Pokkén Tournament

Pokkén Tournament (Japanese: ポッ拳  Pokkén: Pokkén Tournament) is a Pokémon arcade fighting game heavily based on the  series gameplay style. , the owners of the Tekken, developed the game under license from The Pokémon Company, and are responsible for distributing arcade cabinets in Japan.

After a limited demo run at a few locations, the full game became widely available at various public arcades in Japan starting from July 16, 2015. On July 22, 2015, a representative stated on Reddit that the arcade game would be tested at D&B locations, and became available at the Times Square Dave & Buster's on September 24, 2015 for a limited time.

On August 21, 2015, a Wii U port of Pokkén Tournament was revealed. The Wii U port was released in Japan, North America, and Europe on March 18, 2016 and in Australia on March 19, 2016, and it features Pikachu Libre,, and  as playable characters. While the Wii U port works with regular Wii U controllers, the Pokkén Tournament Pro Pad accessory has also been released, as a special controller that is similar to the Pokkén Tournament arcade controller.

On June 6, 2017, an enhanced Nintendo Switch port of Pokkén Tournament, titled Pokkén Tournament DX (Japanese: ポッ拳  Pokkén: Pokkén Tournament DX) was revealed. It was released in Japan, North America, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong on September 22, 2017 and Taiwan on December 1, 2017. A demo was released on the Nintendo eShop on August 24, 2017 that allowed players 15 battles in either Single Battle or Local Battle. Characters were limited to, , or and the only Support Pokémon pairs were / and /. The arcade-like controller Pokkén Tournament DX Pro Pad has also been released for Switch.

Blurb
Command your Pokémon with intuitive controls! Battle with various Support Pokémon! An all-new Pokémon battle experience Earn the title of champion in Ferrum League! Compete with players around the world in Online Battle! Master your moves in Practice Mode! Two-Player local battle! EXPLOSIVE POKÉMON BATTLES! Choose your favorite fighter from 21 Battle Pokémon! Get help from Support Pokémon! Many ways to test your skills! Online 3-VS-3 Team Battles Aim for Ferrum League competition!
 * Wii U
 * Switch

Gameplay
Taking place in Ferrum, the game combines the gameplay of the ' series with the playable Pokémon characters known as Battle Pokémon (Japanese: バトルポケモン''').

Battles
Pokkén Tournament is a that takes elements from both traditional 2D and 3D fighters. Battles have two different phases which will often change during battle. Battles begin in Field Phase (Japanese: フィールドフェイズ), where players can move about freely in a circular 3D environment in a 3D battlefield. If either player lands a certain type of move, a Phase Change (Japanese: フェイズチェンジ) occurs, putting the battle into Duel Phase (Japanese: デュエルフェイズ), placing players into a 2D battlefield. Controls also change in this form of play.

Every Battle Pokémon in this game sports different HP values, which have similar function to the core series games. Battle Pokémon have three kinds of attacks collectively known as the Attack Triangle (Japanese: ３すくみ): Normal Attacks (Japanese: 通常攻撃), Grab Attacks (Japanese: つかみ攻撃), and Counter Attacks (Japanese: ブロック攻撃), with each of them relating to each other like. Battle Pokémon also have unique properties in Duel Phase known as Stance (Japanese: 構え), which gives Pokémon access to different control of their attacks or variety of effects when changing their posture slightly.

Each Battle Pokémon also have a gauge that fills up as the battle progresses called the Synergy Gauge (Japanese: 共鳴ゲージ), which allows them to activate Synergy Burst (Japanese: 共鳴バースト) when it is full. When Synergy Burst is active, the Pokémon's attributes are greatly powered up. Synergy Burst raises their attack and defense temporarily and regenerates their HP slightly. A Battle Pokémon that has a Mega Evolution form will also Mega Evolve. While Synergy Burst is active, Pokémon can use their own Burst Attack (Japanese: バーストアタック). Burst Attack is a powerful attack that can only be used once during Synergy Burst.

Players also have to bring a Support Pokémon (Japanese: サポートポケモン) set and choose a Cheer Skill (Japanese: 応援スキル) before the battle begins. A Support Pokémon set contains two Pokémon that either support allies or disrupt opponents, and one of these two may be brought into battle each round. Support Pokémon that inflict damage are unable to knock out a Pokémon, leaving it with 1 HP. Support Pokémon can be only summoned when the Support Gauge (Japanese: サポートゲージ) is full as the battle progresses. Cheer Skills are additional aides that activate between rounds and can be only activated once. Cheer Skills focus only on Synergy Gauge and Support Gauge.

