Overview
Pokken gameplay takes place in 2 phases: Field Phase and Duel Phase. In Field Phase, characters can move in any direction, and there is a focus on ranged combat and gathering Synergy. On the other hand, Duel Phase is more akin to a traditional fighter, and this is where the bulk of your damage will be dealt. Upon landing certain attacks, the phase will change from Field Phase to Duel Phase. This is what’s known as a phase shift, and it happens very often, making for dynamic battles.
Field Phase
Every round of Pokken starts in Field Phase. In this phase, players can walk or dash freely in every direction, as well as jump. All characters retain access to their Counter Attack and grab, as well as their neutral, forward, and back Pokemon Moves. In addition, each character has a wealth of ranged attacks and a Homing Attack, placing a focus on mid to long ranged combat.
Ranged Attacks
Each character has 4 ranged attacks - 1 for each direction, including no direction - as well as a jumping ranged attack, performed by pressing Y. Not all ranged attacks are projectiles; some of them simply cover a lot of space. Ranged attacks all have greatly varied frame data, as well as special properties. For example, ranged attacks with the “Link Up” property can be chained into other specific ranged attacks.
Homing Attack
The aforementioned Homing Attack is a core mechanic of Field Phase. By pressing X, the character will run towards the opponent. This run can be initially steered, but beyond that, neither the direction nor the speed of the run can be changed at any point. The run can be canceled by jumping or blocking. Upon reaching the opponent, the run transitions into an attack. Depending on the character, this attack either has 1 or 2 followups. The last hit of every Homing Attack can be charged to increase damage, pierce armor, and cause a guard break. Each character’s Homing Attack has a set run speed and attack priority. A list of all Homing Attack properties can be found [here].
Duel Phase
In Duel Phase, ranged attacks and Homing Attack are traded for a more traditional toolkit. Here, characters are restricted to a 2D plane, with dashing and jumping retained. In most cases, matches will shift to close quarters here. Instead of ranged attacks and Homing Attack, Y and X are mapped to Weak Attack and Strong Attack. If you input a certain move multiple times, like each character’s Weak Attack, your character will perform a combo ending in a Pokemon Move.
Stances
Something interesting to note is that by pressing up on the D-Pad, your character will not jump. Instead, holding up or down on the D-Pad, you can enter High Stance or Low Stance respectively. Each character’s High and Low Stances have different properties. Both Weak and Strong Attacks can be performed from stances as well. As a general rule: - High Stance Weak Attack: high attack that is invulnerable to other high attacks; often used for anti airs - High Stance Strong Attack: character goes airborne, becoming invulnerable to lows and grabs - Low Stance Weak Attack: quick low attack - Low Stance Strong Attack: low attack that is invulnerable to highs; always causes a knockdown Also, in Duel Phase, many characters get new Pokemon Moves by holding up or down and pressing A.
Shifting the Phase
There are many different ways to change between phases. As a general rule, in Field Phase, all forward ranged attacks and Homing Attacks will cause a phase shift upon connecting with their last hit. Beyond that, many characters’ Pokemon Moves will immediately phase shift in Field Phase as well. Shifting from Duel Phase to Field Phase is drastically different. Each move in Duel Phase has a fixed amount of Phase Shift points, shortened to PSP. On hit, each move’s PSP amount will be added to an unseen counter. When the counter reaches 12 PSP, the phase will shift. Additionally, any combo will cause a phase shift on the 21st hit regardless of PSP.*
- Note: some grabs count as 1 hit, regardless of what the hit counter displays.