As the 20th anniversary of the spectacular Pokémon series has come and gone, we’re left with a fantastic piece of memorabilia to celebrate the momentous occasion. From a Japanese-only release to a multi-billion dollar video game series spawning critical acclaim across the world, “Pokken Tournament” serves as that memorable piece. “Pokken” is a fighting game collaboration come alive by Nintendo and the brilliant minds behind the “Tekken” series at Bandai Namco. And now, we bear witness to a Pokémon game that fans have wanted for decades.

“Pokken Tournament,” as the name suggests, takes certain Pokémon spanning all six generations of games and pits them against one another to see who will reign supreme. Free from the restrictive nature of sprites, RPG elements and handheld platforms, “Pokken” gives these creatures a breath of fresh air – along with the freedom to move and attack whenever they please.

“Pokken” takes place in the Ferrum region and the roster boasts 16 characters to choose from. Some are old favorites, such as Pikachu and Charizard, while others, such as Braixen, hail from the newest games in the series, “X” and “Y.”

Appealing to traditional fighting game fanatics and newcomers, “Pokken Tournament” promotes an easy learning curve for casual players, but conceals an array of deep mechanics reminiscent of the “Tekken” and “Street Fighter” series. Each Pokemon has a wide assortment of attacks and moves that cater to all playstyles.

During battle, there are two modes of play: field and duel phases. Upon starting a match, players fight against each other in a fully 3D environment, free to throw out ranged attacks at their leisure or call on assist Pokemon to aid them in the fray. This is the field phase. If you’re feeling lucky, you can close the gap and initiate close quarters combat, which would then trigger the duel phase to occur.

Duel phase reverts the battle field to a traditional horizontal plane. From there, the Pokemon can rack up damage against each other using ridiculous combo-heavy moves and charge up their Synergy Gauges for the opportunity to use a Burst Attack – a Pokemon’s trump card – which can quickly end the round. With certain moves being thrown, the match can instantly revert back to field phase.

When not in battle, trainers can customize their avatars, practice combos in training mode, or participate in the Ferrum League, which is “Pokken’s” single-player campaign. As a rookie trainer your goal is to advance your rank and tackle any challenges you face as you make your way to the top. Advancing up in the league yields prizes – such as new assist Pokemon – and other unlockable content.

“Pokken Tournament’s” most attractive characteristic, aside from the gameplay itself, is inarguably the online mode. One can participate in friendly battles to ease into the world of battling, or try ranked battles against other players across the planet. There are also leaderboards to help distinguish top players and veterans from others. With no issues or connection problems to speak of.

“Pokken” excels in more than one way across the board. With it’s fun, innovative and creative gameplay taking charge and bringing fans a game they’ll surely play for years.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5