Players may be able to raise their Battle Pokémon's Skill Level or SLv. (Japanese: スキルレベル), as well as Skill Points (Japanese: スキルポイント), which include Attack (Japanese: 攻撃), Defense (Japanese: 防御), Synergy (Japanese: 共鳴), and Strategy (Japanese: 戦略). The Attack and Defense skills work similarly to the core series games, but they affect Pokémon's stats slightly. Synergy boosts Pokémon's Attack and Defense during Synergy Burst and makes the duration of Synergy Burst longer. Strategy boosts the damage inflicted by Support Pokémon and shortens the charge time of Support Pokémon. Both positive and negative statuses can affect these stats in the battle under the specific effect, but they last a short period of time and can have up to two applied to a Battle Pokémon at once.

There are three types of battle rules:
 * Basic Battle (Japanese: ベーシックバトル) - A classic fighting-style battle in three rounds. The player that knocks out opponent's Pokémon in two rounds first is the winner.
 * Extra Battle (Japanese: エクストラバトル) - A three-round battle (just like Basic Battle) that includes collectible orbs that spawn on the stage that could either boost or hinder Pokémon's stats and abilities. The player that knocks out opponent's Pokémon in two rounds first is the winner.
 * Team Battle (Japanese: チームバトル) - A battle exclusively in Pokkén Tournament DX, where each player chooses three different Pokémon and fights to see which team will be the last one standing. Similar to the core series games, the player sends out one of their remaining Pokémon when their Pokémon is defeated in a round. At the end of the round, the HP and Synergy Gauge of the winning Pokémon carries over. The winner is the player's team that knocks out all three opponent's Pokémon first.

Modes

 * Practice - In Techne City, players can participate in a tutorial on how to play the game and play practice battles using any rules. Players can also access the Action Dojo and the Combo Dojo.
 * Single Battle - Tellur Town is the home of single battles. Once the CPU's Pokémon and level are set, battle begins.
 * Local Battle - Selen Island is where two players playing on the same system go to battle.
 * Online Battle - Neos City is the portal to battle on the Internet. Players may also check out the global rankings here.
 * Ferrum League - Players battle here to become the Ferrum League Champion. There are four different levels of league play that players can participate in; each league consists of league matches to find the top 8 in the league. Those eight face off in an elimination bracket to determine the league champion. This is a single-player mode.
 * My Town - Old Ferrum Town is the player's hometown and is where players can change settings such as their character profile and avatar, Battle Pokémon, and Support Pokémon set. Players can also see their battle record in this area.

Ferrum League
The Ferrum League is the place where trainers go to try to become the Champion. The goal is to get into the top eight trainers, as which point players may vie for the championship. There are four modes of play here:
 * League Match - Initially the only mode available, this is where players begin their journey to the top of the league by battling other league participants in a set of five matches. When five matches are completed, players are assigned a new rank based on their performance and returned to the Ferrum League menu.
 * Tournament - When players make it into the top eight, they are allowed to enter the bracketed tournament where the winner becomes Ferrum League Champion. (Locked until a player is in the Top 8.)
 * Promotion Test - Once a player is Champion of a division in the Ferrum League, it's possible to participate in a battle against the League Master. Winning this battle gains access to the next league. (Locked until the player becomes Champion of its respective League.)
 * Free Battle - Players may battle in matches against league participants. Battles are against a random member of the respective League.
 * Mission Panels - In Pokkén Tournament DX, there is a new mission panel board for its respective League. Rewards such as galleries and avatar items can be obtained by unlocking the requirements.

Official Group Matches
The Pokémon Company will set up Group Matches that offer unique titles to participants. Only matches taking place between 11:00 am and 3:00 am UTC count towards placements. All players who complete a match receive a participation reward, while players who place within the top 100 of the group also receive a title based on their placement:


 * 1st - 10th: Chroma League Master
 * 11th - 30th: Red League Master
 * 31st - 60th: Blue League Master
 * 61st - 100th: Green League Master

Those who have already obtained a Group Match's participation title and qualify for it again in a rerun will receive 10,000 Poké Gold instead.

