Pokémon Battrio

Pokémon Battrio (Japanese: ポケモンバトリオ) is an arcade game in the vein of Pokémon Stadium or, in that the sole focus is on Pokémon battles. The game uses special pucks that affect which Pokémon can be used. The main gameplay difference is that three Pokémon are used on each side (a feature later introduced in Generation V), hence the name "Battrio", a contraction of the words "Battle" and "Trio".

Conceived as a joint venture between Takara Tomy and, the development of Pokémon Battrio was announced on April 11, 2007 by Takara Tomy vice president Keita Satoh and AQ Interactive vice president Yoji Ishii. Marketed at a primary audience of 6–12 years, the battle system was stipulated to be much simpler when compared to the core series of Pokémon games. Pokémon Battrio was officially launched on July 14, 2007. With the release of the Battrio V upgrade in July 2011, all machines and merchandise were branded under the Takary Tomy A.R.T.S. and labels after several company mergers.

On April 18, 2012, it was announced that Pokémon Battrio would be discontinued and all units would be replaced by a similar arcade system called Pokémon Tretta, developed by the same companies. Battrio systems began to be removed in Japanese stores nationwide in June, with the first Tretta systems being installed in early July. Pokémon Tretta officially went live on July 14, 2012 with the release of its first expansion.

System
Pokémon Battrio operates on a arcade system and uses  graphics. The machine costs ¥100 to operate for each player; a random puck is also dispensed from the machine per coin inserted. The console itself has only two buttons for each player; an orange button that is used to cycle through options in the game, and a larger yellow button used to confirm commands and interact with certain gameplay mechanics. Above these are 4×4 grids that the pucks are placed on and manipulated, as their positioning directly influences the positioning of the Pokémon on the in-game battlefield. Between these grids in the center of the console is the infrared scanner used for scanning in pucks.

Over its release history, Pokémon Battrio went though a number of series, which included additional affixes to denote a change. Each series has a number of associated expansion sets and the firmware was often upgraded to incorporate new mechanics and cosmetic changes to the interface, with the current version of the system displayed at the start screen.


 * Pokémon Battrio was the launch version and proving ground for the games appeal.
 * Pokémon Battrio Plus (Japanese: ポケモンバトリオプラス, stylized Pokémon Battrio +) was rolled out on April 24, 2008 in conjunction with release of the  expansion. The upgrade added minor changes to damage calculation.
 * Pokémon Battrio Super (Japanese: ポケモンバトリオスーパー, stylized Pokémon Battrio S) was rolled out on July 17, 2008 in conjunction with the release of the  expansion. The upgrade featured a major overhaul in terms of damage calculation, brought a number of new mechanics to enhance battle experience, and new battle modes to challenge players.
 * Pokémon Battrio Zero (Japanese: ポケモンバトリオゼロ, stylized Pokémon Battrio 0) was rolled out on July 16, 2009 in conjunction with the release of the  expansion. The upgrade featured a re-designed interface, added more interaction within battles, and enhanced gameplay mechanics.
 * Pokémon Battrio V (Japanese: ポケモンバトリオブイ) was rolled out on July 14, 2011 in conjunction with the release of the  expansion, and was the last version. The upgrade introduced Generation V Pokémon to Battrio and brought major changes in terms of gameplay interactivity, battle flow, and puck mechanics while discontinuing several older mechanics.

Pucks
Pucks are integral to the gameplay of Pokémon Battrio, as at least one is required to play the game. The pucks themselves are made of high-quality plastic with a 40 mm-diameter and a thickness of 3.4 mm. Each puck portrays one Pokémon species along with a set of individual statistics such as Hit Points, Attack, Defense, and Speed, as well as types and moves, just as they feature in the core series. All of this data is stored on a microdot on the reverse of each puck, which is read into the game when it is positioned over the infrared scanner.

Statistics
The stats displayed on the lower segment of each puck give a general indication as to how powerful a Pokémon is. The Attack (colored red) and Defense (colored blue) are displayed in blocks ranging from 1-5; 5 being more powerful than 1. This is only a rough indication, as each stat is a numerical value. Attack and Defense provide the base for all damage calculation in battles. The HP value in the center of these (above Defense prior to Battrio 0) shows how much a particular Pokémon will contribute to the overall HP of the team.

