New Battles
I imagine it was quite a challenge adjusting the game to the new Fairy type Pokémon.
(heartfelt) It was so much work... But adding a new type of Pokémon allowed us to review the overall balance from the ground up, and as a result it became easier to raise Pokémon. Thinking about the benefits, it was a great opportunity.
How about you, Ishihara-san? Aside from adjusting the balance of the game, the appearance of a new type must have had a big influence on you as the longstanding producer of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.6 6. Pokémon Trading Card Game: A collectible two-player card game that represents the worlds of the Pokémon series.
That's right. Everyone was vexed over it for about half a year! (laughs)
If you can find a sure way to win, it stops being fun to play, so you had to redevise the whole thing so players couldn't simply find a surefire winning technique.
Right. But even in the card game, the Dragon type was very strong, so when it came to having a force that can compete with that, I was all open arms. Everyone was excited about the chance to design new specs for the first time in a while.
Oh, I see. They said, "This is hard! This is hard!" But at the same time, were they excited and smiling as they adjusted it because they were able to design the new specs for the first time in a long time?
Yes. And previous Pokémon like Jigglypuff appear this time as the new Fairy type, which was also very refreshing.
Along with the addition of the new Fairy type this time, there are new battles called Sky Battles7 and Horde Encounters8, so the gameplay would change a lot, too.
7. Sky Battles: These are aerial battles for which only Flying-type Pokémon and some others are eligible. It is possible to have Sky Battles against trainers in a different place.
8. Horde Encounters: This is a type of battle in which you take on multiple wild Pokémon at once. If you can defeat many Pokémon at once, it's a great chance to give your Pokémon a growth spurt.
That's right. As for Horde Encounters, we tried to create a sense of life.
You mean of how the Pokémon live?
Yes. We thought it would be interesting to get a glimpse of how the Pokémon live.
As in nature, animals often group up.
Right. In Horde Encounters, five Pokémon may suddenly show up, but if you observe closely, they each have different characteristics, so you may think, "I'm going to capture that female." In this way, you can enjoy battles of a different nature than before.
You can also enjoy the tactics, right?
Yes.
For the Sky Battles, in addition to Flying-type Pokémon, Floating-type Pokémon can participate as well. Because of Sky Battles, you have to adapt team lineups that you thought were impregnable, which was fun when I tried it.
You think about your Pokémon team composition, and even if you think it will be all right, there's this new situation of aerial battles, causing you to rethink your composition.
Yes. For example, some people who like the Ghost type may assume that you can't use them in Sky Battles and give up. But if you try one, you might be able to use it.
Oh, because they can levitate.
Right. Something to look forward to this time is making new discoveries about which Pokémon you can use in Sky Battles.