Plot
In the Ferrum region, where competitions known as Ferrum Battles are held, the player takes control of a character who aims to rise to the top of the Ferrum League. After creating the avatar, the player meets Nia, their guide to the Ferrum League. With their partner Pokémon, the player enters the first rank of the Ferrum League and battles their way to the Promotion Test, which allows entry into the next rank. However, the player is ambushed by a mysterious young woman with a strange black, whom they are forced to fight.

Regardless of the outcome of the fight against the black Mewtwo, the player progresses to the next rank. The black Mewtwo and mysterious woman appear again and challenge the player once more. As the player continues to rise in the Ferrum League, other competitors begin gossiping about the Mewtwo—now dubbed Shadow Mewtwo—and a strange phenomenon in which Gaia, the energy that allows Synergy Stones to bond the humans and Pokémon in Ferrum, appears to be draining away.

After the player clears the third rank, the Ferrum League is put on hold as a result of the draining of Gaia energy. The mysterious woman introduces herself as and explains the events that are occurring. Shadow Mewtwo is a normal Mewtwo, corrupted by the Shadow Synergy Stone embedded in its shoulder; when Anne was a child, the Shadow Synergy Stone endangered her, and to protect her from its influence, Mewtwo sacrificed itself to take her place. Mewtwo is now being consumed by the Shadow Synergy Stone, which is forcing it to fight opponents throughout Ferrum to gain greater power. The Shadow Synergy Stone's power is causing Gaia energy to drain as well. Anne hopes to save Mewtwo by purifying the Shadow Synergy Stone using a special brooch containing a Synergy Stone, separating the two so Mewtwo can return to a peaceful existence while Anne returns the purified stone to her people. Anne guides the player and Nia to the Regi Ruins, where she introduces Walter, the elder of her people, who reveals that the brooch is currently lacking the power to purify the Shadow Synergy Stone. This can be repaired by the brooch being exposed to the Synergy Power of high-level battles, so Walter challenges the player, then directs them to fight three others scattered throughout the region. However, after the second fight of the three, Anne realizes time has run out and Shadow Mewtwo must be dealt with immediately.

With support from Nia and Anne, the player ventures deep into the woods of northern Ferrum, where Shadow Mewtwo's hideout is finally located. Though unable to use Synergy Burst due to the severe drainage of Gaia, the player engages in a final battle with Shadow Mewtwo. The Shadow Synergy Stone's power fluctuates throughout the fight, forcing a 1-1 tie between the player and Shadow Mewtwo. For the final round, Anne's prayers manage to focus enough Gaia to allow the player to use a permanent Synergy Burst. Once defeated, Shadow Mewtwo collapses and the Shadow Synergy Stone begins overloading, but Anne's brooch overwhelms and finally purifies it. The stone separates from Shadow Mewtwo, returning it to its normal form. Though saddened by the fact that the brooch broke during use, Anne expresses gratitude for the player saving Mewtwo, whom she asks the player to take care of — unlocking Mewtwo as a playable character — while she returns the purified Shadow Synergy Stone to the safety of her people's care.

With the disaster averted and Gaia restored, the Ferrum League reopens, allowing the player to resume their quest to reach the top by winning the Chroma League. Once the player accomplishes the championship, Shadow Mewtwo is unlocked as a playable character from that point forward. Additionally, a secret Ferrum League rank—the Iron League—becomes accessible, and the player may freely replay a number of the Shadow Mewtwo story events.

Battle Pokémon

 * All versions

The only two unlockable fighters (in the Wii U version) are and Shadow Mewtwo. Mewtwo is unlocked by clearing the Red League and defeating Shadow Mewtwo. Shadow Mewtwo can be temporarily unlocked by using the Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card each time the game is started, or permanently unlocked by clearing the Chroma League.

Additionally, the CPU version of Shadow Mewtwo has notable differences compared to the playable ones. At the start of the battle, this Shadow Mewtwo will retain its powered-up form that resembles X. It also has a few attacks such as Mewtwo's, , and   combo attacks and 's.

Garchomp, Braixen and Mewtwo were originally exclusive to the Wii U version, but later added to the arcade version on July 20, 2016.


 * Arcade and Switch-only

The arcade version has received a number of exclusive characters through updates:
 * was released on July 20, 2016
 * was released on October 20, 2016
 * was released on November 10, 2016
 * was released on December 15, 2016


 * Switch-only


 * was released on January 31, 2018 as Battle Pack DLC.
 * was released on March 23, 2018 as Battle Pack DLC.

Support Pokémon

 * All versions


 * Switch-only


 * / set was released on January 31, 2018 as Battle Pack DLC.
 * / set was released on March 23, 2018 as Battle Pack DLC.

