back.
Both of these add another technical layer to the game and could force players to really
think about whether they should be fighting in 2D or 3D.
And speaking of the Resonance Burst, we get a few more clues to how it works besides these
items that can quickly refill it.
Bursting during battle increases the Pokémon’s attack and possibly defense.
This is also how Mega Evolution is triggered if the Pokémon can Mega Evolve.
But all this really seems to affect is the aesthetics.
While it doesn’t look exactly the same as in the main games, the DNA symbol does appear.
However, it looks like Pokémon who can only go to Burst mode are just as strong as a Mega
Evolved Pokémon.
And no matter which Pokémon you use, they will heal a small amount of health when triggering
Burst mode.
It’s worth noting that the Burst meter will stay charged between rounds which adds another
small layer of strategy.
But there are other cool details.
For one, it actually shows the Pokémon being healed since their health bar states that
it’s charging.
So there looks to be some kind of health services nearby for these matches.
There is one other thing though.
Whoever loses the round will be given a 30% increase to their Burst meter from the Professor.
While not guaranteeing success, it does give the loser a better chance in the next round.
And when the Resonance Burst is ready, the game will actually indicate this with the
Ferrum Battle symbol appearing on-screen.
There is one other small element to the Resonance Burst though.
When the transformation occurs, it can actually knock opponents back, giving the player space
or allowing them to immediately start doing damage.
However, it can be blocked so it’s not a guarantee.
The final element that helps Pokkén Tournament stand out are the Assist Pokémon.
Each one will have its own attack, abilities, and cool-down period.
So far we only know of four, but there looks to be several sets of two that can be chosen
from.
Then from those two, one is specifically chosen for that round.
Players can then choose to either keep the same Assist Pokémon for the next round or
change to the other.
But there are reasons to switch between the two beyond a change of tactics.
It looks the one that isn’t used will be fully ready to go right away.
Since the Assist Pokémon don’t fully recover between matches, this could be a way to have
one ready immediately.
First up is Lapras who appears next to the player and then rushes across the arena with
a Surf attack.
In-game, its ability is described as a powerful rushing attack with a wide horizontal range.
It’s also effective at negating certain types of long-range attacks.
Players won’t immediately be able to use Lapras again though as it has a normal recharge
time.
Next is Snivy who is uses Leaf Tornado though it doesn’t look especially powerful.
This may be why it has a fast recharge time.
Despite its lack of power, Snivy does have a specific use.
It’s described as being able to close in on the opponent by a set distance before unleashing
the Leaf Tornado, which is great against anti-aerial attacks or opponents who just like to jump
a lot.
And if the opponent is on the ground, it will send them skyward and leave them open for
an aerial attack.
Emolga has a fast recharge time like Snivy, but its focus isn’t on causing damage.
Instead, its Shock Wave will decrease the opponent’s movement speed which is perfect
when fighting in 3D.
This will allow players to easily hunt down or avoid their rival.
We even figured how long this effect will last.
Counting from the moment the status takes effect, it takes around 27 seconds for it
to finally dissipate.
In fact, Emolga’s assist meter is more than halfway recharged by the time the slowing
effect has faded.
Finally, Fennekin is different from the rest of the Assist Pokémon.
They were all marked by red symbols while Fennekin’s was blue.
We believe that this means Fennekin’s assist is more defensive in nature.
And this seems to add up as it’s described to use Ember to create a dome-shaped area
attack that can hit multiple times.
This will also effectively push back opponents when they are in close.
It’s a good way to create space between you and your opponent.
But it actually has a secondary effect.
Lucario has a full Burst meter when Fennekin is called out though as he’s hit by the
Ember, the meter decreases.
So Fennekin is a good way to slightly delay your opponent from Bursting.
It’s not the best method though as Fennekin does have a normal recharge time.
Interestingly, Emolga and Fennekin are together in Set A while Snivy and Lapras are part of
Set B. Will players be able to mix and match their own sets?
