Pokémon Battrio: Difference between revisions

Pokémon Battrio operates on a {{wp|List of Sega arcade system boards#Triforce|Triforce}} arcade system and uses cel-shaded graphics. The machine costs ¥100 to operate for each player; a random puck is also dispensed from the machine per coin inserted. The console itself has only two buttons for each player; an orange button that is used to cycle through options in the game, and a larger yellow button used to confirm commands and interact with certain gameplay mechanics. Above these are 4x4 grids that the pucks are placed on and manipulated, as their positioning directly influences the positioning of the Pokémon on the in-game battlefield. Between these grids in the center of the console is the infrared scanner used for scanning in pucks.<br>

The stats displayed on the lower segment of each puck give a general indication as to how powerful a Pokémon is. The '''Attack''' (colored red) and '''Defense''' (colored blue) are displayed in blocks ranging from 1-5; 5 being more powerful than 1. This is only a rough indication, as each stat is a numerical value. Attack and Defense provide the base for all damage calculation in battles. The '''HP''' value in the center of these (above Defense prior to Battrio 0) shows how much a particular Pokémon will contribute to the overall HP of the team.<br>

In Battrio 0, the upper segment also displays the Pokémon's '''Speed''' (colored light blue). The principle remains the same as Attack and Defense, though Speed determines how quickly a Pokémon can attack, and in Battrio 0, whether it attacks first or second.<br>

There are also a number of stats not displayed on pucks that each Pokémon possesses. '''Cost''' is a value rated by stars and is proportionately linked to the puck rarity. Pokémon with higher costs are often more powerful and will therefore suffer more as a result of '''Exhaustion'''. Exhaustion is a graded numerical value based on the cost rating and determines how much Attack and Defense a Pokémon will lose once it has launched an attack. It may take several turns for the Pokémon to fully recover. The '''Critical Hit Ratio''' is also proportionately linked to puck rarity. Rarer more powerful Pokémon will have a lower Critical Hit Ratio compared to that of weaker ones. Successfully landing a Critical Hit will have 120% effectiveness. '''Movement''' determines how quickly a Pokémon will move on-screen when pucks are moved. Pokémon can either be slow, normal, or fast. Some Pokémon may also have a '''Secret Power''', which gives a small Attack or Defense bonus depending on their position of the field.<br>

A Pokémon's type is indicated by the symbol to the left of the puck name on the upper segment. Its type determines what move types it will be weak against or resistant to in battle. The 17 types featured in Pokémon Battrio are the same as those found in the main series Pokémon games, as well as their individual strengths and weaknesses. Notable type additions include the Full-Plate and Eleven-Plate, both of which are used exclusively on {{p|Arceus}} pucks, in relation to the [[plate]]s that can be attached to it in the main series.<br>

Each Pokémon has only one move, as opposed to four in the main series. From the ''{{Battrio|Darkrai Invasion}}'' expansion onwards, the move is displayed to the right of the puck name on the upper segment. Prior to Battrio 0, moves were always of the same type as the Pokémon, but from the upgrade onwards, moves could be of types other than the Pokémon's type, allowing for more interesting battle tactics. The ''{{Battrio|Great Gathering of Legendary & Mirage Pokémon! Explosive Double Moves}}'' expansion enhanced this further by introducing Pokémon that could be one of up to two types with two different moves.<br>

Some pucks may also have a '''Bonus''', which has a move or [[ability]] attributed to it. These are not displayed on pucks like the normal move and have a small effect on stats (either on the Pokémon using it or the target Pokémon) during damage calculation. Bonus was no longer included with pucks from the Battrio V upgrade.

As with most games that have a collection element, the pucks in Pokémon Battrio have several levels of rarity across each expansion, as more powerful Pokémon are inherently rarer than weaker ones. Rarity in Battrio is displayed by featuring the designs of different [[Poké Ball]]s on the reverse of pucks, and their primary color schemes on the outer circumference on both sides. Each expansion features four core rarities: Normal, Super, Hyper, and Master, represented by a Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball and Master Ball respectively. As the development of Battrio has continued, other Poké Ball designs have been used on special promotional pucks, or on secret pucks included in main expansions. Typically, all Hyper and Master pucks have holographic illustration. Some pucks, particularly in later Battrio 0 expansions had additional aesthetic enhancements such as translucent circumferences and glitter-treated circumferences.<br>

Upon starting a battle, the player has 60 seconds to scan in up to three Battrio pucks using the infrared scanner in the center of the console. The data is then transferred and each respective Pokémon will appear on screen. If the player has only one or two pucks, the game will assign random Pokémon to make the deficit. Players can scan two pucks portraying the same Pokémon as long as they are different in terms of stats or abilities. One could have a {{OBP|Turtwig|01-016}} from ''{{Battrio|Dialga and Palkia Clash}}'' and a {{OBP|Turtwig|02-022}} from ''{{Battrio|Darkrai Invasion}}'', but not two Turtwig from ''Dialga and Palkia Clash'' for example.<br>

