If the Nintendo Switch proves itself to be a worthy home to Pokemon with the rumored Pokemon Stars, we could see a brand new, mainline Pokemon entry come to the Nintendo Switch — the first mainline Pokemon game to ever hit a home console.
Previous Pokemon home console RPGs, Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, were incredibly limited compared to the core Pokemon games on handhelds, but for a reason. When coming up with the idea for Pokemon, the creators wanted something that would connect people, and handheld consoles (especially before the age of online games) were the best way to do that. GameFreak co-founder Junichi Masuda has said the Pokemon core series is always going to be on handheld hardware, but also commented, "I mean in the future it'd be nice to work on other systems if they were more portable."
The Switch offers the portability of a handheld with the power of a home console, making it the perfect solution for a full-fledged console Pokemon RPG that could make everyone happy, though it would be an incredibly massive undertaking. Plus, we know Pokemon developer Game Freak is hiring for a game that sounds a lot like Pokemon — could it be Pokemon Stars, or something new? Only Game Freak knows for sure, but it’s still fun to speculate.
If a brand-new true Pokemon RPG is coming to the Switch, here are four features we’d love to see.
Entirely random encounters are a tried-and-true mechanic in many RPGs, but the Pokemon are such an important part of the series that they deserve to exist in their natural habitat. We want to see Pokemon interacting with their environment, and reacting to the player. This doesn’t have to change the core battle mechanics either. They can spawn randomly and initiate the classic battle system upon approach, like in Ni no Kuni.
A big, Pokemon-filled world powered by the Nintendo Switch could make exploration and discovery a monumental new feature. Certain Pokemon could be left up to the players to discover in hard-to-find locations. Pokemon is obviously a multiplayer game in some ways, especially competitively, but a more large-scale focus on exploration could bring out the community-driven elements in its single-player campaign, just like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Let the community find rare Pokemon on their own, and share the information with others. Let us fill out the Pokedex for real this time, together.
Likeable, lively NPCs are becoming more common in the Pokemon games, but fellow human players are vital for Pokemon’s success. Though the Nintendo Switch is technically portable, many will probably play it docked at home most of the time, limiting the chances of random encounters with other trainers.
However, since online connection at home is more common than ever, other features could be implemented to enhance the feeling of camaraderie without having to venture out. Seeing other player avatars randomly join your game, like in Journey, will give you the chance to battle and trade with others often regardless of how you’re playing, building on Pokemon X and Y's Player Search System. With the higher-powered Nintendo Switch, this should be more than achievable. Of course, this won’t ever take the place of going to a Pokemon event in person, but since the Nintendo Switch is portable, we don’t have to lose that feature either.
The Switch not only has two built-in controllers, but it’s portable too, making it a great party game machine. Pokemon has taken advantage of this minigame mechanic to great success in Pokemon Stadium, so why not implement them in the regular games?
Offering a more light-hearted multiplayer experience besides the challenging, anxiety-inducing battles would allow players of all Pokemon skill-levels to get in on the fun, and because the Switch is a home-console with additional controllers, not everyone will need their own copy of the game to play.
A beautiful world filled with Pokemon begs to be photographed, offering a much less limited scope for picture-taking than the Pokemon Finder in Pokemon Sun and Moon. The Nintendo Switch’s motion controls even lend itself to a point-and-shoot camera, making a Pokemon Snap feature a given. A strategically placed NPC that judges photos could be the best side-quest ever implemented. Gotta snap ‘em all!
What would you want in a brand new Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch?
Sound off in the comments!
Casey DeFreitas is an Associate Editor for IGN. Follow her on Twitter at @ShinyCaseyD.
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