Or will the sets be chosen by the game?
There does seem to be some reasoning to how these Pokémon are grouped as both have a
Pokémon with a fast recharge time and a normal one.
But will that be the only thing that determines the sets?
And will we see Assist Pokémon with a slow recharge time that will be more devastating?
It seems like it would be the case.
However, we think there’s a fifth Assist Pokémon hiding during this stream, Eevee.
The most obvious appearance is during a screen thanking you for playing where it appears
next to Fennekin.
Now this could really mean anything, but it’s Eevee’s second appearance that seems to
clinch it.
Whenever a player’s Assist Pokémon is ready to be used a symbol appears to notify them.
And who’s in that symbol but Eevee?
Of course, after figuring all of this out, the Pokkén Tournament website went live and
revealed two more Assist Pokémon, Frogadier and Eevee.
While no footage of them has been released, Frogadier is described as using Water Pulse,
which creates a rapid succession of long range water disc attacks.
The symbol next to it also confirms it to be an attack type.
Eevee, however, is completely different from the other Assist Pokémon.
It will use Helping Hand to increase the player’s attack power for a short time as well replenish
a small portion of HP.
It also shows that there will be a third type of assist possible, in this case Pokémon
that grant buffs.
The symbol is shown to be yellow in color with arrows pointing up.
Will these three be the only available assist types or could there more?
We believe this will be it since Emolga can cause a negative status effect on opponents
but is still considered an attack type.
Okay, we’re almost done here, but we thought we’d go over some of the more obvious mechanics
shown off during the livestream.
First up are the shields that appear when Pokémon defend.
They’re a little different from other fighting games in that the blocking doesn’t differentiate
between high, mid, and low attacks.
No matter where you’re hit from, it will block though there does appear to be chip
damage.
And blocking too much will cause the shield to degrade over time.
We also see some of the dodging mechanics in action such as Gardevoir’s aerial dodge
and Machamp’s ground dodge.
And it looks like both are performed by guarding and inputting a direction.
Another interesting distinction between the Pokémon is that they all have a different
amount of max HP.
Pikachu has 570, Gardevoir has 540, Lucario has 600 even, Suicune has 630, and Machamp
has the most at 660.
Each one also has a unique style of course.
Pikachu is very quick and can use distance attacks to keep opponents at bay but is also
equipped with some devastating combo attacks.
It also has a grab which seems possible to pull off in mid-air.
But one of its best attacks is Thunder which covers a huge distance and will lock opponents
in place for a short time.
Gardevoir seems to be more of a long range fighter with many moves to keep an opponent
at a distance.
It also demonstrates that the same attack will be different if used in the air.
Take this Psychic blast for instance.
Gardevoir is always in the air when using it.
And the only time this dome attack is done is when Gardevoir is on the ground.
So it certainly seems possible.
Lucario seems to be an all-around fighter that’s perfect for beginners while Suicune
looks relatively similar but with a greater focus on beam attacks.
Machamp seems to be the most different from the playable Pokémon.
It has no distance moves whatsoever, but it’s absolutely devastating if its punches and
grapples connect.
Machamp also has the ability to buff its attacks for a short time, guaranteeing massive damage
when it gets in close.
Finally, there’s the winning phrases that appear at the end of a match.
Rather than the typical KO, Cool shows up sometimes while Great others.
The word that appears seems to be based on how much HP you have left.
Cool is shown if you have less than a quarter health while Great is displayed if you have
more than a quarter but less than half.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see the other phrases that could appear if a player
wins with more than half health.
Pokkén Tournament is undoubtedly far different than any other Pokémon game that’s come
before.
But it does seem to be carrying the legacy of Pokémon well.
There’s much more to this game than it first appears.
Now the question is whether or not it will see a worldwide release as a Wii U port.
At this point, we can only hope.
But in the meantime, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this Pokémon fighter.
Of course, let us know if we missed anything in the comments.
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