Pokken Tournament (for Wii U) Review - Review 2022

Pokémon has ever been about getting beautiful creatures to fight. Bandai Namco'due south Pokkén Tournament simply shifts the genre a bit. This $59.99 Wii U ($979.99 at Amazon) game takes Pokémon out of the turn-based JRPG conventions of the main handheld series (and the coliseum-manner, dwelling house-console side games) and puts them in a existent-time tournament fighter. It's very proper name implies a combination of Pokémon and Tekken (producer Katsuhiro Harada is also the producer of the Tekken series), and ultimately that's exactly what Pokkén Tournament is—a Pokémon fighting game.

Welcome to Ferrum
Pokkén Tournament takes identify in the Ferrum region, where instead of conveying out conventional Pokémon battles, trainers use "synergy devices" on their ears to directly guide and encourage their Pokémon in fights. It'due south a rare example of ludonarrative racket in reverse; the stardom between real-time gainsay and turn-based moves is purely mechanical to begin with, and so in that location's no actual need for the story to justify the genre change. Yous're a trainer and your Pokémon are fighting other Pokémon in stadiums. The premise didn't need to be tweaked at all.

Pokémon Picks
You tin choose from 16 unlike Pokémon across a wide variety of elemental types and fighting styles. The burn, fighting Pokémon Blaziken is a kickboxing bird with shades of Eddy Gordo from Tekken. The pure fighting Pokémon Machamp is a four-armed bruiser. Pikachu is a quick, balanced electric fighter, while the masked wrestler Pikachu Libre favors a faster, rushdown style (though they're technically the same type of Pokémon, and play similarly). Gengar is a ghost, while Chandelure is a ghost chandelier.

Yes, a ghost chandelier. Even with only 16 playable Pokémon, there's some weird variety going on. It makes the decision to include Blaziken, Braxien, and Charizard all on the roster a chip disappointing; they're all evolved fire-element starter Pokémon, and they play differently from each other, just thematically and inside Pokémon logic they're all very like. And while this is a fighting game, there aren't many fighting-type Pokémon. Blaziken, Lucario, and Machamp are the only fighting Pokémon bachelor; the rest are other types and elements. The inclusion of Gardevoir is extra-strange, because the constitute-psychic-blazon Pokémon has an alternate development named Gallade that is psychic fighting-type, and would take fit more with the idea of a tournament fighter.

Pokken Tournament

With 750 Pokémon currently in the canon, you'll probably be missing some of your favorites. On the bright side, outside of the thematic questions raised by Pokkén Tournament being a fighting game rather than an RPG, the base choice of Pokémon is a nicely diverse cross-section of types and styles.

Also the chief playable Pokémon, you tin choose support Pokémon to assist you in combat. You don't control back up Pokémon directly but tin can ship them out to perform a specific attack or healing, buffing move when y'all build your back up meter up by fighting. These back up Pokémon are organized in pairs: You choose one of two supports at the starting time of each round. There are about three dozen support Pokémon in total, and they include legendary Pokémon like Reshiram (powerful straight-line laser attack), elemental starters similar Frogadier (h2o-spraying attack), and adorable series mainstays like Eevee (wellness-recovering cheer).

Pokkén Fighters
The actual fighting feels like a polished, simplified version of Tekken with some incomparably unconventional tweaks thrown in. Gainsay is split between ii constantly shifting phases, Field Phase and Dual Phase. Field Stage is a three-dimensional fighting mode that uses the entire circular or oval shape of the stadium for maneuvering, and emphasizes managing distance and using ranged attacks. When you arrive close enough and string together some hard hits, the game shifts to Dual Phase. Dual Phase takes place on a two-dimensional aeroplane, Street Fighter-style, and benefits close-up fighters and grapplers. String together hits and knock the enemy away, and y'all'll be back in Field Phase.

The two phases are a clever manner to play to the different styles and advantages of different Pokémon. Difficult hitters that rely mostly on melee moves like Garchomp and Machamp do all-time in Dual Phase, where they can stay close and be certain their hits will country with the more-limited movement available. More-maneuverable, tricky fighters like Gengar and Sceptile have a big advantage in Field Stage, where they tin can set upwardly traps and stay out of reach until they're set up to hit. This way, all Pokémon take some way to be feasible, rather than giving a firm reward to fighting-type or chemical element-based range attackers.