In Battrio 0, the upper segment also displays the Pokémon's Speed (colored light blue). The principle remains the same as Attack and Defense, though Speed determines how quickly a Pokémon can attack, and in Battrio 0, whether it attacks first or second.

There are also a number of stats not displayed on pucks that each Pokémon possesses. Cost is a value rated by stars and is proportionately linked to the puck rarity. Pokémon with higher costs are often more powerful and will therefore suffer more as a result of Exhaustion. Exhaustion is a graded numerical value based on the cost rating and determines how much Attack and Defense a Pokémon will lose once it has launched an attack. It may take several turns for the Pokémon to fully recover. The Critical Hit Ratio is also proportionately linked to puck rarity. Rarer more powerful Pokémon will have a lower Critical Hit Ratio compared to that of weaker ones. Successfully landing a Critical Hit will have 120% effectiveness. Movement determines how quickly a Pokémon will move on-screen when pucks are moved. Pokémon can either be slow, normal, or fast. Some Pokémon may also have a Secret Power, which gives a small Attack or Defense bonus depending on their position of the field.

In Battrio V, all stats are displayed on the reverse of the puck - only Level is displayed on the front, which gives a rough indication as to Pokémon's strength. Attack and Defense remain colored red and blue respectively, but Speed is recolored green and is more akin to the original Movement stat than Attack speed. Stats are displayed in blocks ranging from 1-10, as opposed to 5. Players with Memory Keys can take advantage of the new Level mechanic by increasing Type Levels through use of Pokémon of a particular type, and "over-level" a Pokémon of that type to increase its stats, indicated by the yellow blocks on the reverse of the puck. All pucks also have an additional Feature, which usually involves the use of other pucks to activate bonuses. Hidden stats Cost, Critical Hit Ratio, and Secret Power are not included on pucks released during the Battrio V series. Exhaustion is still present, but it is unknown how this is now calculated. New hidden stats include Berry Gauge, which is graded from 1-5 and determines how many Berries a Pokémon requires to attack, and Team Gauge, which is graded from 1-6 and determines how easily collecting Berries will fill up the Team Gauge; 6 requiring more to fill compared to 1.

Types and moves
A Pokémon's type is indicated by the symbol to the left of the puck name on the upper segment. Its type determines what move types it will be weak against or resistant to in battle. The 17 types featured in Pokémon Battrio are the same as those found in the core series, as well as their individual strengths and weaknesses. Notable type additions include the Full-Plate and Eleven-Plate, both of which are used exclusively on pucks, in relation to the Plates that can be attached to it in the core series.

Each Pokémon has only one move, as opposed to four in the core series. From the  expansion onwards, the move is displayed to the right of the puck name on the upper segment. Prior to Battrio 0, moves were always of the same type as the Pokémon, but from the upgrade onwards, moves could be of types other than the Pokémon's type, allowing for more interesting battle tactics. The  expansion enhanced this further by introducing Pokémon that could be one of up to two types with two different moves.

Some pucks may also have a Bonus, which has a move or Ability attributed to it. These are not displayed on pucks like the normal move and have a small effect on stats (either on the Pokémon using it or the target Pokémon) during damage calculation. Bonus was not featured on pucks released in the Battrio V series.

Rarity
As with most games that have a collection element, the pucks in Pokémon Battrio have several levels of rarity across each expansion, as more powerful Pokémon are inherently rarer than weaker ones. Prior to Battrio V, rarity is displayed by featuring the designs of different Poké Balls on the reverse of pucks, and their primary color schemes on the outer circumference on both sides. Each expansion features four standard rarities: Normal, Super, Hyper, and Master, represented by a Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball respectively. As the development of Battrio continued, other Poké Ball designs were used on special promotional pucks, or on secret pucks included in main expansions. Typically, all Hyper and Master pucks have a Holofoil illustration. Some pucks, particularly in later Battrio 0 expansions had additional aesthetic enhancements such as transparent and glitter-treated circumferences.

With the Battrio V upgrade, rarity is indicated by stars on the front and reverse of the pucks. Single rarity pucks have no additional features; Double rarity pucks have transparent spin colors and a Holofoil illustration; Triple rarity pucks have glitter-treated circumferences and a Holofoil illustration; Fourth rarity pucks have glitter-treated circumferences and a lenticular image illustration, giving a 3D effect; V rarity pucks also have glitter-treated circumferences and a lenticular image, but with a 'moving' attack. The table below lists the different rarities featured across Pokémon Battrio.