Compatibility
amiibo are usable within the game to unlock otherwise unobtainable avatar costume items and titles via a "Special Bonus". Sometimes, the reward will simply be in-game currency. Five bonus rewards can be obtained per day. Additionally, any one individual amiibo can only be scanned once per day. Pokémon amiibo are not the only ones that will work with the game; any existing amiibo can be used to receive a reward.

The Shadow Mewtwo promotional card packaged with first-run copies of the game immediately unlocks Shadow Mewtwo for use in the game prior to completing the story, though it will need to be re-scanned each time the game is played. Also, it can not be used as the partner Pokémon (which means it can't be used in the Ferrum League) until unlocked the normal way.

Codes
In Pokkén Tournament DX, several avatar items and titles can be unlocked with the following codes by entering a specific code at the Special Code feature, which can be found within the map screen.

Cast

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Reception
Gaming magazine gave Pokkén Tournament a score of 34 out of 40. rated both the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions a "Great" 8.0/10. Pokkén Tournament and Pokkén Tournament DX hold a rating of 76.91% and 80.10%, respectively, on.

Sales
Pokkén Tournament sold over 1 million units worldwide. As of March 31, 2018, Pokkén Tournament DX has sold 1.16 million copies outside of Japan.

Japanese sales
Pokkén Tournament sold 69,675 units on its first week on the Japanese market, with a of 36.65%. By December 31, 2017, the end of its 94th week, it had sold 181,529 copies.

Pokkén Tournament DX sold 53,395 units on its first week, with a of 41.39%. By May 20, 2018, the end of its 35th week, it had sold 262,871 copies.

Promotion
A brief snippet of footage from the game featuring and  first appeared at the end of a retrospective at the Pokémon Game Show, which was held in Tokyo on August 17 and 18, 2013. Later that month, the game's title as a trademark registered in Japan and the United States, although the connection between the title and the footage was not confirmed until the game's formal announcement. The game was officially announced on a NicoNico livestream that was held by the The Pokémon Company on August 26, 2014, which showed Lucario (which Mega Evolved into Mega Lucario) fighting. The English Pokémon site also mentioned the announcement, and uploaded the debuting teaser trailer for the game on their YouTube channel.

Bandai Namco Games, the game's developer, asked for fighter suggestions. Japanese residents could Tweet at @pokken_official with the Pokémon they would like to see using the hashtag #ポッ拳 in order to make a suggestion. Due to having the most requests, was confirmed as a fighter in April 2015.

Trailers

 * POKKÉN TOURNAMENT: First Look! (First teaser trailer)


 * Pokkén Tournament Arrives on Wii U in Spring 2016! (Wii U announcement trailer)


 * Shadow Mewtwo Revealed in Pokkén Tournament!


 * More Footage from Pokkén Tournament! (additional Shadow Mewtwo footage)

Trivia

 * This is the only Pokémon game to use its Japanese logo in international releases.
 * In the trailer announcing the game coming to Wii U in spring of 2016, the scene where Mega Lucario charges up an could possibly be a reference to the opening of , in which  charges and fires off a.
 * The German version of this game is the only one that does not utilize the portmanteau Pokkén, instead opting for a title with the separated terms "Pokémon Tekken".
 * This may be due to the fact that the German word Pocken, meaning, has a similar pronunciation to the term Pokkén.
 * Despite the title change, the German logo still includes the Japanese text for "Pokkén".
 * None of the playable characters or support Pokémon are.
 * Additionally, none of the playable characters are.
 * Although the icon for the face in the shop has a mustache, none of the options have any facial hair at all.
 * However, at least 1 NPC has a beard.
 * dolls and training dummies can be seen in the background of the Ferrum Dojo stage.
 * A can be seen in the background of the Haunted House stage, frantically trying to open a locked door.
 * In Tellur Town, there is a Trainer with a, riding a Bicycle. This may be a reference to the fact that in the core series games, s hatch more quickly when a Pokémon with , such as Volcarona, is in the undefined's party.
 * Pokkén Tournament DX is the first Pokémon game released on a Nintendo console to not carry the Nintendo logo on its U.S. boxart.
 * Pokkén Tournament was the last Pokémon game released for the Wii U, while Pokkén Tournament DX was the first Pokémon game released for the Nintendo Switch.

Related articles

 * Images on the Bulbagarden Archives