Pokémon Ga-Olé

Pokémon Ga-Olé ポケモンガオーレ
Pokémon Ga-Olé arcade machine
Basic info
Platform:	Arcade
Category:	Battle simulation
Players:	1
Connectivity:	None
Developer:	Takara Tomy A.R.T.S./ Marvelous
Publisher:	Nintendo
Part of:	Generation VI miscellaneous
Ratings
CERO:	A
ESRB:	N/A
ACB:	N/A
OFLC:	N/A
PEGI:	N/A
GRAC:	N/A
GSRR:	N/A
Release dates
Japan:	July 7, 2016
North America:	N/A
Australia:	N/A
Europe:	N/A
South Korea:	N/A
Hong Kong:	N/A
Taiwan:	N/A
Websites
Japanese:	ポケモンガオーレ
English:	N/A

Pokémon Ga-Olé (Japanese: ポケモンガオーレ) is an arcade game developed by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. and Marvelous, which also developed the Pokémon Battrio and Pokémon Tretta arcade games. Pokémon Ga-Olé was officially announced on April 13, 2016 at the Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. 2016 Summer Business Meeting in Tokyo by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. president & CEO Hiroyuki Usami and Marvelous vice chairman Shuichi Kyoda. It was launched nationwide in Japan on July 7, 2016.

Like its predecessors, Pokémon Ga-Olé focuses on Pokémon battles that require the input of physical peripherals, in this case disks, which depict one of the various Pokémon species in order to play. Players can engage in 2-on-2 battles in a variety of environments, and have the ability to purchase disks by either capturing Pokémon in-game or "evolving" Pokémon they use in battle.

Each Pokémon Ga-Olé machine costs ¥100 to operate. The main feature of the console is the large 50-inch vertical monitor, which displays the user interface and all in-game graphics. The control panel is situated below the monitor, the primary focus of which are a pair of main input buttons on the left and right, respectively colored blue and orange, and a pair of like-colored slots in the center used to insert Pokémon disks during gameplay. A Poké Ball lever, principally used to capture Pokémon, is located at the front. The control panel also contains an IC card scanner to the right, used to scan Ga-Olé Passes, and a Multi Scanner to the left, used to read QR codes on related Pokémon Ga-Olé material.

Sets

• Roar and War Cry! Summon the Legends!
• Promotional disks

Disks

A typical disk in Pokémon Ga-Olé.

The disks used in Pokémon Ga-Olé are rounded plastic tiles measuring 45×73×3.6mm. Each disk portrays one of the Pokémon species along with a set of individual statistics such as Hit Points, Attack, Defense, and Speed, as well as types and moves, just as they feature in the core series of Pokémon games. Each disk also features a Poké Ball symbol that denotes what type of Poké Ball was used to capture it in-game. There are currently 5 types of Poké Ball that can be used when playing the game: a standard Poké Ball, a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball, a Master Ball, and a Quick Ball. A player can therefore collect up to 5 disk variants for the majority of Pokémon in each set. All of this data is present on the QR code on each disk, which is read into the game when it is placed in one of the console slots. The QR codes can also be used in conjunction with Pokémon Sun and Moon with the QR Scanner function, allowing players to register Pokémon from Ga-Olé disks in their Pokédex.

Statistics

Each Pokémon has five common statistics in Pokémon Ga-Olé: HP, Defense, Special Defense, Speed, and Energy. HP, identified in solid yellow, determines how much damage a Pokémon can sustain before it can no longer partake in battle. Defense and Special Defense determine how susceptible Pokémon are to damage from physical and special moves, respectively. Defense is the solid blue stat, while Special Defense is transparent with a blue border. Speed, identified in solid green, determines how quickly a Pokémon can prepare to attack and how easily they may dodge an incoming attack. Energy (Japanese: ポケエネ PokéEne) gives a rough indication as to the overall strength of the Pokémon, much like levels in other Pokémon games. The only statistics not common to all Pokémon are Attack and Special Attack, identified in solid red and transparent with a red border, respectively. The presence of Attack or Special Attack depends on the category of the Pokémon's move, which is derived from the core series. A Pokémon with Quick Attack for example, a physical move, will display an Attack stat, whereas a Pokémon with Thunderbolt, a special move, will display a Special Attack stat.

