Pokémon Conquest, called Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition in Japan (ポケモン+ノブナガの野望, Pokemon Purasu Nobunaga no Yabō), is a 2012 strategy video game created by Tecmo Koei and released by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The game combines elements from the Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition series. It was first released in Japan on March 17, 2012, and later released in North America, Australia, and Europe the same year.
The idea to combine these two series came partly because Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company, enjoyed playing Nobunaga's Ambition. Tecmo Koei handled the game’s programming, artwork, graphics, and sound, while both companies worked together on design plans and ideas. When translating the game into English, the designers decided to keep Japanese names and terms to preserve the game’s unique cultural setting.
Gameplay
The player, who is joined by an Eevee, explores the Ransei Region (ランセ地方, Ranse-chihō) by making friends with Pokémon and fighting Warriors (ブショー, Bushō) and Warlords (ブショーリーダー, Bushō Rīdā) to take control of the region. After defeating Warriors and Warlords, they can join the player's team, giving the player access to more Pokémon. The game uses a turn-based strategy system, similar to a tactical role-playing game, which is different from the main Pokémon series. In this game, each Pokémon can use only one move, chosen based on its species, such as Excadrill using its special move, Drill Run. Only 200 of the 649 Pokémon available at the time of release are included in the game.
Instead of catching Pokémon through the usual method, players participate in a minigame where a Warrior tries to connect with a wild Pokémon by pressing buttons in time with a display, similar to a dance game. The traditional leveling system is replaced by a system called "link," which is a percentage that increases up to a maximum value and affects a Pokémon's battle abilities. Each Warrior has a natural preference for certain types of Pokémon, which helps them achieve a higher link percentage with those types. Warriors and Warlords can form a "perfect link" with one evolutionary family of Pokémon, allowing them to connect completely with those Pokémon. Some Warlords can also form links with legendary Pokémon. A Warlord's outfit often looks like one of their "perfect link" Pokémon.
The usual way Pokémon evolve is changed in this game. Instead of reaching a specific level, Pokémon evolve by meeting certain conditions, such as reaching a specific link percentage, winning a battle in a particular kingdom, or achieving a certain stat value. Warlords can also evolve by meeting conditions like reaching a specific link percentage with a Pokémon. However, Warlords cannot evolve until after the main story is completed.
Plot
Pokémon Conquest is based on a legend that says the person who unites all 17 kingdoms of the Ransei region will have the chance to meet Arceus, a Legendary Pokémon believed to have created the region. This legend caused a conflict in the region and ended a time of peace. The main character, the Warlord of the Aurora kingdom, meets a girl named Oichi, who explains that Oda Nobunaga wants to use Arceus' power to destroy Ransei. The player-character defeats Nobunaga, unites the region, and battles Arceus and Nobunaga again. After winning, the player learns that Nobunaga planned to destroy Arceus to unite Ransei and end the conflict, but decides not to because the player is not connected to Arceus. The kingdoms are then given back to their rightful owners.
Development
The development of Pokémon Conquest began because the creators of Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition shared an interest. The president of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, especially liked Nobunaga's Ambition. He asked the Pokémon team about combining the two series and asked Hisashi Koinuma to help create the project. Tecmo Koei, which owns Nobunaga's Ambition, helped design the game, including programming, art, graphics, and sound. The design documents and ideas were created together by the teams. Koinuma said the most challenging part was making sure the game was fun and appealing to Pokémon fans. The game was developed by Osamu Mieda.
The game was first revealed at Shueisha's "Jump Festa" anime and manga event on December 17, 2011. Nintendo and Tecmo Koei announced the game during the event and said it would be released in 2012. On April 4, 2012, it was announced on Pokemon.com that Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition would be released in the United States on June 18, 2012, as Pokémon Conquest. Seth McMahill, an Assistant Manager of Product Marketing at Nintendo, said the English localization process was not difficult. The Pokémon Company International handled the localization near Nintendo's headquarters. The localizers discussed how accurate the localization should be, such as using Japanese terms and names. They decided not to change these elements. McMahill said that Japanese characters having English names would seem strange. There were also discussions about marketing the game. McMahill said strategy role-playing games were less popular outside of Japan, and there were worries about making it appealing to young players. They ultimately chose the marketing angle of "A new way to play Pokémon." The game was released in Japan on March 17, 2012, in North America on June 18, in Australia on June 21, and in Europe on July 27.
Reception
Pokémon Conquest received positive reviews and had a score of 80/100 on Metacritic. Famitsu reviewers noted that the game is easy for young players to learn, offers many opportunities to play again, and combines Pokémon with a traditional Japanese historical setting. Multiple websites, including IGN, GamesRadar+, and Nintendo Life, consider it one of the best Nintendo DS games.
According to Japanese video game sales analysis Media Create, Conquest sold the most copies in its first week of release in Japan, with over 172,000 copies sold. By the end of 2012, the game had sold more than 341,000 copies in Japan.