Pokémon Tretta is a spin-off arcade game developed by Marvelous AQL and Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., both of which had previously developed Pokémon Battrio. Pokémon Tretta uses a system called Tretta which are little tablets used by the player to use Pokémon in the game, the Pokémon of which the Tretta depict range from Generation I to Generation VI.
Gameplay[]
Tretta are small plastic tiles that are required to play Pokémon Tretta. A Tretta displays a Pokémon, its type, three possible moves it knows, and its stats (HP, Attack, Defense, and Speed). Tretta can only display one Pokémon type, so dual-type Pokémon are set to their primary type.
Tretta also come in different classes, with the lowest to highest classes being Normal, Super, Hyper, Master, Legend, and Ultimate. The first four classes are represented with stars ranging from one star on Normal to four stars on Master. However, Legend and Ultimate Tretta instead have an emblem stating their class. Higher ranking Tretta are also rarer and have stronger Pokémon.
There are three modes to Pokémon Tretta, them being Search Mode, Battle Mode, and Catch Mode. These modes play out in a sequence going from searching for Pokémon, battling them, and then catching them. The player is able to explore various areas to find specific Pokémon.
Search Mode[]
Upon starting Search Mode, the player is put into a game map which will present them with six different locations to search for Pokémon. These various locations include ruins, forests, fields, and other environments. The player is able to select three of the six locations presented at once by turning a dial on the machine.
Once three locations are selected, the player is able to enter them and see what Pokémon reside in the area. Once a Pokémon is encountered, this will prompt Battle Mode.
Battle Mode[]
In Battle Mode, the player is able to insert up to three Tretta into the machine to use in battles. The player's Pokémon will then battle against the three Pokémon encountered through Search Mode throughout three rounds, each round consisting of one Pokémon encountered.
Battles take place in a 3v3 format, pitting all three of the player's Pokémon against wild Pokémon. Similarly to battles in the mainline Pokémon games, type effectiveness is present and Speed determines which of the two Pokémon battling goes first. Players can select an attack from one of their three Pokémon by moving the dial on the machine. Attacks can also gain increased damage through a roulette that appears before they execute their attack. Attacks from opposing Pokémon can also have decreased damage by pressing left and right pads on the machine.
During battles, a meter will fill up on opposing Pokémon when they are attacked. When this meter fills, they will have a chance to be captured. Once all three opposing Pokémon have this meter filled, the game will go into Catch Mode.
Catch Mode[]
Once all three opposing Pokémon can be captured, the battle will end and Catch Mode will start. A roulette displaying Poké Balls and one Master Ball will be begin to spin, with the player needing to stop it by pressing a Poké Ball button on the machine. Normal Poké Balls can also turn into Great Balls or Ultra Balls depending on the amount of Pokémon you have left by the end of the battle.
Once the roulette is stopped, the type of Poké Ball that it has stopped on will be sent out to the three opposing Pokémon in an attempt to catch them. If two or all three of the Pokémon are caught, a selection screen will appear for the player to choose which of the Pokémon to take. Once one is selected, the machine will dispense a Tretta with the caught Pokémon on it and the game ends, prompting the player the option to play again.