Pokkén Tournament came out on March 18, 2016 on Wii U, on the same day worldwide. After a notable run in Japanese arcades, the fighting game from Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company was finally arriving in Europe. Pokémon France had given it 17 out of 20 at the time. Ten years later, and since the release of the Switch version, what is left of the Wii U version?
Pokémon, Tekken style
The principle hasn’t changed since: a one-on-one fighting game, with Pokémon fighting like they do in the anime, under the guidance of the Tekken team. Battles alternate between a Field Phase, in three dimensions, where you circle the opponent while launching ranged attacks, and a Duel Phase, in side view, devoted to close combat. An attack triangle, Normal Attack, Grab, Counter Attack, makes the game readable, and the Synergy Gauge lets Pokémon Mega Evolve in the middle of a fight.
At launch, we praised a game “absolutely insane in its nervousness and power,” easy to pick up thanks to simplified button combinations, but deep enough for fighting game veterans. That judgment still holds: Pokkén remains the most accomplished Pokémon fighting game.
Sixteen fighters
The Wii U version offers sixteen fighters, from Pikachu to Shadow Mewtwo, including Lucario, Gardevoir, Machamp, Suicune and Gengar, and a brand-new Pikachu Libre, added for the console release. Mewtwo and Shadow Mewtwo are unlocked over the course of the Ferrum League, or right from the start for Shadow Mewtwo thanks to the amiibo card given to the first buyers. It is a small roster for a fighting game, and it was never expanded on Wii U.
The GamePad, a good idea and a bad one
On Wii U, two-player battles are played with one player on the GamePad and the other on the TV with a conventional controller. Each has their own view, with no split screen, an elegant solution. On the other hand, the GamePad itself is not the ideal controller for a fighting game; HORI’s Pokkén controller, wired and modeled on the arcade one, quickly becomes a must for regular players.
The Ferrum League
The solo mode has the player climb the leagues of the Ferrum region, from the Green League to the Iron League, with Shadow Mewtwo’s story as the common thread. On Wii U, it also serves to unlock Support Pokémon, stages and fighters, which gives progression a goal. But the battles are samey and the story fits into a few scenes.
What is missing, in hindsight
The Switch version, released in September 2017, took everything over and added a lot: five fighters at launch, four of which had already been in Japanese arcades since 2016, team battles, online group matches, a daily challenge, a customizable avatar. The Wii U version, for its part, never received the arcade fighters: its updates were limited to fixes and balancing.
Presentation
Our 2016 review judged the presentation “decent”: Pokkén Tournament wasn’t the best-looking game on Wii U, but its highly detailed, carefully animated fighters and its dynamic camera made the battles spectacular. The game favors smoothness, essential in a fighting game. The arenas of the Ferrum region are varied, from Ferrum Stadium to Phos Volcano, and the sound design supports the action well.
Online play, back then
From 2016 to 2024, the Wii U version offered friendly battles and ranked battles, with a ranking based on points earned. Update 1.3 of June 2016 was mandatory to access them. The game quickly found a competitive community, backed by the Pokémon Championships, which included it as early as 2016. Since the Wii U’s online services shut down on April 8, 2024, only solo and local battles remain possible.
Reception
The press received the game well, with an average of 76 out of 100 on Metacritic. In Japan, it took the top spot in sales for its release week with 72,502 copies according to Famitsu, a very good score for a Wii U game.
Playing it today
The Wii U is no longer sold, its eShop closed in 2023 and its online services in April 2024: the Wii U version can now only be played offline, and is found as a used boxed copy. But there is hardly any reason to prefer it over Pokkén Tournament DX on Nintendo Switch, which is more complete and still playable on Nintendo Switch 2. The Wii U version remains a collector’s piece, and a testament to the beginnings of a Pokémon fighting game that managed to find its audience.
Our verdict
Pokkén Tournament on Wii U laid solid foundations and remains an excellent fighting game. But the Switch version, Pokkén Tournament DX, has superseded it in every respect: it is the one to choose today. Our 2016 score was 17 out of 20.
What we like
- A real fighting game, fast and accessible
- The original phase system
- Spectacular fighters
- Local multiplayer with two separate views
What we like less
- Only sixteen fighters
- A repetitive solo mode
- Never enriched with the arcade fighters
- Entirely surpassed by the DX version on Switch
