Pokkén Tournament is a fighting game developed by Bandai Namco, the team behind Tekken, with The Pokémon Company. It launched in Japanese arcades on July 16, 2015, and came to Wii U on March 18, 2016, worldwide. Sixteen fighters, battles that alternate between Field Phase and Duel Phase, Mega Evolutions through Synergy Burst, and the Ferrum League with the story of Shadow Mewtwo: it is the first big fighting game in the Pokémon series.
It was followed in 2017 by Pokkén Tournament DX on Nintendo Switch, a more complete version that has its own guide.
The guide
- Getting started: our review, the fact sheet, the FAQ and the gallery.
- The content: the 16 fighters and how to unlock them and the 19 stages.
- The game’s history: the arcade version, the updates and the amiibo, the bundle and the controller.
- Our archives: the game on Pokémon France since 2015.
The battle mechanics, the Ferrum League and the Support Pokémon are shared by both versions: they are covered in the Pokkén Tournament DX guide, on the pages Battle Mechanics, Ferrum League and Support Pokémon.
Playing it today
The Wii U’s online services shut down on April 8, 2024, so the Wii U version can now only be played solo or with two players locally. To enjoy the full game and online play, Pokkén Tournament DX on Nintendo Switch is the version to go for.
