Gaming
Gaming
Why Pokkén Tournament is the next big fighter
Forget trading cards and RPG games, here’s how Pokémon could be the next top competitive fighter.
Why Pokkén Tournament is the next big fighter
© Nintendo/Red Bull
No one would have guessed that a Pokémon beat’em up could ever take the pro fighting scene by storm, but that was last week. That was before Nintendo’s catch-em-all-simulator was crossed with Tekken, like some unholy biological experiment on Mewtwo. The result is Pokkén Tournament, a new brawler developed by Bandai Namco Games in partnership with the Pokémon Company that brings the two mammoth gaming franchises together in one epic arcade title. You won’t find any appearances from Kazuya and the rest of the Mishima clan though: this is strictly a Pocket Monster free-for-all, but that could lay the foundation for Pokkén to be the next top pick at EVO.
Unfortunately, it’s not out for while in the west: it’s slated to hit Japanese arcades next year, but if past Tekken titles have proved anything, it’ll won’t be long before it’ll hit your home console. That wait won’t stop it from rivalling fighting staples like Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Smash Bros, and of course, Tekken either. Here’s how.
Groomed from the start to be a champion Developed under the supervision of Tekken Project series director Katsuhiro Harada, and joined by Soulcalibur series producer and main programmer Masaaki Hoshino, Pokkén already has the groundwork and the talent to become a serious competitive title. Don’t expect this to just be Tekken with Pokémon characters thrown on top: Harada has already said that it’s set to be an all new game with its own mechanics, and it’s already been teased as a fighter that anyone can pick up and play – almost echoing Smash Bros’ ethos. "Whether you are a casual player, a regular player or a hardcore player, anyone who likes Pokémon can have fun,” said Harada in this week’s announcement. He also revealed that Pokkén Tournament is actually "closer to an action game,” again, similar to Smash Bros., but that hasn’t stopped Nintendo’s brawler from becoming a mainstay on the tournament circuit.
A healthy roster with plenty of choice So far, we’ve only seen three Pokémon confirmed to appear in Pokkén: Lucario, Blaziken, and Machamp, and each one is classed in your Pokédex as a Fighting type, making for the perfect type of character to appear in the game – but those won’t be the only types of Pokémon to appear. There are now 719 (whew!) critters that can be crammed into a Pokéball, and Harada has stated that “we shouldn’t face any problems in implementing whatever Pokémon we want”. With so many Pokémon on offer, that means you could be seeing all sorts of different types make an appearance, ranging from small Bug creatures like Caterpie, huge flying Dragons like Dragonite or even Rock types like Onix and the huge golem Regirock. The amount of choice is simply mindboggling, but should provide for lots of variety, much like Smash Bros’ massive roster, and even the huge cavalcades of MOBAs like Dota 2 and League of Legends.
Tekken as an inspiration, not a foundation While Pokkén is clearly made by the Namco Bandai veterans behind Tekken and Soulcalibur, don’t expect Pokkén to play like either. Harada has said that the high/mid/low guard mechanic from Tekken won’t be implemented, as a new type of mechanic will be debuting with the game. You can already see how the game is differing from Tekken with Lucario’s fireball projectile move, along with jumps, meaning even these small changes, it’s already shaping up to be a whole new breed of fighting game. Don’t forget Pokémon’s own Type mechanic, which could even pop up in Pokkén: we’re intrigued as to see how that will play out when the game hits arcades next year. One thing that it may share in similarities with Tekken could be a tag mode: Pokémon has unleashed double, and triple battles into its RPG games in recent years: we’re betting they’ll appear in Pokkén too, adding plenty of spice to potential Twitch streams and tournaments.
Pokkén Tournament
© The Pokemon Company/Namco-Bandai
Mega Evolutions will shake up the playing field Don’t forget one of the recent features that the handheld 3DS titles Pokémon X and Y introduced to the series: Mega Evolutions mid-battle. They’re set to return later this year in the Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby remakes, and you can see they’ll be making an appearance in Pokkén thanks to Lucario’s Mega transformation. Just like in the RPG games, you’ll be given an extra edge to battle with, and we’re interested in seeing how they’ll shake up the competitive playing field too, with surprise evolutions changing the dynamic of a fight mid-bout.
Nintendo’s own fighting game pedigree: Smash Bros. Let’s not forget that Pokémon is a Nintendo franchise too, and the Japanese gaming giant has plenty of background in making an easy to play, difficult to master fighting game in the form of Super Smash Bros. Harada has described Pokkén as appealing to a broad range of players, just like Smash Bros. Harada has said that the game is actually “closer to an action game”, and the only difference is that Pokkén is catered more to Pokémon fans, but Injustice proved you don’t have to be a DC Comics fan to enjoy a top notch fighter, and with Soulcalibur’s Hoshino working onboard too, it’ll be one fighter to watch out for.
Want to experience the best of RedBull.com on the move? Get the app at RedBull.com/app.
