Pokémon developers have failed to live up to the series’ full potential by expanding the core mechanics of the franchise—according to players themselves.
The multi-million dollar franchise has enjoyed decades of success through games, TV shows, movies, comics, and more, yet has largely stayed true to the same formula that was first seen in the 1990s.
That has seen the Pokémon name dragged into a discussion on Reddit that asks what video game franchise has not capitalized fully on its potential, alongside the likes of Halo, Assassin’s Creed, Titanfall, and Infamous.
One comment, in particular, declared Pokémon to be “the easy answer” and claimed Game Freak releases games with “little effort and they could be so awesome”—which struck a cord in the community, garnering over 5,000 upvotes.
Others shared their thoughts in agreement, with comments ranging from stating the franchise is “falling victim to its own success” and that Pokémon has the potential to “destroy the world” if an MMO was created with the franchise.
In Pokémon’s defense, they have branched out in recent years with releases like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which made major changes to the mechanics with an open-world environment and the ability to catch creatures without engaging in battles, though Pokémon Scarlet and Violet soon returned the series back to its roots.
Frustratingly though, it does often feel like Pokémon games take one step forward and two steps back, with the introduction of great features that weirdly disappear by the time the next game comes around. The best example of this is Secret Bases in Gen 3 and 4 that vanished and, despite making minor comebacks in the remakes of games, are nowhere near as brilliant as they initially were.
I do often think about how great Pokémon would be if they expanded their horizons and quite often find myself enjoying fanmade romhacks more than the mainline games themselves these days—though Pokémon Legends: Arceus remains my all-time favorite.
Published: Nov 22, 2023 04:39 am