Pokémon Battrio: Difference between revisions

release_date_ja=September 14, 2007 |

Conceived as a joint venture between [[Takara Tomy]] and {{wp|AQ Interactive}}, the development of Pokémon Battrio was announced on April 11, 2007 by Takara Tomy vice president Keita Satoh and AQ Interactive vice president Yoji Ishii. Marketed at a primary audience of 6–12 years, the battle system was stipulated to be much simpler when compared to the [[core series]] of Pokémon games. Battrio was originally scheduled to launch on July 14, 2007, but was pushed back to September 14 the same year. With the release of the Battrio V upgrade in July 2011, all machines and merchandise were branded under the Takary Tomy A.R.T.S. and {{wp|Marvelous AQL}} labels after several company mergers.

New mechanics are often introduced to keep the game alive, and as such, the system itself is upgraded to accommodate these new changes, as well as cosmetic changes to the interface.

*'''Pokémon Battrio Plus''' (Japanese: '''ポケモンバトリオプラス''', stylized ''Pokémon Battrio +'') was rolled out on January 25, 2008 in conjunction with release of the ''{{Battrio|Mewtwo's Challenge}}'' expansion. The upgrade added minor changes to damage calculation and expanded the type table to cover all 17 [[type]]s.

*'''Pokémon Battrio Super''' (Japanese: '''ポケモンバトリオスーパー''', stylized ''Pokémon Battrio S'') was rolled out on July 19, 2008 in conjunction with the release of the ''{{Battrio|Giratina Tremor}}'' expansion. The upgrade featured a major overhaul in terms of damage calculation, brought a number of new mechanics to enhance battle experience, and new battle modes to challenge players.

*'''Pokémon Battrio Zero''' (Japanese: '''ポケモンバトリオゼロ''', stylized ''Pokémon Battrio 0'') was rolled out on July 19, 2009 in conjunction with the release of the ''{{Battrio|Arceus Advent}}'' expansion. The upgrade featured a re-designed interface, added more interaction within battles, and enhanced gameplay mechanics.

Pucks are integral to the gameplay of Pokémon Battrio, as at least one is required to play the game. The pucks themselves are made of high-quality plastic with a 40 mm-diameter and a thickness of 3.4 mm. Each puck portrays one of the fictional Pokémon species along with a set of individual [[Stats|statistics]] such as Hit Points, Attack, Defense, and Speed, as well as types and [[move]]s, just as they feature in the core series of Pokémon games. All of this data is stored on a microdot on the reverse of each puck, which is read into the game when it is positioned over the infrared scanner.

====Statistics====

[[File:Snivy v01 040.png|thumb|200px|right|A typical Battrio puck, as of the Battrio V upgrade]]

With the Battrio V upgrade, all stats are now displayed on the reverse of the puck - only '''Level''' is displayed on the front, which gives a rough indication as to Pokémon's strength. Attack and Defense remain colored red and blue respectively, but Speed is recolored green and is more akin to the original Movement stat than Attack speed. Stats are now displayed in blocks ranging from 1-10, as opposed to 5. Players with Memory Keys can take advantage of the new Level mechanic by increasing [[Type (Battrio)#Type Levels|Type Levels]] through use of Pokémon of a particular type, and "over-level" a Pokémon of that type to increase its stats, indicated by the yellow blocks on the reverse of the puck. All pucks also have an additional '''Feature''', which usually involves the use of other pucks to activate bonuses. Hidden stats Cost, Critical Hit Ratio, and Secret Power are no longer included on pucks from the Battrio V upgrade. Exhaustion is still present, but it is unknown how this is now calculated. New hidden stats include '''Berry Gauge''', which is graded from 1-5 and determines how many Berries a Pokémon requires to attack, and '''Team Gauge''', which is graded from 1-6 and determines how easily collecting Berries will fill up the Team Gauge; 6 requiring more to fill compared to 1.

 

====Types and moves====

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 core 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 core series.

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.

====Rarity====

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 a holographic illustration. Some pucks, particularly in later Battrio 0 expansions had additional aesthetic enhancements such as translucent circumferences and glitter-treated circumferences.

With the Battrio V upgrade, rarity is indicated by stars on the front and reverse of the pucks. Single rarity pucks have no additional features; Double rarity pucks have translucent spin colors and a holographic illustration; Triple rarity pucks have glitter-treated circumferences and a holographic illustration; Fourth rarity pucks have glitter-treated circumferences and a lenticular image illustration, giving a 3D effect; V rarity pucks also have glitter-treated circumferences and a lenticular image, but with a 'moving' attack. The table below lists the current rarities in Battrio.

====Special Abilities====

====Awakening====

====Puck colors and spin colors====

The Battrio 0 upgrade rejects the "arrangement" concept in favor of individual areas of the field called '''Power Zones''' that provide Attack or Defense bonuses, represented by red and blue areas respectively. The positions of Power Zones vary from field to field, but they remain fixed for the course of the match. White Power Zones may also appear during the course of the match that provides both an Attack and Defense bonus.

The Battrio V upgrade no longer features the pre-battle period and the Power Zone mechanic, instead having an overall match timer. Battles are begun by the first Pokémon to accumulate enough Berries to fill up their '''Berry Gauge''', requiring the player to continually move and monitor the Pokémon they wish to use in battle.

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 medals to spend in-game on various {{Battrio|items}} and increases type experience (Type Levels), relative to the types of the Pokémon used in the battle.

* '''Versus:''' The simplest way to get into Battrio is to have a single round VS match against a computer-controlled opponent or against a second player using the 2P section of the arcade machine. As of Battrio V, there is an introduction tutorial from the main menu.

* '''Adventure:''' In Adventure mode, the player can participate in stage-based battles against CPU opponents. Opponents get more difficult as the player progresses. Boss Trainers may also be encountered along the way, akin to [[Gym Leader]]s from the core series Pokémon games. This mode is no longer supported in Battrio V.

* '''Battrio Tower:''' Introduced in the Battrio 0 upgrade, Battrio Tower is designed to be the ultimate test of skill as players are challenged to climb the tower and reach the top. Each floor has one Trainer with a set team of Pokémon (some floors may instead have a Pokémon that leads its own team), each one becoming progressively difficult as the Tower is climbed. Initially, Battrio Tower consisted of 100 floors. This was increased to 250 floors following the release of ''{{Battrio|Challenging the Myths}}'', again to 400 floors with the release of ''{{Battrio|Mewtwo Awakening}}'', and finally to 1000 floors with the release of ''{{Battrio|Great Decisive Battle! Legendary Pokémon}}''. This mode bears some similarities to the various [[Battle Tower]]s in many of the [[core series]] games.

* '''Challenge Battle:''' Also introduced in the Battrio 0 upgrade, Challenge Battles are designed to test a player's knowledge of different Pokémon and their capabilities. Each round has one Trainer with a set team, often featuring a particularly powerful Pokémon, and a pre-selected team of Pokémon for the player to use. There is often a certain strategy players must discover when competing in Challenge Battles. This mode is similar to the various challenges found on [[Battle CD]]s from {{g|XD: Gale of Darkness}}. This mode is no longer supported in Battrio V.

===Memory Keys===

[[File:Battrio Memory Key.png|thumb|right|A Battrio Memory Key, from the Battrio 0 upgrade. Note the cover absent from previous designs.]]

[[File:Memory Key Pachirisu color.png|thumb|200px|left|A "{{p|Pachirisu}}-color" Memory Key from the Battrio S upgrade]]