After scanning each puck, the player must then move them onto the 4x4 grid. When the player has finished scanning their pucks, the battle is ready to begin.<br>

Before the actual battle phase, there is a pre-battle period indicated by a time bar in which players can arrange the positions of their Pokémon on the field. From the Battrio S upgrade onwards, berries will also drop randomly on each side of the field that players can move their Pokémon over to collect and increase their '''Fervor Gauge''' (see Battling).<br>

Unlike Pokémon battles in the core games, the HP displayed on each puck is used to create one overall HP bar, as opposed to belonging to individual Pokémon. The way in which battles are conducted depends on the version of Pokémon Battrio the console is running, but will end once either the HP of one player is depleted or if time is up. In the instance of battles reaching the allotted time, the winner is decided by the player with the most HP remaining. Winning in battles earns the player money to spend in-game on various items and increases type experience, relative to the types of the Pokémon used in the battle.<br>

Instead of players attacking in alternate rounds, both players attack per round with two consecutive battles. In previous versions the player simply selected one of their Pokémon on the field to attack with, now the stats for each Pokémon are displayed for both players and each player must select one of their Pokémon within the 9 second time limit. This method puts more emphasis on anticipating your opponent to try and gain an advantage.<br>

The order of the attacks in each round is determined by the Pokémon with the highest Speed stat. As with previous versions, Attack/Defense bonuses, type advantages and Special Ability bonuses come into effect when calculating damage. A new feature in Battrio 0 is a slider that appears under the type icon of each Pokémon. The valid hit area of the slider depends on the type advantage/disadvantage of the attacking Pokémon, though the principle for each player remains the same: the closer to the center of the bar the marker is when the player hits the confirm button, the better the Attack or Defense bonus they will gain. Hitting the white line exactly in the center (called '''Great Success''') gives a maximum boost. Once all of the calculations have been completed, the difference in damage is taken from the HP of the loser of that battle. The process then repeats for the slower of the two Pokémon.<br>

Another new feature to Battrio 0 is '''[[Advent (Battrio)|Advent]]''', which acts as a 'finishing move' of sorts. If a player is leading by a considerable margin, they can choose to activate Advent when the symbol appears below their HP bar, triggering a short animation in which they have to press the confirm button just as the two halves of the Advent symbol merge. Successfully triggering Advent will summon a random Pokémon to inflict extra damage to the opponent.<br>

A Pokémon that fills its Berry Gauge will initiate a battle. Instead of choosing an opponent, the attacking Pokémon goes up against all three opponent Pokémon. This phase is called the '''Type Battle'''. During this phase, three slider bars similar to the one introduced in Battrio 0 will appear displaying the types of the participating Pokémon. The player then has to hit the confirm button for each of these bars to determine if they will create a '''Danger Zone''' for their opponent to avoid. Hitting outside of the green area will not generate a Danger Zone; anywhere inside will generate a normal size Danger Zone. Hitting the red area (Great Success) will generate a larger than normal Danger Zone. The opponent then has just under three seconds to maneuver their pucks to avoid any Danger Zones before the attack commences (if all Danger Zones are strayed into, the timer is bypassed). Danger Zones appear as circles with a red 'X', but change to red pointed circles with 'キケン' ''danger'', when Pokémon stray into their path. The attack then commences, and damage is dealt to all three opposing Pokémon. Differences in Attack, Defense, type advantages/disadvantages and potential extra damage for Pokémon straying into Danger Zones is all taken into effect, but is not displayed as explicitly as previous Battrio versions. The total damage for all three Pokémon is displayed in the bottom corner of the screen and is the overall damage dealt to the opponent's HP bar. The process then continues until another Pokémon has filled its Berry Gauge.<br>

Collecting berries will also fill up the '''Team Gauge'''. For teams of Pokémon that have the same spin colors, filling the Team Gauge up to the point indicated by a colored puck will allow the player to perform a '''{{Battrio|Spin Attack}}'''. For teams of Pokémon that have the same base puck colors, filling the Team Gauge up to the point indicated by the '''Advent''' symbol will summon one of a selection of powerful Pokémon depending on the base color.<br>

'''Memory Keys''' (Japanese: '''メモリーキー''' ''Memory Key'')  are memory-saving devices that are inserted into the arcade console. Sold at a retail price of about ¥600, while they are not necessary in order to play the game, they become essential for progressing through some modes.<br>