DeNA recently revealed full details about their upcoming mobile title, Pokémon Masters, giving expectant fans a complete look at what the game will entail. Although there were a few surprises in what we found out, the most shocking piece of information is that the game may be ready for release later this month!
For those of you wanting to know more, here’s a few of the highlights DeNA has disclosed.
Sync Pairs
Pokémon Masters is all about teamwork, which is where the feature, sync pairs, comes into play.
A sync pair consists of a Trainer and his/her buddy Pokémon, who together will work as one. In this game, your main character will pair up specifically with Pikachu.
During your journey, you and Pikachu will meet many sync pair friends who will make great partners when going into battle. Some of these friends will be brand new to the series, while others will be familiar faces from previous Pokémon titles.
Each sync pair will perform 1 of 3 roles; Strike, Support, or Tech.
– Strike characters are great attackers
– Support characters have high HP & are experts in buffing allies
– Tech characters inflict status conditions & debuff opponents
Sync pairs will specialize in 1 or 2 different types of moves. (i.e. electric type moves). Each pairing can learn up to 4 moves total.
There will be 65 sync pairs in the game upfront, with more being added sometime after release.
Leveling Up
Players will gain experience and level up their sync pairs through winning battles. Each time a sync pair levels up, it will gain in stats.
Although a level cap will be placed on each sync pair, once reached, it can be unlocked with the use of a special item.
Pokémon Evolution
In order to be able to evolve a Pokémon, a Trainer will have to reach a certain level in the game and complete a sync pair storyline specific to that monster. Once your monster has evolved to its final form, it will learn a brand new move.
Passive Skills
As players progress through the story, they’ll be able to unlock passive skills for the sync pairs on their team. These will vary widely in effect and automatically activate in battle once learned.
Here are just a few examples:
Endurance – Endure an overwhelming attack with 1 HP left
Power Reserves 2 – Power up moves in a pinch
Clearheaded – Prevent Pokémon from becoming confused
Battling System
The battling system will be a real time, 3-on-3 format. Teams will not consist of 3 individuals though, but rather 3 sync pairs. This is where knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents as well as your sync pair allies will come in handy.
During a fight, it will be crucial that you pick which twosome has the best move to strike against the enemy. Since all 3 sync pairs on your team share the same move gauge (which allows for hits against the opponent to be made) it’s essential that each move counts.
Some moves will be familiar such as X Attack while others will be new to the series. Several will use up portions of the move gauge while others will not.
Every now and then, a sync move will become available. Use this move type at just the right time and your enemy won’t know what hit him.
This is not Pokémon GO
If you’re expecting to find and collect Pokémon during your journey, you will be a bit disappointed as none will be found in the wild. On the upside, you will be able to add Pokémon Trainers and their buddies to your collection of friends as you meet them along the way.
Playing with Friends
After achieving level 10 in Story Mode, players will unlock the ability to play co-op with 2 other friends against AI enemies. Work as a team to charge the unity gauge during a fight and pull off super effective, extremely powerful Unity Attacks, which are only available in this mode of the game.
For those of you looking to compete against your fellow players, unfortunately, PvP will not be an option.
Pre-registration for Pokémon Masters is now open for both iOS & Android devices. A tentative release date is set for August 29th. The game will be a free download with in-app purchases.
See a plethora of trailers & read much more about Pokémon Masters on the official website.
Sources: DeNA, The Pokémon Company
