I didn’t think I’d ever like Pokémon Pokopia. It isn’t that I have anything inherently against it or, indeed, the series as a whole, as I’ve been an avid fan of Pokémon for quite some time. Rather, as much as I do genuinely want to love the cozy genre, I’ve struggled to get into it, with only Animal Crossing ever endearing me towards its meandering, plod-like pacing, and even then, at a rare push. However, Pokopia has won me over, much as it has with seemingly everyone who plays it, and, as a result, I find myself questioning exactly why.
It isn’t as if I wanted to dislike Pokopia, as I typically wish to find joy in the games I pay $70 for. It is merely that Pokémon Pokopia has won me over in a way I didn’t expect, thanks, in large part, to how it tweaks the formula of the mainline series in interesting and unique ways. Indeed, it is for this very reason that I understand why many consider Pokopia to be the very best Pokémon game, and why I now wish the main series would adopt its brilliant ideas, as it so clearly and desperately needs them.
Pokémon Pokopia Makes You Care About Your Pokémon
One of the most surprising aspects of Pokémon Pokopia makes you care about the titular ‘mons that you meet. It isn’t merely a passing interest as one perhaps would with the recent crop of Animal Crossing villagers, but rather a deep investment in them. Indeed, this is largely what makes Pokopia a better game than Animal Crossing, as, while you bound about completing all manner of enjoyable objectives and unlocking the myriad of fun new abilities, you also find yourself relishing in the company of the Pokémon whose homes you are trying to rebuild.
It manages to do this despite the fact that Pokémon Pokopia is an enormous game, perhaps far bigger in terms of sheer content and richness of mechanics than even the mainline series. You can spend hours customizing each individual aspect of its gorgeous world to make it just right for its inhabitants, and, frankly, you’ll often feel emotionally incentivized to do so. The quirky dialogue of your Pokémon companions has proven popular online, and for good reason. It is the first time in an exceptionally long time that any Pokémon in a video game has had a semblance of personality.
This is the biggest distinction between the mainline Pokémon games and Pokopia, not their gameplay. Sure, in many ways Pokopia represents Omega Force’s Dragon Quest Builders 2, but it isn’t merely the same game with a Pokémon-hued coat of paint splashed on top. This is a game that, while borrowing some gameplay concepts, deeply understands the value in creating emotional bonds with the Pokémon you spend most of the game with in a way that Game Freak’s iterations never have. It is this aspect, above all else, that the mainline games need to adopt, as, without it, they only serve to grow further from the entire purpose of the series in the first place.
Pokémon Needs To Make Pokémon Feel Important Again
I have felt for some time that Pokémon in Pokémon feel rather meaningless, as absurd as that may sound. Your starter Pokémon, the creature you’re meant to be attached to for the entire game, rarely feels special anymore and, often, can be a burden. Even when you get a full team, they’re designed to be disposable as the game throws new and interesting Pokémon at you to switch them out with. It’s all about how powerful they are, their level, their stats, evolving them, and so on. Never, not once, in any mainline Pokémon game, has it been about building bonds.
Sure, there have been attempts, and I think Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, for all their faults, came the closest. Giving the player the legendary Pokémon from the start and actively integrating it into not combat, but exploration and questlines, was a stroke of genius. However, even then, Koraidon or Miraidon often felt like little more than convenient modes of transport. It was only on rare occasions in the narrative, and at the very end, that they felt even remotely integral. This is a genuine shame, as Pokémon, at least in the anime, has always been about the bond between trainer and Pokémon.
Within the games themselves, you’ll often hear this notion discussed, whether by villains or random NPCs. Yet, when it comes down to it, Game Freak has failed to find a compelling way to make you care beyond the occasional moment of victory, where you win by sheer luck and for some reason attribute that to your digital companion. It needs to make Pokémon more interesting, to endear the player toward their virtual partners, and not just utilize them as things to tick off an ever-growing Pokédex or in endless battles. An easy solution is to expand upon what Scarlet and Violet attempted by making them less of a series of moves in battle and more of a character within the story.
Alternatively, Game Freak could adopt Pokopia’s strategy by giving Pokémon personalities, at least your starter one. That way, you could actually get a sense of individuality in the Pokémon you catch and create a bond based on personality, rather than stats and skills. Ostensibly, Pokémon shouldn’t be treated the same as a new piece of equipment in any other JRPG. They are, within their universe, living creatures with distinct personalities. At least, that’s how it should be. Pokémon Pokopia isn’t perfect by any means, and your attachment to its huge roster of Pokémon will vary and likely still feel largely superficial. However, it is a far more admirable and ambitious attempt at replicating the same bond Ash shares with Pikachu that we’ve all been searching for. The mainline series needs to start making such relationships far more important, not just to make the Pokémon themselves more crucial to the overall experience, but to make the games themselves infinitely more memorable.
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