Types and moves

The types attributed to Pokémon are indicated by symbols to the right of their name. A Pokémon may have either 1 or 2 types, and determine what types of move it will be weak against or resistant to in battle. The types featured in Pokémon Ga-Olé are the same as those found in the core series, sharing their individual strengths and weaknesses. Each Pokémon can use only 1 move, as opposed to 4 in the core series. The move name and its type are present below the Pokémon's name. All type symbols used in Pokémon Ga-Olé are based on those featured in previous arcade titles Pokémon Battrio and Pokémon Tretta.

Pokémon Ga-Olé types
Normal	Fire	Water	Grass	Electric	Ice	Fighting	Poison	Ground
Flying	Psychic	Bug	Rock	Ghost	Dragon	Dark	Steel	Fairy

Pokémon Grades

Pokémon in Pokémon Ga-Olé are divided into Grades, as indicated by a star rating system on disks. Grade 1 Pokémon have 1 red-colored star, Grade 2 Pokémon have 2 blue-colored stars, Grade 3 Pokémon have 3 yellow-colored stars, Grade 4 Pokémon have 4 purple-colored stars, and Grade 5 Pokémon have 5 multi-colored stars. Some Pokémon may also have hollow stars as part of their Grade, indicating they have the potential to become stronger either by evolving or by increasing their Grade. The Lucario line from the first set is a good example of this: Riolu is a Grade 1 Pokémon with a maximum potential Grade of 4, and can evolve into a Grade 2 Lucario. A player can then increase Lucario's Grade to 3, and again to 4 with the further ability to Mega Evolve into Mega Lucario.

	►		►		►
Riolu		Lucario		Lucario		Lucario

Gameplay

Starting a game

The main hub in Pokémon Ga-Olé is the Pokémon Center. Upon inserting ¥100, players start from here and can cycle between the available game modes: Get by Battle (Japanese: バトルしてゲット) and Get Now (Japanese: いますぐゲッ). Get by Battle allows players to play the game in its entirety, and has a maximum of 3 rounds per session. Get Now starts a short mini-game in which the player is given 2 Quick Balls to throw at grass patches in attempt to catch a random Pokémon. Get Now can be played consecutively up to 9 times per session, costing ¥100 for each subsequent round. A player can dispense only 1 of the 2 Pokémon caught per round, costing another ¥100 to do so, or continue without dispensing any.

Course selection

Upon selecting Get by Battle mode, the player will then be prompted to select a course they wish to challenge. Each course contains different Pokémon to encounter and battle, including powerful Legendary Pokémon that may appear should a player continue to battle beyond round 1. Different courses will be introduced over the course of Pokémon Ga-Olé's operational lifespan, usually upon the release of new sets. After the player has selected a course, the camera will pan over the battle area before initiating the first round.

Battle flow

Starting a battle.

Each round consists of a 2-on-2 Pokémon battle with 20 seconds on the game timer. The opposing Pokémon are introduced first, displaying their individual Grades and Energy values, before the player is prompted to insert disks featuring their chosen Pokémon in each slot. If a player does not have enough disks, the game assigns rental Pokémon to make the deficit.

The screen is divided into two during battles, separated by the Attack Gauge (Japanese: こうげきゲージ). The opposing Pokémon appear at the top and the player's Pokémon are present on the bottom. At the start of a battle, icons of the participating Pokémon are placed on the attack gauge at points based on their Grade. Pokémon with comparatively lower Grades are generally placed further along the gauge as to give them a head start. The opposing Pokémon are identified in red, while the player's Pokémon are identified in blue and orange, correlating with the slots and buttons on the console.

