Pokémon Conquest, known in Japan as Pokémon + Nobunaga's Ambition (Pokemon Purasu Nobunaga no Yabō), is a 2012 tactical role-playing video game created by Tecmo Koei and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The game combines elements from the Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition video game series. It was 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, enjoys Nobunaga's Ambition. Tecmo Koei handled programming, art, graphics, and sound, while both companies worked together on planning and ideas for the game. When translating the game into English, the designers decided to keep Japanese names and terms because removing them would make the game’s setting feel unfamiliar.
Gameplay
The player, traveling with an Eevee, moves across the Ransei Region (ランセ地方, Ranse-chihō) to make friends with Pokémon and fight Warriors (ブショー, Bushō) and Warlords (ブショーリーダー, Bushō Rīdā). By defeating these fighters, the player can add them to their team, which helps them gain access to more Pokémon. The game uses a turn-based strategy system, similar to a tactical role-playing game (RPG), which is different from the main-series Pokémon games. In this game, each Pokémon can use different attacks and move in unique ways. Warriors and Warlords also have special abilities that help their Pokémon during battles, but these abilities can only be used once per fight. These abilities may include stronger attacks, healing health, or temporary protection from harm.
In this game, unlike the main-series Pokémon games, each Pokémon can only use one move. This move is based on the Pokémon’s type and usually represents that type, such as Excadrill using its special move, Drill Run. Only 200 of the 649 Pokémon available at the time of the game’s release are included in the game. Instead of the usual method of catching Pokémon, players use a minigame where a Warrior tries to connect with a wild Pokémon by pressing buttons in time with a display, similar to the game Dance Dance Revolution. The usual leveling system is replaced with a system called "link," which is a percentage that increases to a maximum value and shows a Pokémon’s battle strength. Each Warrior has a preference for certain Pokémon types, which gives them a higher maximum link with those types. Additionally, every Warrior and Warlord can form a 100% link, or "perfect link," with one evolutionary family of Pokémon. Some Warlords can also form links with legendary Pokémon. A Warlord’s outfit usually looks like one of the Pokémon in their "perfect link" family. The usual evolution system is changed to work without levels. Instead of reaching a specific level, Pokémon evolve by meeting conditions such as reaching a certain link percentage, winning a battle in a specific kingdom, or achieving a certain stat value. Warlords can also evolve by meeting conditions like reaching a specific link percentage with a Pokémon. Except for the player, Warlords cannot evolve until the main story is completed.
Plot
Pokémon Conquest is based on a story about someone who brings together all 17 kingdoms of the Ransei region. According to the story, this person will have the chance to meet Arceus, a special Pokémon that created the region. This story is the reason for the current fighting in Ransei and the end of its time of peace. The main character, the Warlord of the Aurora kingdom, meets a girl named Oichi. She tells the Warlord that Oda Nobunaga wants to use Arceus' power to destroy Ransei. The player eventually defeats Nobunaga, unites the region, meets Arceus, and fights Nobunaga again. After winning, the player learns that Nobunaga wanted to destroy Arceus to end the conflict and unite Ransei. However, Nobunaga decides not to do this because the player is not affected by their connection to Arceus. Finally, the kingdoms are returned to their original owners.
Development
The development of Pokémon Conquest started because the creators of Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition shared a common interest. The president of The Pokémon Company, Tsunekazu Ishihara, especially liked Nobunaga's Ambition. He asked the Pokémon team if they would be interested in combining the two series and asked Hisashi Koinuma to help create the project. Tecmo Koei, the company that owns Nobunaga's Ambition, helped design the game by contributing programming, art, graphics, and sound. The design documents and ideas were created through teamwork between the companies. Koinuma found it most challenging to balance the game’s difficulty to make it appealing to Pokémon fans. Osamu Mieda was the game’s developer.
The game was first shown 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, the game was officially announced on the Pokémon website as Pokémon Conquest, with a release date in the United States on June 18, 2012. Seth McMahill, an assistant manager at Nintendo, explained that the English version of the game was not hard to create because The Pokémon Company International handled the process near Nintendo’s headquarters. The team decided to keep Japanese names and terms unchanged, as changing them would seem strange. They also discussed how to market the game, noting that strategy role-playing games were less popular outside Japan. To attract young players, they focused on the message "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 good reviews and had a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic. Famitsu reviewers said the game was easy for young players to enjoy, fun to play again, and combined Pokémon with a traditional Japanese historical setting. Many websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar+, and Nintendo Life, see it as one of the best Nintendo DS games.
According to Japanese video game sales data from Media Create, Conquest was the best-selling game during its first week of release in Japan, selling more than 172,000 copies. By the end of 2012, the game had sold over 341,000 copies in Japan.