6 Most Exciting Main Series Easter Eggs in Pokemon Pokopia

Now that Pokemon Pokopia is out in the world, fans are falling in love with its adorable and engaging world. This is the highest rated Pokemon game in years for many reasons. It’s got varied and interesting gameplay, fun Pokemon dialogue, and a surprisingly emotional story. But it also absolutely nails its in-game references to existing Pokemon main series lore. As you explore the various areas that Pokopia has to offer, you’ll stumble upon journal entries, photos, and items that engage with the main series in surprisingly in-depth ways.

Playing Pokopia doesn’t necessarily require an in-depth knowledge of prior Pokemon games. After all, the gameplay is part Animal Crossing, part Dragon Quest Builders. Rebuilding towns and answering requests doesn’t demand that you know Pokemon types or moves. But for those who are coming to Pokopia with a history of Pokemon fandom, it absolutely delivers. The game is packed with Easter Eggs and references to the Pokemon franchise, and some of them are close to perfection. Here are the most exciting main series lore drops I’ve come across in Pokemon Pokopia.

6) Finding CDs with Pokemon Music from Past Games

Pokemon Pokopia hides all kinds of items inside blocks or beneath the water. Often, breaking a block or checking out a sparkling ripple will add a new CD to your collection. These CDs can be played by DJ Rotom or via a stereo system. And each and every one is a delightful piece of Pokemon history.

I’m sure I haven’t found them all, but so far, I’ve stumbled upon discs that play everything from the Game Corner music to the theme from the S.S. Anne and more. Finding each one unlocks a core memory from playing the main series games over the years, whether you listen to it or just read the title.

5) Cubone’s Habitat Requirements

Many of the habitats make subtle references to the world of Pokemon. But few are quite as heartbreakingly accurate as Cubone’s. As OG Pokemon fans will know, Cubone’s lore is heavily centered around losing its mother. In fact, the skull it wears is canonically its dead mother’s skull. And Pokopia did not shy away from this reference.

In order to attract Cubone to your game, you have to create a habitat known as “grave with flowers.” As in, craft a gravestone and surround it with flowers. When Cubone finally spawns in its new home, the Pokemon will remark that its mother would’ve loved this place. Absolutely devastating, but also delightfully lore-accurate. Incidentally, crafting this habitat is also how you attract a Marowak, which I personally choose to believe will be me reuniting mother and child.

4) Outfits Based on Gym Leaders & Characters from the Series

Another fun series of Easter Eggs in Pokopia are the various outfits, “looks,” you can find in the game. Discovering certain journal entries and photos will unlock new Ditto transformations, and they all reference NPCs from the original Pokemon games. This is as niche as “Super Nerd” or as straightforward as Misty or Lt. Surge.

Given how basic the typical Ditto outfits are, this is a fun way to give players more options. And it also calls back to the trainer types and Gym Leaders that made Pokemon what it is across history. You can now cosplay your favorite Pokemon character while playing the first-ever Pokemon life sim, and I think that’s beautiful.

3) You Stumble Upon the Remnants of a Team Rocket Hideout

Team Rocket plays a somewhat surprising role in the events of Pokemon Pokopia. But even without going into detail there, Team Rocket fans have plenty to stumble upon. Several journal entries reference a Grunt that’s part of “Team R.” Even better, your explorations of the world of Pokopia will take you to the depths of what’s clearly a former Team Rocket hideout.

The Sparkling Skylands area is heavily hinted to be a post-apocalyptic Celadon City. So it’s pretty fitting that you stumble upon a room with a giant Team Rocket poster while delving into the ruins of this biome. I gasped aloud with delight quite a few times while playing Pokopia, and finding the Team Rocket hideout was definitely one of those times.

2) Bleak Beak Is Post-Apocalyptic Vermillion City & References A Longstanding Mystery

Notes scattered throughout Bleak Beach make it pretty clear that the area is what’s left of Vermillion City. And as content creator Cecilily recently pointed out, the Pokemon Pokopia team made sure to reference one of the city’s longstanding mysteries. Whatever became of the building that random guy and his Machoke were working on?

In the first Pokemon games, an old man and his Machoke are working to build… something. This reference carries through to Gen 2 as we find out that construction has stopped. For years, fans have had no idea what became of that project. And in the area where this building might have been, there’s a note that references an interview with Kenzo, “owner of the largest building in the area.” And what Pokemon is by his side? A Machamp, heavily hinting that Kenzo is indeed that same guy with the mysterious build site in Gen 1 and Gen 2. From the sounds of it, his dreams did eventually come true.

1) You Get to Explore the Wreckage of the S.S. Anne

Also in Bleak Beach, we find none other than the former S.S. Anne. If you, like me, still poke at trash cans in every video game you play, it’s likely you got your start by stealing from the trash throughout the S.S. Anne. This ship docks in Vermillion City, and it was apparently making a trip back when disaster struck the world of Pokemon.

Once you unlock the ability to Transform into Lapras, one of your Poke Pals will ask you to go explore the ruins in the distance. And sure enough, those ruins are what was once the S.S. Anne. This was definitely one of the early moments that made me fall even more in love with Pokopia.

What’s your favorite main series reference in Pokemon Pokopia so far? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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