The objective at this stage of the round is to enable the player's Pokémon to attack, which can be done when a Pokémon icon reaches the extreme right of the Attack Gauge. The icons on the gauge each move at a rate based on the respective Pokémon's speed stat, but the player can boost their own by utilizing the Cheer Balloon (Japanese: おうえんのフキダシ). Pressing the corresponding buttons on the console when the balloon is at its largest will boost an icon along the gauge a little. Conversely, continually pressing buttons before the balloon is large enough will momentarily stop an icon, hampering progress. Attaining a Perfect or a Miracle will boost the icon at a considerable pace. When a Pokémon icon reaches the end of the gauge, the game timer pauses and that Pokémon may perform its move.

If an opposing Pokémon icon is near to or at the same position of an icon that has reached the end of the Attack Gauge, this triggers Kaeri-Uchi Chance! (Japanese: かえりうちチャンス！). The player is required to use the Poké Ball lever in attempt to move the graphic that appears up towards the opponent's end, competing against the game AI, which will attempt to push the graphic down towards the player's end. The victor of this mini-game will then proceed to attack.

Before a Pokémon executes its move, the player will be presented with one of two roulette wheels depending on the phase of battle. If the player is about to attack with one of their Pokémon, the Attack Roulette (Japanese: こうげきルーレット) will appear, presenting the player with an opportunity to increase the power of their Pokémon's move. The roulette has values ranging from 5 to 50 and can be stopped by pressing the corresponding blue or orange button. If the player is about to be attacked by one of the opposing Pokémon, the Defense Roulette (Japanese: ぼうぎょルーレット) will appear. This roulette has 2 fail spaces, a Defense Up space, which raises the defense of the player's Pokémon if selected, and an Evade Up space, which increases the chances of the player's Pokémon completely evading an incoming attack if selected. If the HP of the player's Pokémon is low, these spaces may become more effective, changing from orange to pink. As with the Attack Roulette, the Defense Roulette can be stopped by pressing the corresponding blue or orange button. Whatever the phase of battle, the game AI will control the opposite roulette for the opposing Pokémon.

During the animation that plays when the player's Pokémon attacks, the player will be prompted to press the console buttons as fast as possible in effort to raise their Fighting Spirit (Japanese: きあい). This value starts at 50%, but can be raised significantly over the course of 3 rounds, should the player continue. Raising Fighting Spirit can increase the power of moves and bonuses from the Attack Roulette.

Both of the player's Pokémon have an HP bar. The opposing Pokémon have a similar HP gauge in the form of the Get Gauge, which is filled each time the opposing Pokémon take damage. When a Pokémon uses a move, the damage dealt to each opposing Pokémon is the difference between the base attack of the attacking Pokémon (plus/minus any attack bonuses or type advantages/disadvantages) and the base defense of the opposing Pokémon. Completely filling the Get Gauge of either of the opposing Pokémon will make them unable to battle, and thus easier to catch—a state called Get Chance (Japanese: ゲットチャンス) in-game. Conversely, if the HP bar of any of the player's Pokémon is completely drained, they will be unable to battle. If this occurs, the player can use another Pokémon by scanning a new disk from their collection or have the game assign a rental Pokémon. A player can have a maximum of 4 useable Pokémon in round 1, and can therefore only replace Pokémon on 2 occasions.

After a Pokémon has used its move, its corresponding icon will return to its starting position on the Attack Gauge. If any Pokémon took damage following an attack, each of their corresponding icons will move along the gauge a little.

Disk Get Bonus! can significantly increase a player's Fighting Spirit.

