Game Mechanics

This is the page describing the basic mechanics of the Data Cardass arcade game.

Pokémon
The player can add Pokémon to their teams by inserting Pokémon Cards into their respective slot. Pokémon cards come in different rarities; Common being the least rare, Rare being in the middle, Super Rare consisting of mostly Fully-evolved Pokémon, and Legendary being the least common, consisting of Legendary Pokémon.

Types
Types are a very important feature in the franchise, as types are applied to Contests and Events, Appeals, and Outfits. The contest types are as follows; Cute, Cool, Beautiful, Tough, and Clever. Contests and Events can have up to two types. There is also the multi-type, where any of the former types can be applied.

Contests & Events
Most of the time, Contests and Events have types; In both contests and events, you compete against other coordinators to win ribbons, but only Contests count towards entry into the Grand Festival. However, winning at events can help boost your popularity and experience, which can be helpful in winning Contests. If you match your coordinator's outfit to the Contest type, you get bonus points, which is furthered if you perform appeals that match the type as well.

Contests and Events both begin with the Entrance round, where you're judged on your outfit and how well it matches your Pokemon. They then go into the Appeal round, which is the main part of the contest, where it is a rhythm game to successfully pull off your Pokemon's appeals. The contest or even then ends with the results, where a Pokemon is crowned the winner and the winning coordinator adds a ribbon to their ribbon case.

Ribbons
Ribbons, which can be earned from Events and Contests, are what are used to get accepted to the Grand Festival. Only ribbons from Contests may go towards the Grand Festival, but in events, you can earn extra ribbons, which can help boost your popularity, which in turn can be helpful in winning contests.

Appeals
Certain Pokémon can perform appeals matching to certain type categories. If you match your coordinator's outfit to the Contest type, you get bonus points, which is furthered if you perform appeals that match the type as well. Depending on the appeal, the rhythm can be easier or harder to get through in-game. Appeals are also referred to as routines, though they can be used interchangeably.

Outfits
Outfits are the costumes a coordinator wears while on stage. Every Pokémon has Combo Outfits: Outfits that, when matched to the Pokemon, will give you bonus points. Every outfit has a type, matching the type of performance it works best for.