Special Abilities
Debuting in the  expansion, Special Abilities can provide additional benefits for the team. Pokémon with Special Abilities are identified by the presence of an icon in the center of the upper segment of the puck. Initially only two Special Abilities were introduced; this was expanded to six with the Battrio 0 upgrade and the addition of Leader Abilities.

The original Special Abilities were no longer supported with the Battrio V upgrade, but new ones began to be introduced with the release of the  expansion. The table to the right displays the different Special Abilities Pokémon may have over the system's lifespan.

Awakening
Debuting in the  expansion, Awakening utilises existing gameplay elements in various ways to provide additional bonuses to Pokémon on the field. Pokémon with Awakening are identified by a colored name box with the ability above their name. A Pokémon may only have one Awakening ability, hence pucks from one expansion may have identical versions with different Awakening abilities. Two Awakening abilities were introduced in Mewtwo Awakening; two in ', and two in '. The effects Awakening provide are listed in the adjacent table. Awakening was no longer supported with the Battrio V upgrade.

Puck colors and spin colors
Introduced on pucks from Battrio V, pucks may have either a black or white base as opposed to the Poké Ball designs prior to the upgrade. Grouping pucks by their base color will determine which legendary Pokémon is summoned if  is successfully triggered (see Battling). Pucks also have colored segments at three points of the circumference, which denotes their spin color. Spin colors are either red, green, or blue. Grouping pucks by their spin color will allow the player to execute a  during the course of the battle. Pucks above Triple rarity do not have base colors or spin colors. However, with the release of the  expansion, scanning in a Triple rarity or above puck alongside two other pucks with the same base colors will result in the rarer puck adopting the same base color, allowing more powerful teams to utilize Advent.

Setup
Upon starting a battle, the player has 60 seconds to scan in up to three Battrio pucks using the infrared scanner in the center of the console. The data is then transferred and each respective Pokémon will appear on screen. If the player has only one or two pucks, the game will assign random Pokémon to make the deficit. Players can scan two pucks portraying the same Pokémon as long as they are different in terms of stats or abilities. One could have a from ' and a  from ', but not two Turtwig from Dialga and Palkia Clash for example.

After scanning each puck, the player must then move them onto the 4×4 grid. When the player has finished scanning their pucks, the battle is ready to begin.

From the  expansion onwards, grouping pucks by their base and spin color will allow players to scan in a fourth puck. This is called the special scan. Unlike the initial three Pokémon which appear on the field, the fourth Pokémon can be summoned at specific points during the course of a battle for an extra attack.

Prior to Battrio 0
Before the actual battle phase, there is a pre-battle period indicated by a time bar in which players can arrange the positions of their Pokémon on the field. From the Battrio S upgrade onwards, Berries will also drop randomly on each side of the field that players can move their Pokémon over to collect and increase their Fervor Gauge.

When individual pucks are positioned in the various "arrangements" detailed below, those Pokémon will gain a small Attack or Defense increase that may give them an edge in battle. Specific groups of Pokémon together on the field can also activate combo bonuses, typically those of an evolutionary line or related legendary Pokémon.


 * All Pokémon in the "Advancement Arrangement" gain.
 * The two Pokémon closest to the center of the battlefield in the "Flanking Attack Arrangement" gain, followed by to the Pokémon at the back.
 * The lead Pokémon in the "Sudden Attack Arrangement" gains +30 Attack, followed by respectively to the Pokémon behind.
 * All Pokémon in the "Retreat Arrangement" gain.
 * The two Pokémon furthest from the center in the "Ambush Arrangement" gain, followed by to the Pokémon at the front.
 * The Pokémon furthest from the center in the "Iron Wall Arrangement" gains +30 Defense, followed by respectively to the Pokémon in front.

In Battrio 0
The Battrio 0 series rejects the "arrangement" concept in favor of individual areas of the field called Power Zones that provide Attack or Defense bonuses, represented by red and blue areas respectively. The positions of Power Zones vary from field to field, but they remain fixed for the course of the match. White Power Zones may also appear during the course of the match that provides both an Attack and Defense bonus.

