Takara Tomy Arts and Marvelous announced Pokémon FRIENDA on April 15th, 2024. Pokémon FRIENDA is a new arcade game that follows in the footsteps of Pokémon MEZASTAR.

Introducing a new arcade machine equipped with a touch panel! Pokémon FRIENDA is scheduled to start operating in July of 2024. Touch it! Hit it repeatedly! An intuitive experience for getting Pokémon! High resolution pictures from the press release have been added to an Imageboard thread.

The most impressive large screens ever in the series! Also equipped with a touch panel!

Pokémon FRIENDA is the latest arcade machine where you battle against Pokémon, catch them, and collect FRIENDA Picks (フレンダピック) distributed from the cabinet. While inheriting the feature of the "twin cabinet" that allows you to enjoy simultaneous play that is popular in the currently running Pokémon MEZASTAR, some of gameplay takes advantage of the touch screens, allowing you to experience a higher degree of immersion between the game and real action. Equipped with two 50-inch monitors in one cabinet chassis, you can enjoy exciting games even during normal single play. Furthermore, when tag play (simultaneous play) occurs with the cabinet next to you, the image on the screen connects with the screen on the cabinet next to you, allowing you to enjoy a powerful battle that fill both screens.

The Pokémon you catch will appear as a FRIENDA Pick!

FRIENDA Pick is a small rectangular handout that is easy to hold in your hand, with a large illustration of a Pokémon on the front and various information about the Pokémon printed on the back. The bottom right of the surface has a monster ball engraved on it, so when you hold it in your hand and open it in a fan shape, you can easily spread it apart.

In addition, the FRIENDA Pick has rarities ranging from "Grade 2" to "Grade 5", while the Grade 5 FRIENDA Pick is called a Super Treasure Pokémon (スーパートレジャーポケモン), as it has a special molded color and an impressive appearance. It alkso has as an impressive illustration on it.

Enjoy intuitive operation actions with the touch panel and buttons!

Pokémon FRIENDA is a game where you have 3-on-3 Pokémon battles and collect FRIENDA Picks, which are handout disks. You can play with an intuitive touch panel and buttons, and enjoy actions that make you feel closer to the Pokémon.

Insert 100 yen (tax included) and place your FRIENDA Pick to start a battle with wild Pokémon. You can select which Pokémon to attack by directly touching an allied Pokémon that appears on the touch panel, increase damage by repeatedly pressing a button when performing a move, and perform various actions by operating the touch panel.

As the battle progresses, there will be a time to catch wild Pokémon. If you insert an additional 100 yen at that time and throw a ball, you will be sure to catch at least one of the three wild Pokémon on the screen, and the Pokémon that is caught will be distributed from the arcade cabinet as a FRIENDA Pick. Battles generally last three turns, but special battles that feature powerful Pokémon such as Legendary Pokémon or a Mythical Pokémon may occur in succession.

Tags from Pokémon MEZASTAR

Pokémon FRIENDA allows you to scan some of the Tags that have been distributed in Pokémon MEZASTAR, as well as Pokémon MEZASTAR Memory tags, to obtain special benefits. The plans are to implement features that will allow players who played Pokémon MEZASTAR to have even more fun with the new Pokémon FRIENDA game. Details will be announced on the official page.

Product Overview

Product Name: Pokémon FRIENDA (ポケモンフレンダ)
Form: Arcade Cabinet for kids
Playing fee: 100 yen (including tax) + 100 yen per FRIENDA pick (including tax) / Max. 600 yen per play (including tax)
Number of players: 1 to 2
Operating period: Scheduled for July 2024
Machine size: (W)1237mm x (D)846mm x (H)1796mm / (W)210kg
FRIENDA Picks size: (W)38.9mm x (H)62.9mm x (D)4.2mm
Playing time: approx. 8 to 10 minutes *Depends on playing conditions
Production: Takara Tomy Arts, Marvelous
Sales: TAKARA TOMY, Marvelous
Official HP: https://pokemonfrienda.com
Rights: ©2024 Pokémon. ©1995-2024 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK inc.
Developed by T-ARTS and MARV
Pokémon, Pokémon, Pokémon Monster are registered trademarks of Nintendo/Creatures Inc./Game Freak Inc.

Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000268.000009185.html