Speaking of elements, they mean very little in Pokkén Tournament. While the main Pokémon games rely heavily on elemental types to determine strengths and weaknesses, Pokkén Tournament merely uses them to inform the dissimilar fighters' move sets. Yous won't go a huge bonus from striking the plant-type Sceptile with a fire move, and you can really hit Gengar with regular attacks when usually ghost-blazon Pokémon are completely immune to them. The elemental rock-paper-pair of scissors mechanic usually constitute in Pokémon games isn't hither.

Simple Hits
Don't look fighting game-similar commands in Pokkén Tournament. Controls are uncomplicated, with regular attacks and special moves by and large blending together with like button presses. Every action is performed by pressing a push, pressing a button while borer a direction, or pressing 2 buttons. The A, X, and Y buttons perform different types of attack moves, while the B button jumps. Pressing A and X at the same time triggers a counter-hitting that, if timed right, can destroy an enemy'south crime. Pressing B and Y at the aforementioned time performs a grab or throw move. The correct bumper blocks, while the left bumper sends out your back up Pokémon when your support meter is full. Pressing both bumpers at once when your synergy meter is full triggers Burst way, which powers up your Pokémon and lets you perform a super attack with another double-printing of the bumpers.

Pokken Tournament

What the combat lacks in complexity of execution, it makes up for in timing and strategy. Throws, blocks, and counter-hits all play off each other in a much more fighter-appropriate stone-paper-scissors competition than the typical Pokémon elemental clashes. No thing how large or strong a Pokémon is, you can turn the tables with a properly timed counter-hit, and press your advantage by maneuvering into the phase that most favors your move ready. Add Burst mode and support Pokémon, and you lot have a pleasantly full bag of tools for fighting that don't require drawing pretzels with your thumbs.

Taking All Comers
Pokkén Tournament offers a good pick of game modes. The unmarried-player Ferrun League mode takes you through a series of tournaments, fighting your way up the ranks of the Ferrun League. While this is happening, a mysterious Mewtwo pops up and challenges you, creating the slightest sense of a story across the simple "brand Pokémon fight and win" concept. Every bit you fight through this mode, you can build up your Synergy Level with your called Pokémon, improving one of iv stats (Criminal offence, Defence force, Synergy, and Strategy) to make them perform better in fights.

The Ferrun League fashion requires you to commit to a single Pokémon. Switching your primary Pokémon for this way requires going into a separate customization card, and the different tournaments are congenital around the premise that your Pokémon will be getting stronger through Synergy Levels as you play. This ways switching up your Pokémon for the single player campaign volition be difficult (if you jump into your highest tournament level immediately) or tiresome (if you level up every Pokémon yous desire to try).

Fortunately, every bit with any proper fighting game, Pokkén Tournament lets yous fight other players. Those matches aren't influenced by your Pokémon'due south Synergy Level, and then you can await an even, skill-based fight. Pokkén Tournament supports both couch-bound and online matches.

Instead of separate-screen local multiplayer, Pokkén Tournament divides the view between the Wii U GamePad and the television set. Actor 1 uses the GamePad, while Player 2 uses the boob tube and whatsoever connected controller they wish (Wiimote with Wii Pro Controller, Wii U Pro Controller ($145.00 at Amazon) , or even Hori'due south express-edition Pokkén Tournament pad). While Thespian i tin can look at Histrion two's screen, that sort of fob won't assistance much in a fighting game. If anything, Thespian 1 is at a disadvantage, since Player 2 tin employ the controller of their selection. Information technology ensures that the behind-the-Pokémon view in Field Phase is preserved, but an option to employ a conventional split-screen view would have been welcome.

Regardless of the style y'all play, you'll steadily earn in-game currency to buy customization options for your trainer avatar. You can get different dress, haircuts, and even glowing auras and backgrounds that appear when yous're introduced earlier battles. Unlike the 3D-modeled Pokémon, trainers are inanimate 2D drawings that follow the fashion of the Pokémon anime. There are enough of clothes you can buy, but you lot'll probably wait a while to unlock any sort of facial pilus; the inability to buy a beard for my graphic symbol fifty-fifty afterward playing a solid 20 hours indicates just what age range Pokkén Tournament is targeting.

A Fun, Fresh Fighter
Pokkén Tournament isn't a very circuitous fighting game, but information technology'south energetic, fairly diverse, and genuinely fun. While it lacks the roster of Super Smash Bros. ($45.49 at Amazon) . and the technical complication of Street Fighter V ($6.21 at Amazon) , the uncomplicated timing-based stone-paper-scissors combat mechanics are merely deep plenty to be engaging. More Pokémon would have been very welcome, though; this is a fighting game that'south begging for Street Fighter 4-style incremental upgrades and roster expansions.

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