When Nintendo and The Pokémon
Company gave the go-ahead to mobile developer Niantic for “Pokémon
Go,” it was a testing of the waters and a leap of faith. This endeavor would
take the successful handheld game franchise and make it widely available to
mobile gamers worldwide. The 2016 debut of the app smashed all expectations. And
although the current player-base is smaller compared to the early days, the
longevity of a mobile “Pokémon” videogame was proven. Now, Nintendo is teaming up
with another developer to bring the wonder of “catching ‘em all” to a new
audience with a new app.
IGN tells us that “Pokémon Masters,” a new mobile app based
on the iconic monster-catching game franchise, is soon to release later this
summer. “Masters” is being developed by Japanese mobile game company DeNA,
which already has a sizable library of titles from various franchises in their
country and the US. That includes popular Nintendo apps like “Super Mario Run”
and “Fire Emblem Heroes.” Fan interest in “Pokémon Masters” is already high due
to the game featuring a great many memorable characters of the franchise, both
from the original videogames and also from the long-running anime series, all
mixed together.
The general plot for “Masters”
concerns all the famous Pokémon trainers, gym leaders and masters
from the Pokémon
world being invited to a grand battle royal tournament in the new region of
Pasio. Players will have control over creating a Pokémon battling team composed of
about three “sync pairs” – a famous franchise human character and their
signature Pokémon partner. Examples include videogame hero Red (the
basis of anime hero Ash Ketchum) and Charizard, or Cerulean Gym leader Misty
from Kanto region with her Starmie. The launch of the app will start with a
possible 65 sync pairs available to recruit via rolling, a mobile staple.
Unlike the traditional turn-based
combat system of most “Pokémon” games, this one will have versus matches of teams
with three sync pairs each, battling each other in real-time. Both player and
AI foes will be moving and using attacks at the same time, requiring perfect
timing to both evade and land attacks. The trainer halves of the sync pairs can
then be commanded to use items to heal and support their partner Pokémon,
and the overall goal is, as usual, to be the very best that no one ever was.
There have been a slew of new Pokémon-related
apps announced by Nintendo as far back as last month. “Pokémon
Masters” is only the latest addition, slated for summer 2019. It is described
as a free game with optional in-app purchases, and will be available for both Android
and iOS devices.
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