Game Freak has posted job listings for an RPG that is “popular on a global scale,” with the developer looking for 3D CG artists working on the level of the Wii U or the PS Vita. This has led many to naturally assume that the Japanese studio is developing its next Pokemon game, with all signs pointing to it releasing on the Nintendo Switch.
A proper home console Pokemon RPG has been in high demand for years now, but the closest we’ve ever come is the Gamecube’s Pokemon Colosseum. However, with the Switch being a handheld and home console hybrid, it’s more likely than ever that Game Freak will want to finally give Pokemon fans what they’ve been asking for, even if it will present its own set of risks.
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Pokemon has been a system seller for all of Nintendo’s handheld consoles, so the company isn’t going to want to further push the 3DS into irrelevancy for no good reason. As such the hypothetical Pokemon Switch would need to provide its own unique spin on the series, making use of the new console’s hardware while still leaving room for handheld pocket monster catching. With that being said, I’ve outlined how I think Game Freak can make Pokemon work on the Nintendo Switch:
Turn it into an action RPG
Image Credit: Serebii Forums / User Serilei
Ironically, the Pokemon format has experienced little in the way of evolution since its inception, with it sticking to the tried-and-true formula established in the ’90s with Pokemon Red and Blue. Nintendo has stated that it doesn’t aim to cannibalize the 3DS with the Switch, so it’s unlikely that the company would want Game Freak to develop a fully 3D version of its RPG series that would blow the likes of Sun and Moon out of the water, but there are available alternatives.
There is room for deviation from the Pokemon series’ traditional gameplay, and switching it to a third-person action RPG would allow there to be a distinct difference between the handheld and Switch versions of the franchise. Making a Pokemon ARPG would allow for exactly the same move customization and leveling up as seen in the handheld games, though would make combat much more fast-paced and a disparate experience from what players can find on the 3DS. Though making Pokemon Switch an entry level ARPG in the same way as the handheld Pokemon games are gateway RPGs would be a difficult task, simplifying the combat into easy combos with room for button mashing a la Pokken Tournament would offer something for everyone.
But how could this be achieved while still staying true to the series’ roots? Firstly, there would need to be distinctions between battles with wild Pokemon and battles with other trainers. The former could still take place in designated areas such as long grass and caves, but players could switch (no pun intended) from their trainer to their Pokemon on the fly, taking multiple Pokemon down at once rather than confronting them in one-on-one battles. Players could target individual Pokemon to capture them (I’ll get to this part later), whittling down their health before throwing a ball at their heads as is tradition.
On the other hand, battles with rival trainers could be more methodical, taking place in the kind of dynamic arenas that were featured in the Pokemon anime series but have been absent from its video game counterparts. Similar to the anime series, these arenas could also have negative and positive effects on the Pokemon fighting within them, with water arenas having a detrimental impact on fire-based Pokemon and so on.
Motion-controlled Pokemon-Amie
Nintendo is still clinging on to motion control with the Switch, and you know what? I’m okay with that. The Joy-Cons are infinitely better than the Wiimotes when it comes to feeling like a natural extension of your own arms, with them comfortably sliding into the player’s hands and being much more lightweight than their predecessors. As such, I’d be perfectly comfortable with motion control making its way into Pokemon Switch, adding another dimension to catching Pokemon by way of physically lobbing the pokeballs at their cute little imbecilic faces.
Motion control in Pokemon Switch could also come in handy with the variety of relationship building Pokemon-Amie mini-games that were introduced to the series in Pokemon X and Y. This feature has been a little lackluster thus far, but by making it more interactive it could be especially appealing to younger players. Fleshing out these mini-games into more robust side activities could also offer a great deal more variety than the series’ handheld releases, as including Wii Sports-esque fun distractions could prove to be a big time sink in and of itself. Imagine playing Wii Sports Resort‘s Frisbee Dog but with a Lillipup instead? SNM.
Pokeballs and HD Rumble
HD rumble is a gimmick that we highly doubt will be put to much good use over the course of the Switch’s lifetime, though 1-2 Switch did teach us that it actually works pretty well. While we wouldn’t want it to be utilized as a main feature in Pokemon Switch, we could definitely see it being used to make catching Pokemon more exciting. With the haptic feedback technology allowing the console’s Joy-Cons to almost perfectly mimic the feeling of holding ice in a glass or liquid rising in a bottle, it could also be used to successfully replicate holding a Pokemon in a Pokeball.
Though we’re not entirely sure what happens in those things — do they just shrink the creatures down to a molecular level or something? — feeling an Eevee desperately struggle inside the red and white sphere as you carry it away from its family would be a rewarding feeling. Or a terrifying feeling. Actually, yeah, it’d probably be an uncomfortable feeling. An uncomfortable and upsetting feeling. Let’s not do that.
Pokemon Snap
Most former Nintendo 64 owners are of the opinion that Pokemon Snap was a lot better than it actually was, and with a sequel being rumored for the Wii U throughout the duration of that console’s life cycle, it’s inevitable that we’ll hear murmurs of a Pokemon Snap 2 for the Switch, too. However, rather than a fully-fledged sequel to a game that was pretty dull in both concept and execution, Pokemon Switch could instead introduce a watered down version, with players tasked with taking pretty pictures of Pokemon throughout the game’s world.
Players were also able to do this in Pokemon Sun and Moon, though it wasn’t a particularly important mechanic. However, in Pokemon Switch the camera could go hand-in-hand with the Pokedex, allowing players to compile a photo album including each Pokemon if they so choose. Players could use the motion control capabilities of the Joy-Cons to line up their shot, and in the Switch’s portable mode use its display as a viewfinder. This could add a whole new element to the game for completionists, and with photo modes being hugely popular in modern games, it would provide a nice Poke-flavored spin on the mechanic.
