*This review is brought to you by a casual fan that has only played 3 other Pokémon games (namely Red, Y and Omega Ruby).*
This is definitely my favourite game in the series that I have played. For a series infamous for not making drastic changes between instalments, there are a lot of quality of life improvements here that ought to be kept from now on. Being able to actually see Pokémon roaming around the overworld is such a good addition (yes, I know it was in Let’s Go too), that it makes me wonder how we ever coped without it. Poké Jobs provide a way to gain XP without actually playing and you can camp with your Pokémon to increase their friendliness towards you and even cook curry! (Who didn’t want a curry-cooking simulator in Pokémon?).
It’s the Wild Area however that genuinely feels like an evolution of the series and is something that needs to be built upon. Depending on the time of day and the weather, different Pokemon appear and it’s easy to sink hours into this single area. You have control over the camera for the first time in the series here as opposed to it being set and it really feels like a next-generation Pokémon game. You can also engage in Max Raid Battles with up to 3 other players and try to take down massive Pokémon. This is what Pokémon needs to take it to the next level.
At its core though, this is very much a Pokémon game. Up to six creatures per team, super effective and not very effective moves depending on the type(s) of the Pokémon, 8 Gym Leaders to defeat, all the usual stuff. This is certainly no bad thing however. In fact it feels like the perfect ending point before taking that next step in the series. There’s also a little challenge to complete before you can take on the Gym Leader of each gym, varying from a pinball-esque slide to a quiz. Every challenge is very different and they’re all enjoyable.
The story is decent but the characters are great in my opinion. Your rival Hop, Sonia, Bede, Marnie, the “Unbeatable Champion” Leon; each of them have very distinct personalities and I enjoyed watching them all develop throughout the game. And those two characters you encounter during the post-game… they are interesting to say the least.
There was an unbelievable amount of controversy and overreaction in the build-up to this game and most of this was around the fact that not every Pokémon in the series would be available in the game. While it would have been nice to have them all there, personally I don’t really mind at all. There are still hundreds present and that is more than enough for me. The game is undeniably easy however and having a Hard Mode as an option from now on would definitely be an improvement.
I thought the designs of the new Pokémon were all really strong this generation and the gimmick of making your Pokémon grow to incredible sizes by ‘Dynamaxing’ them is always a thrill to use. The music is incredible too, particularly the battle themes (special mention to Hop’s battle theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0HuqoKre3Y and the battle tower theme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvm5yDtaGiY).
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this game. There’s a solid mix of standard Pokémon stuff and new Pokémon stuff wrapped up in a polished package and I can confidently say that I have never had more fun defeating a grass monkey with a fire bunny (#ScorbunnySquad). I think the next generation of games probably should experiment a bit more with the formula, but for now I am looking forward to the DLC.
Occasional Video Game Reviews 
Great post 🙂
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