A round concludes when one of the three conditions are met: the game timer reaches zero, the Get Gauge of both opposing Pokémon have been filled, or the player has no useable Pokémon remaining. A phase named Get Time! (Japanese: ゲットタイム！) follows, in which the player is prompted to push the Poké Ball lever in order to throw Poké Balls at the opposing Pokémon. The game cycles between a standard Poké Ball, a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball, and a Master Ball until the lever is pushed. The chances of a successful capture depend on the Grade of each opposing Pokémon, how full their individual Get Gauges were, and the type of ball thrown in a similar manner to the core series. If a Pokémon is successfully captured, the player has the option to either insert ¥100 in order dispense the correlating Pokémon disk from the machine, or to end the round. If more than one Pokémon is captured, the player can only select 1 Pokémon to dispense. If a player does choose to dispense a disk, they will be rewarded with a Disk Get Bonus! (Japanese: ディスクゲットボーナス！), where the player will have a short time to repeatedly press the console buttons in effort to raise their Fighting Spirit again.

Fighting Spirit bands
50%-99%	►	100%-199%	►	200%-399%	►	400%-599%	►	600%+

Following Get Time!, one of the player's Pokémon will unleash a War Cry (Japanese: オタケビ) to attract more Pokémon to battle. The strength of the Pokémon ultimately called depends on the percentage of the player's Fighting Spirit—a higher percentage will result in a louder War Cry and thus alert more powerful Pokémon, including Legendary Pokémon. Two more Pokémon are then introduced in the same manner as the first round, and player has the option to either continue onto round 2 by inserting another ¥100, or to end the game. If the player opts to continue, the maximum number of useable Pokémon will increase by 1 and the HP of their current Pokémon will recover a little. Rounds 2 and 3 follow the same pattern as round 1; the only differences being the positions of the player's Pokémon icons on the Attack Gauge and the their Fighting Spirit, both of which carry over from the previous round.

After Get by Battle is complete, a further phase named Last Chance! (Japanese: ラストチャンス！) follows. Last Chance! plays the same as Get Now mode with the exception that only 1 Quick Ball is thrown. The player can dispense the random Pokémon caught by inserting ¥100 or can choose to return to the Pokémon Center to see their results. If any disks were dispensed, the last Pokémon caught will be shown on-screen displaying its species, height, and weight while an announcer recites a brief description of it, mirroring Pokédex registration in the core series. The player can also zoom in and out and play the Pokémon's cry by pressing the console buttons. The player's score is then displayed, which takes into account a number of factors, including: the number of Pokémon still useable, how full the Get Gauge of each opposing Pokémon was, and the Grade of both the player's and opposing Pokémon. If a player has a Ga-Olé Pass, they will also earn Ga-Olé Medals for any Pokémon caught.

Evolution Chance!

If a player uses a Pokémon that can evolve during Get by Battle mode, Evolution Chance! (Japanese: しんかチャンス！) will begin following its conclusion. The player will have the option to either insert ¥100 in order to dispense a disk featuring the evolved Pokémon or to ignore it. If dispensed, the Pokémon will evolve on-screen in the same manner as the core series. The Poké Ball used to catch the Pokémon's previous evolution stage carries over to the evolved Pokémon.

Grade Up Chance!

In a similar way to Evolution Chance!, if a player uses a Pokémon that cannot evolve any further, but has the potential to be stronger, Grade Up Chance! (Japanese: グレードアップチャンス！) will begin following the conclusion of Get by Battle mode. The player will have the opportunity to upgrade and dispense a more powerful version of the Pokémon used by inserting ¥100 when prompted. Fully upgraded Pokémon, in addition to having comparatively superior stats, sometimes have the ability to Mega Evolve.

Mega Evolution Chance!

If a player uses a Pokémon that is able to Mega Evolve, Mega Evolution Chance! (Japanese: メガシンカチャンス！) will activate before it attacks for the first time. Two Mega Evolution symbols will approach the center of the screen from opposing ends, and player is required to press both console buttons simultaneously when the symbols merge. If successful, the Pokémon will Mega Evolve. A Pokémon will remain in its Mega Evolved state for the remainder of Get by Battle mode.

