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I breathe Shining Force, I eat Final Fantasy Tactics, I sweat Disgaea and I weep tears
of concentrated Yggdra Union. Don’t think too hard about that. So when I heard that...
for whatever reason, Koei Tecmo would be adapting POKEMON... to a TACTICAL RPG... and throwing
in NOBUNAGA’S AMBITION just for the hell of it... I’d say it’s the best idea of
the millenium, but I have to reserve judgement until Persona 4 Arena drops.
So, since this is about as absurd a premise as can possibly be presented, let me drop
some knowledge. There’ve been plenty of games taking place in feudal Japan, so use
that as a starting block. You’ve got warring states all over the place, territories are
changing hands with alarming regularity, and you’ve just been dropped into Hajime-no-kuni
to serve as its new bushou, or military commander. And you’ve got... an Eevee. Assisting you
in your military conquest is Oichi, who... wait. Okay, cute girl with a Jigglypuff. Future
me, can you cut in some footage from that review of Sengoku Basara? Thank you. Man.
That Cofagrigus is getting kinda handsy, if you ask me. The cute-Jigglypuff-wielding version
of Oichi serves as your loyal retainer and guides you through the brutal subjugation
of the surrounding territories, the plundering of their natural resources (vis, wild Pokemon),
and conscription of their able-bodied warriors (and their Pokemon). Each such warlord has
their own Bushou-power that can be used in battle, as well as an elemental proclivity,
enhancing their Link (and thus, combat potential) with a certain type of Pokemon. And, much
like their charges, a well-trained bushou may, upon reaching a very high link level
with their partner of choice... evolve. Yep, class promotion. Just like making Guntz a
Steam Baron. Hells yeah. The downside, though, to all this diversity and potential on the
trainer-side.... is that each Pokemon is limited to a single attack.
I’d use the words “Paradigm Shift,” but that doesn’t nearly do this thing justice.
The diversity in Pokemon types makes for some awesome environmental interaction inside battles
themselves, the art style is a breath of fresh air for a series that had, seemingly, done
it all already, and - almost as to justify Nintendo’s backward stance on online content
- goes past the standard “downloadable Pokemon” concept and offers entire DLC episodes...
for no cost whatsoever. Just kinda makes you want to kick Capcom or Square-Enix in the
teeth. Or let your Eevee do it. As would be more honorable. This was exactly the kind
of strange outlier that could’ve missed a US release, hence this import copy, but
this strange, grid-tastic outing will be hitting the Western world as “Pokemon Conquest.”
An apt title. It might be a little stripped-down if you approach it from the hardcore TRPG
end, but for the Pokemon Master interested in diversifying, it’s a respectable salvo
into a brave new world.