Contrary to popular belief, I actually hate being negative. So, when the reveal trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves dropped during the Pokémon Presents, I was legitimately overcome with joy and unbridled levels of hype. Indeed, I was so impressed that I found myself rewatching the trailer endlessly, fawning over little details, and wishing it were available so I could have dived deep into its colorful waters and begun exploring its world. However, that was then, and now, after much contemplation and reflection, the cracks have begun to show, somewhat.
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It is hard to determine the quality of a game based on a singular, very brief trailer. In fact, it is foolish to do so, as that would be largely redundant and unfair. So, I am not going to make blanket statements about Pokémon Winds and Waves, nor give in to my base fears that it will follow in the rotten footsteps of its immediate predecessors, as that would be disingenuous. However, there is one aspect of Pokémon Winds and Waves that has me concerned, a facet of its game design that I have been begging Game Freak to get right for quite some time, and it has failed to improve upon for well over a decade. Pokémon Winds and Waves has a chance to right the wrongs of its Nintendo Switch ancestors, but if my speculation is correct, it may just falter at the final hurdle.
Pokémon Winds & Waves World Looks A Little Barren
I think that Pokémon Winds and Waves’ graphical leap somewhat blindsided me at first. It is hard to deny that this is a much better-looking game than its predecessors by quite a significant margin, and, at least from the brief glimpse we got, it doesn’t look like a technical nightmare. I was astounded by Game Freak’s utilization of the Switch 2’s increased power, and I’m glad that after Pokémon’s brutally bad rough patch, it appears to be bouncing back somewhat. There’s even a better consolidation of its visual identity, as Winds and Waves is skewing more toward the New Pokémon Snap aesthetic than its more generic look in Scarlet and Violet.
That being said, upon closer inspection, this trailer doesn’t really give us a very good look at its world. I don’t mean that in the sense that it doesn’t show enough, although that is true also. Rather, what we do see of Winds and Waves’ archipelago looks immensely lifeless. Sure, we have been treated to the odd Pokémon swimming about beneath the rolling waves, and a bunch of others hanging out in a jungle, and that certainly gives us a good taste of what types of ‘mons we can expect. However, there is little to no human activity going on, even in the wider shots, and when it comes to Pokémon, they’re still more or less hanging about at ground level, doing little to interact with their environment.
Everything looks rather static, even when things are moving. All of the settlements and towns we see are completely devoid of any form of activity, and the Pokémon just move from side to side or glide through the air. None of them can be seen doing anything other than move, float, or stand still, which is a little disappointing, especially since the unique animations seen in New Pokémon Snap showcased just how alive this world can feel. Of course, there’s still a year till launch, and Game Freak may have felt it wasn’t important to showcase those aspects until later, as it really just wanted to show off the water physics and new starters.
However, based on the series track record, I also wouldn’t be surprised if Pokémon Winds and Waves ends up feeling a little static. I can absolutely imagine a reality in which the game’s NPCs aren’t seen wandering around and interacting with the world, but instead just stand still, awaiting your arrival. If that is the case, if Pokémon Winds and Waves follows in its predecessors’ footsteps of offering a bland and lifeless world, then no amount of stunning visuals or impressive water physics will change that. I had felt that Pokémon ditching the Nintendo Switch would help improve its overall quality, but this initial trailer has done little to dissuade my fears that history will rear its ugly head and Game Freak will continue to make the same mistakes it always has.
Pokémon Winds & Waves Has A Chance To Change The Series For Good
As I stated at the top of this article, I am not an inherently negative person. While my concerns are legitimate, even based on the sliver of gameplay we’ve been treated to thus far, I sincerely want Pokémon Winds and Waves to succeed as much as the next hardcore fan. I’ve been playing Pokémon since I was a child and have poured hundreds of hours into each entry, despite knowing full well things weren’t getting any better. Winds and Waves is truly the first time I’ve felt hopeful that Pokémon can change, and I want more than anything to hold onto that feeling.
However, one key factor Winds and Waves must implement in order for the series to truly have the best chance at improving is this aforementioned dynamic world that feels as if it coexists alongside you, rather than for you. Scarlet and Violet’s approach to open-world design felt very much rooted in past philosophies, and it caused it to be mind-numbingly boring as a result. Trainers standing around looking blankly into the distance and Pokémon bobbing around tall grass is really no different from how the Game Boy Advance games approached region design.
Should it successfully implement this, should it copy what the Nintendo-produced Xenoblade Chronicles has been doing for decades, should it achieve the bare minimum in open-world design, then Pokémon may actually feel like a half-decent game, and that’s literally all anyone is asking for. At this point, I’ve accepted that The Pokémon Company has no real interest in pumping Pokémon full of Crimson Desert-levels of innovation, and nor should it. Pokémon isn’t designed to be a technically complex masterpiece, as that is largely unnecessary to elevate its core gameplay loop. However, a dynamic world isn’t a luxury innovation anymore; it is a basic tenet of open-world design, and if Game Freak wants to continue playing in that space, then it needs to start implementing it.
I think that in the year left before Pokémon Winds and Waves’ release date, Game Freak can absolutely implement this kind of design. It may already be working on it, in which case I’m critiquing it far too early, and I am the one at fault. It is also worth noting that even with previous Switch Pokémon games, a lot of technical and performance-related issues were somewhat improved between the first trailer and the final product. So, there is undoubtedly hope left. Should Winds and Waves have a more dynamic world, then I feel confident that Pokémon will finally enter its next golden era, and it’ll begin to feel like the possibilities are endless. It remains to be seen, of course, but I for one have my fingers well and truly crossed.
Do you think Pokémon Winds and Waves will have a dynamic open-world? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of MAPPA
