In the world of Pokémon, there are an infinite number of possibilities. The great legend Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of the original 1996 Nintendo handheld Game Boy game “Pokémon”, implemented his childhood inspiration of collecting a lot of insects, mice and other small creatures into a game that was once called “Pocket Monsters Red and Green”. Thirty years and $147 billion later, fans of the multimedia brand now have a new pair of titles to look forward to later this fall: the tropical-themed “Pokémon Winds” and “Pokémon Waves”, which will debut the new starter set of creatures Browt, Pombon and Gecqua.
Pikachu and company came to life under Game Freak Inc, a well-known Japanese video game developing company, and was instantly popularized, leading to a trading card game later in 1996, and then, in April 1997, the big hit TV series, followed by a film franchise. Soon after, the Pokémon series and movies were released in the U.S., dubbed in English.
In the first Pokémon video game, known as “Red and Green”, the player starts as a trainer with three Poké Balls (which are used to catch Pokémon) to choose from: Fire, Water and Grass. For each subsequent generation, a whole different region of Pokémon would debut. The first generation starters are Charmander, the fire lizard, Squirtle, the water turtle, and lastly Bulbasaur, the grass frog.
When later generations were released, players could get starter trios, which usually have a concept unifying monsters into groups that evolve later on. By Generation III, new concepts based on animals you find in the wild debuted, such as Torchic the fire chick, Mudkip the mudfish and Treeko the grass gecko. Subsequent generations included creatures inspired by mythology, dinosaurs and more.
Now, Generation 10, which was recently announced as part of the upcoming “Winds” and “Waves” games, will feature such unique and fresh Pokémon as Pombon the fire pooch, Gecqua the water gecko and Browt the grass bird. With these starters added, players will be able to use older generations as starters too, meaning players will have the entire history of the game to complete their Pokedex. Each different generation also has new game mechanics, like Mega Evolution (a temporary, in-battle power boost), Z-Moves (a powerful one-time attack), Dynamax/Gigantamax forms (a drastic increase in size and Health Points), and Terastallize (an alteration of tera type and offensive/defensive powers).
“I think due to news about ‘Pokémon: Winds’ and ‘Waves’, popularity [in the brand] has [once again] increased,” Liam Johnson (9) said.
This pair of upcoming multi-platform releases has also boosted interest in Pokémon trading cards, with a new expansion pack, “Mega Evolution—Chaos Rising,” releasing this month. When the first 151 Pokémon cards were released in the U.S. in 1999, the brand skyrocketed in popularity and was used for both trading and competitive play, which was the main purpose of the cards. As the years go by, the Pokémon Company starts to make new sets of fresh new cards and newer designs—and even new game mechanics, not unlike the video games.
In recent iterations of the trading cards and card sets, each different Pokémon card is rare to a certain degree. You can see how rare a card is by looking at the stars in the left-bottom corner—one black star means it’s common, two black stars are known as “Holos” or “Reverse Holos,” three black stars are identified as EXs (Extras) or GXs (Giga-Extra) and so on. Each year, various Pokémon cards and card sets start to increase in value, especially as demand increases along with rarity and expansion packs.
“I have spent over a thousand [dollars] on Pokémon, and I got the card that I was chasing for, [which] was the trainer Gengar card,” Mareli Guttierez Tacuba (12) said.
Gameplay with trading cards involves set-ups for moves and playing your favorite Pokémon, among so many more possibilities. Some of the Pokémon-loving community will even host tournaments for big prizes or just for the love of the game. These tournaments don’t just have to be card tournaments either, as they can be digital too. In 2009, Gamefreak held the first Pokémon World Championship, for instance.
In addition to worldwide tournaments, many fan-made game concepts, also known as Fakémons, are constantly being made and proliferated online. One called “Pokémon Fusion” is a bold concept that would allow players to fuse Pokémon together, creating odd new creatures with combination abilities and characteristics. Meanwhile, “Palworld” is a survival game on Steam that borrows a lot of game mechanics and monster typings from Pokémon. Most of the designs of the “pals” are similar to Pokémon too, and while this comes across as plagiarism to some, others celebrate these kinds of inspirations as honoring the original brand’s legacy.
Speaking of brand legacy, there is, of course, also arguably the most popular Pokémon title in recent years, the mobile game “Pokémon GO”, which was released in 2016 and brought in a whole new audience, allowing players to go out more and spend time with their friends and family at parks, beaches, cities and even out of town while still catching pocket monsters. Due to its unique gameplay and instant success, Pokémon GO Fest has become an annual summer fan event, with a satellite festival going down in Chicago this year in addition to the original in Tokyo. With enhanced gaming features, exclusive Pokémon spawns and much more, the citywide celebration is also free for the first time to all players.
As the release date for “Winds” and “Waves” gets closer, the community has become more and more excited, as so many possibilities of new game mechanics, such as the region name, new Pokémon, older Pokémon coming back and new Pokémon cards are all likely to spark and re-spark so many fans’ love for the franchise.
As Pokémon is still thriving with new titles, ways to be a part of the fan community and giving a lot back to the fans, how will you continue your journey, Trainer?