In Battrio V
The Battrio V series no longer features the pre-battle period and the Power Zone mechanic, instead having an overall match timer. Battles are begun by the first Pokémon to accumulate enough Berries to fill up their Berry Gauge, requiring the player to continually move and monitor the Pokémon they wish to use in battle.

Battling
Unlike Pokémon battles in the core series, the HP displayed on each puck is used to create one overall HP bar, as opposed to belonging to individual Pokémon. The way in which battles are conducted depends on the version of Pokémon Battrio the console is running, but will end once either the HP of one player is depleted or if time is up. In the instance of battles reaching the allotted time, the winner is decided by the player with the most HP remaining. Winning in battles earns the player medals to spend in-game on various and increases type experience (Type Levels), relative to the types of the Pokémon used in the battle.

During battle there is no limit as to how many times a particular Pokémon in each team can be used, but after participating in one round, it will suffer as a result of exhaustion. Pokémon affected by exhaustion are identified by sweat droplets by their name and receive a reduction in stats, therefore it is generally advisable to use the remaining team members before resorting to use Pokémon that have already participated.

In Battrio and Battrio +
The player going first then has 9 seconds to choose which Pokémon to attack with and choose the opponent Pokémon to attack. The values for the Attack of the attacking player's Pokémon and the Defense of the defending player's Pokémon are then shown. Additional bonuses such as those gained from arrangements, combos or type advantages are then added or subtracted from those values. The Pokémon that has the highest value at the end of the damage calculation then deals that amount of damage to the opponent player's HP. In the event of a tie, damage is dealt to both players.

In Battrio S
Battrio S gave a major overhaul in terms of damage calculation in battles. Instead of basing this on the greatest value, it is based on the difference between the Attack of the attacking player's Pokémon and the Defense of the defending player's Pokémon. Additional bonuses such as those mentioned above then come into effect. In Battrio S, collecting Berries during the pre-battle period also provides a Berry Bonus to the Pokémon attacking. Each Berry provides a +5 Attack bonus, and each Pokémon can collect up to 8 Berries for a maximum bonus of +40. If a Pokémon has any, these also activate at this time. After a Pokémon has attacked, all Berries collected in the previous pre-battle period are reset. Cheering, again only present in Battrio S, adds small amounts to Attack/Defense by pressing the confirm button in a timely manner when prompted during damage calculation. Another new feature introduced in Battrio S was Fervor, which acts as a damage multiplier and can have a pivotal effect in damage calculation. The difference in damage is then dealt to the HP bar of the player who lost the battle.

In Battrio 0
Instead of players attacking in alternate rounds, both players attack per round with two consecutive battles. In previous versions the player simply selected one of their Pokémon on the field to attack with, now the stats for each Pokémon are displayed for both players and each player must select one of their Pokémon within the 9 second time limit. This method puts more emphasis on anticipating your opponent to try to gain an advantage.

The order of the attacks in each round is determined by the Pokémon with the highest Speed stat. As with previous versions, Attack/Defense bonuses, type advantages and Special Ability bonuses come into effect when calculating damage. A new feature in Battrio 0 is a slider that appears under the type icon of each Pokémon. The valid hit area of the slider depends on the type advantage/disadvantage of the attacking Pokémon, though the principle for each player remains the same: the closer to the center of the bar the marker is when the player hits the confirm button, the better the Attack or Defense bonus they will gain. Hitting the white line exactly in the center (called Great Success) gives a maximum boost. Once all of the calculations have been completed, the difference in damage is taken from the HP of the loser of that battle. The process then repeats for the slower of the two Pokémon.

Another new feature to Battrio 0 is , which acts as a 'finishing move' of sorts. If a player is leading by a considerable margin, they can choose to activate Advent when the symbol appears below their HP bar, triggering a short animation in which they have to press the confirm button just as the two halves of the Advent symbol merge. Successfully triggering Advent will summon a random Pokémon to inflict extra damage to the opponent.

After a round of battles has been completed, there then follows another pre-battle period in which players can switch the positions of their Pokémon, followed by the next round.

