Changing up the Pokemon formula for modern needs

With the Nintendo Switch released and Legend of Zelda going full open world with mind boggling success, there is some sort of trend going with the game industry.

So what made Breath of the Wild so worshipped as one of the (or THE) greatest games of the 21st century? Of course it was the love and care Nintendo puts into their first party games but there was something else, something revolutionary that gave it a 98 Metacritic score (the highest ever)…

Of course it was a multitude of things that stood out from the rest. The open world was completely unrestricted and storytelling was blended in miraculously to suit multiple playstyles and complete player freedom. Hell, you could fight Ganon from the start (I don’t recommend it lol) and complete the game in 15 minutes. If you don’t want to you’ve got a bajillion things to do! Hunt monsters, explore shrines, the huge world and long dungeons. In any order you like!

What does the latest Legend of Zelda game have to do with Pokemon?

I can’t fathom how much I dislike forced main quests and handholding. The way LoZ changed itself was impactful not only to its franchise but to gaming itself. Of course it’s not the first game to do it. Let’s look back to 2011 when Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released. It won the majority of Game of the Year awards and had the same philosophy as Breath of the Wild. The player had the option to carve his or her own story and wasn’t restricted to one playstyle. I feel if Pokemon followed suit for its main game, things are gonna be great.

Pokemon, especially the newer releases like Sun and Moon have so many endgame playstyles. The collector, the competitive battler and the exploration nut. Unfortunately, you have to complete a long ass 40 hour questline of handholding and intrusive story that has become banal and monotonous 10 games later.

What if I could do a 5 minute tutorial and was let loose afterwards to explore and battle anywhere I like?

I would be pretty damn excited. How would this work? Let’s look at the 3 playstyles that make Pokemon popular and capitalise on it.

1. The story lover

You basically put the game down after the end credits, you love the characters you meet and you are intrigued by the lore. You literally play Pokemon for the story.

2. The competitive battler

You obsess over the meta and want to be the very best of course. The players you meet and compete against are what fuel your passion for the eSports side of the games.

3. The collector

You pretty much play for the Pokemon. You want that shiny and you love exploring the unknown. You pick favourites and still have a yearning for Pokemon to follow you (lol).

So here’s how all of us can get a say in things!

We all know that Pokemon can level up but what about a Trainer Level? This can be earned from catching Pokemon and battling trainers. What about some new things to do like plenty of side quests all around the completely accessible Alola? Of course, we won’t get rid of gyms and trials.

Gyms and trials are the bread and butter of the main story, but how do we implement them but not restrict the player? Skyrim has level scaling that subconsciously ups the difficulty and level of the nasties around us as we level our characters. In Pokemon, we can do the same. All gyms and/or trials are accessible from the start. Beat one? The rest get harder and higher level. At max level or after they are beaten that brings us to the Elite Four.

Of course, to keep the theme of freedom it isn’t particularly a forced feature. That’s where the other playstyles come into play.

What if you love to be a social butterfly and meet people while battling and hanging out with friends? There could be instanced “hubs” where we can share our teams, chat and battle. Hell, maybe catch people in the open Alola region.

It wouldn’t be Pokemon without social features right?

Then finally there is the collector, which could mean we make Alola completely open from the start. Surfing between shores would be cool but could be a little monotonous. Pokemon level could vary throughout like usual Pokemon style but maybe with level scaling, trainer level could impact our Pokemon’s level too. Could be complicated tho lol.

So yeah, that’s how I feel could make Pokemon a better game for the all beloved Switch. The different playstyles completely blended in with freedom and Skyrim/Zelda-like open world storytelling is what could make the next game shine.