The demo version of Pokkén Tournament DX is already live on the Japanese eShop for Nintendo Switch. While North America waits for the demo to be released (at around 9 pm PST tonight,) we downloaded the Japanese demo to get a feel for the game’s presentation on the Switch.
Welcome (or Welcome Back)
The first thing players might notice when launching the demo is how tutorialized the experience is. Nintendo seems to make a great effort here to quickly familiarize new players with Pokkén Tournament DX. Panels explain some of the core control functions even before you get the option to play the actual tutorial itself. Seasoned players can skip these sections without too much difficulty, which is good since they load every single time you hop to the title screen.
This is very much intentional, I think, and sends a pretty clear message that Nintendo is determined to bring new players into the Pokkén Tournament fold. It’s no secret that the original Wii U version of the game suffered pretty heavy abandonment after launch. A fresh start on the Switch, with plenty of new Poke-fans on the line, may just be what Pokkén Tournament DX needs to really shine.
I was surprised to find that unlike other Switch demos we’ve seen until now, this is a limited trial. An alert pops up before accessing the battle options, letting you know that you can only start 15 battles during the demo. This limit extends to both single player and local battles. If you want to try the game with a friend, try not to burn through them all before you meet up with them. That said, it seems that you can bypass the limit by deleting the demo’s save data from your switch. Launching again after this should reset the counter.
I choose 3 of you!
15 tries should be plenty, though, as there are only 3 Pokemon to choose from in the trial version. Players can jump into battle with Pikachu, Charizard, and newcomer Empoleon.
Pikachu is as lightning-fast as ever, playing the entire field with blistering combos and some pretty devastating electric attacks. Charizard and Empoleon are heavier, slower fighters, but they both have some devastating moves that make them feel like a force to be reckoned with. The game doesn’t seem to have changed much for these characters. Veteran Pokken fighters should feel right at home with these standby Pokemon, and new players should find them accessible and fun as cornerstone faces from the franchise.
I found Empoleon almost achingly slow to control at first; the unfamiliar move set feels a little like fighting with weighted gloves. After a bit of warm-up, though, his mobility starts to shine through, with lateral and aerial movement setting him up for heavy combos. His synergy burst seems to even change his attack types from Water to Ice, though it’s hard to say if this really gives him an advantage beyond the damage boost inherent to synergy burst for all Pokemon.
Making the Switch
Overall, the demo seems to reinforce what I’d hoped for since Pokkén Tournament DX was announced; the game feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. It runs beautifully and looks great on the smaller handheld screen. The controls are still accessible, and the ease of bringing on a second player for local fights is as natural as it should be.
It’s obvious already that there will be optimal ways to play the game, especially if for those wanting to get competitive. The joy-cons are acceptable for casual play, but the smaller buttons and general layout of the joy-cons in handheld mode make the analog sticks feel like a liability, and the smaller L and R paddles aren’t exactly ideal.
Splitting the joy-cons up for local multiplayer is predictably sub-optimal. The individual joy-cons are cramped and limit precision input, especially for the crucial L and R buttons. If you want to play with a friend regularly, I’d advise bringing a second set of joy-cons or an extra Pro controller along.
That leaves the Pro controller or the licensed Pokken pro pad as likely preferred controllers. The Pokken pad is actually modeled off of the exact controller used for the Japanese arcade version of the game and has been fairly well received by players since it was released for the Wii U version. Plus, the Wii U pro pads also are confirmed to work with the Nintendo Switch, so grabbing one of these during a sale may be worth it if you can find it.
Based solely on the demo experience, Pokken Tournament DX feels like a welcome addition to the Switch’s growing roster of fighting games. We’ll have to wait for the game’s full release in September to know for sure how the fighter balance has changed and to see more of the game’s single-player and online features. Still, the game feels well-constructed and comfortable on the Switch itself, and the demo has certainly left me wanting more.
Pokkén Tournament DX will be available on September 22nd, pre-order today!