Ga-Olé Passes

A Ga-Olé Pass that allows data to be recorded up to 400 times

A Ga-Olé Pass (Japanese: ガオーレパス) allows a player to record their activity in Pokémon Ga-Olé, and function much in the same way as Tretta Reports in Pokémon Tretta. Like Tretta Reports, Ga-Olé Passes are IC cards that have a limit as to how many times save data can be recorded on them. Promotional Ga-Olé Trial Version Passes have a limit of 50 saves, but most retail varieties have a limit of 400. Once the maximum allocation of data saves has been reached, players can transfer their data to a new Ga-Olé Pass. Ga-Olé Passes can be purchased separately for ¥500.

Ga-Olé Passes allow players to select a male or female avatar and input a nickname. They also allow a player to register as a Ga-Olé Member on the official website. In terms of gameplay advantages, Ga-Olé Passes keep track of the player's score after each session, allow players to use Support Pokémon, and also allow players to earn Ga-Olé Medals for any Pokémon caught. Players can access the Ga-Olé Member area using a computer or smartphone to review a number of things. These include: the player's highest score, the number of saves remaining on their current Ga-Olé Pass, the number of Pokémon that reached the Get Chance state during battle, the number of disks owned, as well as the Ga-Olé Encyclopedia (Japanese: ガオーレずかん). The Ga-Olé Encyclopedia updates as disks are earned in-game, much like the Pokédex, allowing players to keep track of their collection, and see what courses specific Pokémon can be encountered on.

Support Pokémon

Support Pokémon operate in a similar manner to fully evolved Partner Pokémon from Pokémon Tretta, in that they provide an opportunity to deal additional damage to the opposing Pokémon. Players with Ga-Olé Passes can keep a permanent roster of Support Pokémon to aid them, though players that do not own one will have a random Support Pokémon rented to them at the start of Get by Battle mode. During a battle, if a player manages to achieve a Perfect or Miracle when using the Cheer Balloon, it will increase the chances of being able to summon a Support Pokémon.

As a player continues to accumulate Perfects and Miracles, a "Support" icon will appear at various points to inform the player that a chance to summon a Support Pokémon is approaching. Support Attack Chance! (Japanese: サポートアタックチャンス！) can occur any time after this, during which the player will be prompted to use the Poké Ball lever and attempt to summon one Support Pokémon from their current roster. The game will cycle between a fail space and a space containing a Support Pokémon. If successful, the Support Pokémon will be summoned and perform its own move, during which the player can press the console buttons in effort to raise their Fighting Spirit a little more. Multiple Support Pokémon can be used in one session of Get by Battle mode, but once a particular Pokémon has been summoned, it becomes unavailable to use in the following round.

An opportunity for players of Pokémon Tretta to gain an early advantage starting their Pokémon Ga-Olé experience began upon its launch. Players that had at least 1 Partner Pokémon registered on their Tretta Report could earn Support Pokémon to use in Pokémon Ga-Olé by scanning it in place of a Ga-Olé Pass. Players that had registered between 1 and 5 Partner Pokémon would unlock Pikachu as a Support Pokémon. Players that had registered between 6 and 10 Partner Pokémon would unlock Lucario as a Support Pokémon. Players that had registered 11 or more Partner Pokémon would unlock both Pikachu and Lucario as Support Pokémon. After scanning their Tretta Report, players were then required to update their data using a Ga-Olé Pass.

Item Chance!

For players with Ga-Olé Passes, Item Chance! (Japanese: どうぐチャンス！) will activate at the start of Get by Battle, which allows them to exchange any accrued Ga-Olé Medals for items that can help them during battles. Item Chance! may also provide additional Support Pokémon for players to add to their roster instead of items.

Ga-Olé Tickets

Ga-Olé Tickets (Japanese: ガオーレチケット) are promotional items available through targeted publications or at Pokémon Ga-Olé events. Scanning the QR code on a ticket using the console Multi Scanner will unlock a special course otherwise unplayable through normal gameplay, giving players the opportunity to catch different Pokémon.

Gallery

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  Logo

See also

Get Chance! Pokémon Ga-Olé!

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