This Forgotten Pokémon Classic Deserves A Remaster

There have been a staggeringly large number of Pokémon games across the years, from the mainline entries to dreadful mobile games and iconic spin-off titles. The varied and rich legacy of Pokémon is why the series has endured so much, despite recent titles failing to live up to expectations. However, it has felt for some time that The Pokémon Company and Game Freak had somewhat forgotten about its more experimental spin-off titles and were instead resolutely focused on the mainline games. That was a genuine shame, as much of Pokémon’s innovation and unique experiences came from those who dared to dream beyond the norm and expected.

Fortunately, with the release of Pokémon Pokopia, a spin-off game not developed by Game Freak, it would appear that The Pokémon Company is once again open to the idea of both outsourcing the IP to other studios and exploring what else it has to offer. That has made me wonder which of Pokémon’s greatest spin-off games could do with a revival, whether in the form of a sequel, a remake, or a simple remaster. Naturally, I landed, as I assume most true Pokémon fans would, on the exceptional and largely underrated classic, Pokémon Colosseum, a game that somehow still feels more innovative and original than the majority of what Game Freak is releasing today.

Pokémon Colosseum Was Way Ahead Of Its Time

Pokémon Colosseum wasn’t just another run-of-the-mill Pokémon spin-off. It wasn’t trying to emulate a specific aspect of the game like Pokémon Snap or Pokémon Stadium. Rather, Colosseum was its own thing, elevating the core formula found in the mainline entries to become a far more RPG-heavy experience, one that better appealed to the generation that had grown up with the original releases. It was darker in tone, more focused on story than any prior Pokémon entry, and felt significantly more technically and visually refined than what the handheld game could offer.

Pokémon Colosseum is often regarded as Final Fantasy meets Pokémon, and for good reason. Its developer, Genius Soroity, was made up of creatives who had worked on Dragon Quest and were therefore accustomed to JRPG design. It brought to the table something Game Freak simply couldn’t offer alongside the premium feel The Pokémon Company wanted for a home console Pokémon release. Its sequel, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, offered much of the same experience while fixing the handful of problems presented in its predecessor.

What remains so impressive about Pokémon Colosseum is that, despite releasing 23 years ago, it feels far more innovative than what Game Freak is offering today and like the reinvention Pokémon has needed for quite some time. Colosseum, at least to me, is the progression one perhaps assumed Pokémon would take, inevitably adopting a slightly darker tone as its fanbase grew up and putting a greater emphasis on story as game development and expectations of it matured.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and somehow Pokemon Colosseum ended up one of the most underrated games of all time. This is why it needs a remaster. Not only do the general gaming public deserve a more convenient way of accessing Pokémon Colosseum, but it’ll also serve as a much-needed reminder of what contemporary Pokémon is sorely missing. Alas, as both Colosseum and its sequel are coming to Nintendo Switch Online, it seems unlikely that a true remaster or remake is in the cards, as much as I’d personally like one. Regardless, however people enjoy it, it is clear to me that the innovations Genius Sorority made 23 years ago should not be forgotten and relegated to NSO.

Pokémon Colosseum Should Serve As The Blueprint For Pokémon’s Future

It seems clear to me that Pokémon needs to step away from the tired, restrictive formula it has adopted since the 90s and offer a bolder, more innovative experience to its modern audience. While the cozy nostalgia of games like FireRed and LeafGreen brings endless joy to those who started playing Pokémon in its infancy, it isn’t enough to sustain a franchise this long into its lifespan. Pokémon cannot simply remain stuck in the past, destined to dish out underbaked entries with lacklustre narratives, utterly uninspiring gameplay, and increasingly disappointing region design.

The answer to this problem, of course, lies in Pokémon Colosseum for two key reasons. The first is that, as aforementioned, Colosseum elevated Pokémon’s core foundations, improving its battles with better animations and a greater level of difficulty, delivering a story that made you actually care about the characters you met and the region you explored, and shifting the focus away from catching Pokémon, something that has lost its luster over the years. By adopting these changes, among many other necessary ones, Pokémon can shed the burdensome and repetitive gameplay loop it has straddled itself with and become a more heightened and interesting experience that retains a lot of the magic that made it special in the first place.

The other reason why Colosseum’s approach works so well is that it wasn’t developed by Game Freak. That is in no way intended as a slight against the developer, especially as it has seemingly proven its creative chops with its upcoming game, Beast of Reincarnation. Rather, by removing much of the mounting stress that inevitably comes with developing not just the mainline games, but also the Legends spin-offs, Game Freak would be able to focus on delivering the occasional truly excellent game, rather than two a year. There are so many other developers that would be incredibly well-suited to developing a great Pokémon game, Genius Sorority among them, as well as Xenoblade Chronicles’ developer, Monolith Soft.

We’re yet to see just how Pokémon will evolve and how the Switch 2 will affect the mainline series. However, I sincerely hope that Game Freak, at the very least, looks back at the many incredible spin-offs for inspiration for future titles. There are so many amazing ways it has improved the series, and those should not be disregarded. However, they would be elevated significantly were they to be combined with the many innovations Genius Sorority brought to the franchise 23 years ago. Pokémon Colosseum is a phenomenally designed game and easily one of the greatest Pokémon games ever made, and I encourage anyone even remotely interested, whether The Pokémon Company releases a remaster or not, to try it out. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

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