The mobile game Pokémon Masters is planned for release sometime this summer. As a spin-off, the game won’t function exactly like a main series game, but luckily, the game’s various mechanics have recently been explained in detail.
The mechanics of Pokémon Masters were recently detailed in a new post on the official Pokémon website, as well as in a series of videos posted to the Pokémon Masters YouTube channel. A lot of this information was stuff we already more or less knew, so let’s quickly go over the basics: In Pokémon Masters, each Trainer will use one Pokémon as their partner, and the pair of them is called a Sync Pair. The player will put together a team of three Sync Pairs to fight in 3v3 battles. Battles will be fought in real time, with the player being able to use an attack once a Sync Pair’s Move Gauge fills up, which it does automatically over time. A Sync Pair can attack using a Pokémon’s move or use a Trainer move to buff their team or heal. After enough turns have passed, a Sync Pair can use a Sync Move, allowing the Trainer and their Pokémon to combine their strength to unleash a devastating attack. The game will have a single-player campaign as well as a co-op mode, in which the player will team up with two friends to take on battles together, with each player controlling a single Sync Pair.
So now let’s move on to the newer information that was revealed. Like in the mainline games, Sync Pairs in Pokémon Masters will have their strength determined by what level they’re on. Players will be able to participate in Sync Pair Training, which provides the player with daily missions, the completion of which can help your Sync Pairs level up. Of course, winning battles in the single-player campaign will also earn the player’s Sync Pairs experience points. TMs will be in the game, allowing players to teach their Sync Pairs new moves, though the items are referred to as Training Machines, instead of Technical Machines, in this game. Some Sync Pairs have Pokémon that can evolve after reaching a certain level, though this level may not be the same level that Pokémon would evolve at in the mainline games. Each Sync Pair will also have a number of Stars, which determine the Sync Pair’s “potential,” basically acting as a level cap. Players will be able to increase the number of a Sync Pair’s Stars, and therefore its level cap, by using certain items in the game. Players will also be able to level up a Sync Pair’s Sync Moves to make them even more powerful. Sync Pairs can also learn Passive Moves, which basically act as Abilities, giving a Sync Pair certain buffs or conditions that last throughout the battle. Also, the type chart in Pokémon Masters won’t be like the one in the main series games – instead, each Sync Pair will have one or two strengths and only a single weakness, so strategize before jumping into a battle. Each Sync Pair will also have a Role. Sync Pairs with the Strike Role specialize in attacking, while those with the Support Role specialize in buffing their teammates, and those with the Tech Role specialize in debuffing and placing status conditions on opponents.
Pokémon Masters is now available for pre-registration from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Android users in Singapore will be able to access a preview version of the game sometime today (July 24), with this preview version also coming to Canada at some point as well. Pokémon Masters is expected to launch sometime this summer. Though it hasn’t been officially announced by The Pokémon Company, the game’s page on the iOS App Store states that the game is planned for release on August 29.
