QCF: Pokkén Tournament

 think it’s safe to say that by this point, no one who isn’t familiar with the concept of Pokémon, even by a little bit, is a stranger to the vast expanses of its giant monster filled world. We’ve extensively covered the various spin-off titles offered by the series, but there was always one particular genre of game that was strangely missing from the lineup of titles billed around battling collectible monsters with another; a competitive fighting game.

In a collaboration with Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company, one of the most ambitious spin-offs in the franchise has now broken ground onto the Wii U with Pokkén Tournament, a project that was headed by the same force responsible for Tekken. The potential here sounds like a match that’s worthy of Helix Fossil’s praise, but Namco Bandai’s track record with Tekken and other collaborative efforts (*cough TEKKEN VERSUS STREET FIGHTER) has been a little to spotty not be worried.

It’s definitely not as complex, or as deep as the as the source material that it stems from, but the fighting engine at work, but it is built with just the right blend of accessibility and frenetic adrenaline to please both fighting game gurus, and Pokéfanatics alike.

Before we can even touch upon the actual meat of the title, let’s touch upon why we’re all really interested in entry; the fan service, how good is it? Well, it’s safe to say that it’s better than what I expected for this sort of affair, and effort involved emphatically showcases as much of world of Pokémon as it can.

Pokémon has been around for twenty years now, and with that, comes the challenge of building a roster that’s able to appeal to every generation of fandom, while logically working within the competitive construct of a fighting game. Pokkén Tournament makes a surprisingly valiant effort in loading as many of the iconic critters they can, and as diverse as you’d imagine with 16 combatants—some choices are still a bit strange though. For every sensible candidate like Gengar, or Blaziken, there are other choices that seem a bit odd for the mold like Suicune, and Chandelure; and their inclusion only seems to stem out of being unorthodox for the sake of being unorthodox.

The idea of a fighting game has always seemed so granular with the world of Pokémon, and naturally it was only a matter of time, but that’s what strictly makes this game so appealing, is its execution earns that sort of recognition in its own right.

The complexity of this Spin-off’s fight mechanics are crafted in a way that’s reminiscent of the older Smash Bros. titles. The fluidity of fighting is distinguished between two very different types of movement, and perspective; the field phase, and the duel phase. Demanding their own unique detail of attention when it comes to strategy, the Field Phase a filly three-dimensional plane of movement, allowing for players to take advantage of the expanded real estate that they have available to battle with in this form, it can also lend a great deal more to long distance combat, and evasive maneuvering.

While directional input for more advanced techniques from this perspective may seem a bit too simplified to be competitively taken seriously, the interface for moves, and styles between the various fighters are surprisingly deep enough to apply the advanced fundamentals of a fighting game, like frame counting, and space counting; hell whiffing here is even riskier in this mode, and much more difficult to avoid.

The dynamics of the Duel Phase are much more traditional to the fighting mold as it operates on a 2D plane, applying the same sort of pace and rules found in Tekken titles. The hook at work is knowing how to properly transition between these phases through some well-placed combination attacks and skills to chain from one phase, into the next. Aside from these reflexive elements to the combat, the other more advanced components of the gameplay revolve around the counter-system; which in spite of how serviceable it still is, is not always as articulate or responsive, as it should be.

Utilizing the special command button in conjunction with a specific directional input during key points of a physical encounter will react with the corresponding offense it’s meant to respond to, like an overhead strike, or a body blow. Screw the counter up though, and you’re left wide open, and therein lies the issue with the mechanic as it doesn’t always have reliable responsiveness that it should, and in addition to that, the motion of certain attacks can sometimes telegraph an entirely different kind of attack when in fact it isn’t—you could defend that these instances are intentional for the sake of strategy but it really isn’t, it’s just shoddy.

Another way that this title finds a way to blend fan service with its game design are the support Pokemon you can take to scraps with you.

Featuring 15 pairs of monsters that range anywhere from Cubone to Yveltal, deploying these assists can yield a variety of effects that can change the tide of battle, from enhancements and enemy enfeeblements, to outright attacks that’re capable of stomping out whatever sort of momentum your opponent may have had. You’re able to have 3 selected pairs chosen for loadout at any point that you’re competing within a league circuit, or tournament to narrow your choice down between matches, and the variety of tactics available all hinge what sort of fighting style you excel at, or what sort of style you may up against to that same effect.

When it gets down to it though, Pokkén Tournament is solid all-around in terms of being both a Pokémon game, and a fighting game; offering plenty of thrills and enjoyment that’re robust enough to successfully accommodate both camps of players respectively.

While the landscape of fighting games are as sparse on the Wii U as it was on the N64, Pokkén can definitely stand toe to toe with the other competition-heavy multiplayer titles currently thriving on the Wii U like Splatoon, and Super Smash Bros Wii U; definitely make it a point to add this to your collection.