Pokémon Frienda arcade game making its way to Japan

Marvelous and Takara Tomy Arts are teaming up to release Pokémon Frienda, an arcade game that will launch in arcades throughout Japan come July 2024.

Pokémon Frienda is aimed at kids and features a variety of input methods such as a touchscreen, buttons, and item scanners. If you happen to catch a Pokémon while playing, you’ll be able to snag some real-life Frienda Picks, which you use with the scanner to put together a formidable Pokémon party. Pokémon Frienda gives each Pokémon an attack type, and then it’s up to the player to decide which one is right to send into battle to secure victory.

One session with Pokémon Frienda is priced at 100 yen, but players can also spend another 100 yen during a session to generate a new Pokémon if they don’t like the one that pops up. Depending on how many times you generate a new Pokémon, you could spend up to 600 yen per session with a 5-Pokémon party.

Pokémon Frienda will have compatibility with Pokémon Mezastar, as tags from Mezastar that feature a shooting star can be scanned into Frienda. Those who have a Memory Tag from Mezastar can also get “something nice” from Frienda.