In Battrio V
A Pokémon that fills its Berry Gauge will initiate a battle. Instead of choosing an opponent, the attacking Pokémon goes up against all three opponent Pokémon. This phase is called the Type Battle. During this phase, three slider bars similar to the one introduced in Battrio 0 will appear displaying the types of the participating Pokémon. The player then has to hit the confirm button for each of these bars to determine if they will create a Danger Zone for their opponent to avoid. Hitting outside of the green area will not generate a Danger Zone; anywhere inside will generate a normal size Danger Zone. Hitting the red area (Great Success) will generate a larger than normal Danger Zone. The opponent then has just under three seconds to maneuver their pucks to avoid any Danger Zones before the attack commences (if all Danger Zones are strayed into, the timer is bypassed). Danger Zones appear as circles with a red 'X', but change to red pointed circles with 'キケン' danger, when Pokémon stray into their path. The attack then commences, and damage is dealt to all three opposing Pokémon. Differences in Attack, Defense, type advantages/disadvantages and potential extra damage for Pokémon straying into Danger Zones is all taken into effect, but is not displayed as explicitly as previous Battrio versions. The total damage for all three Pokémon is displayed in the bottom corner of the screen and is the overall damage dealt to the opponent's HP bar. The process then continues until another Pokémon has filled its Berry Gauge.

Collecting Berries will also fill up the Team Gauge. For teams of Pokémon that have the same spin colors, filling the Team Gauge up to the point indicated by a colored puck will allow the player to perform a . For teams of Pokémon that have the same base puck colors, filling the Team Gauge up to the point indicated by the Advent symbol will summon one of a selection of powerful Pokémon depending on the base color.

Game modes
Pokémon Battrio features a number of ways to battle in an array of battle modes.
 * Versus: The simplest way to get into Battrio is to have a single round VS match against a computer-controlled opponent or against a second player using the 2P section of the arcade machine. An introduction tutorial was introduced in the Battrio V series.
 * Adventure: In Adventure mode, the player can participate in stage-based battles against CPU opponents. Opponents get more difficult as the player progresses. Boss Trainers may also be encountered along the way, akin to Gym Leaders from the core series. This mode was not supported in the Battrio V series.
 * Battrio Tower: Introduced in the Battrio 0 upgrade, Battrio Tower is designed to be the ultimate test of skill as players are challenged to climb the tower and reach the top. Each floor has one Trainer with a set team of Pokémon (some floors may instead have a Pokémon that leads its own team), each one becoming progressively difficult as the Tower is climbed. Initially, Battrio Tower consisted of 100 floors. This was increased to 250 floors following the release of ', again to 400 floors with the release of ', and finally to 1000 floors with the release of . This mode bears some similarities to the various Battle Towers in many of the core series.
 * Challenge Battle: Also introduced in the Battrio 0 upgrade, Challenge Battles are designed to test a player's knowledge of different Pokémon and their capabilities. Each round has one Trainer with a set team, often featuring a particularly powerful Pokémon, and a pre-selected team of Pokémon for the player to use. There is often a certain strategy players must discover when competing in Challenge Battles. This mode is similar to the various challenges found on Battle CDs from . This mode was not supported in the Battrio V series.
 * Battrio Stadium: Introduced in the Battrio V upgrade, players face straight battles against Trainers until they quit or lose. Players can choose to face normal or tough opponents depending on their skill level. Players using Memory Keys can also participate in V Battles by getting four consecutive wins, in which they face Trainers with a V Power activated.
 * Shop/Gachagacha: The or  can be accessed between battles in any game mode and can be used to purchase useful  that may aid the player with medals they earn from participating in battles.

Memory Keys
Memory Keys (Japanese: メモリーキー Memory Key) are memory-saving devices that are inserted into the arcade console. Sold at a retail price of about ¥600, while they are not necessary in order to play the game, they become essential for progressing through some modes.

Memory Keys allow players to select an from a number of Trainer designs and name it, becoming their profile for all battles undertaken whilst the Memory Key is plugged in the console. The Memory Key keeps track of wins/losses, medals earned, items obtained, Type Levels, and progress in game modes. It also has an LCD screen that players can view several of their stats on without having to plug it into the console. The screen can display individual Type Levels by scrolling along the symbols on the screen, the player's current medal total, and their current floor in Battrio Tower. Memory Keys are available in various different colors including the standard red or blue, and various -themed color schemes, which generally tie in with puck expansion releases.