Pokemon winds and waves are gold and silver to Scarlet and Violet's red and blue

“History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes” is a popular quote that depicts how modern events are never exactly like historical events, but learning from that history shows how often similar events play out in a way that rhymes. It certainly seems relevant to the upcoming release of Pokemon winds and wavesbecause they follow a similar path to Pokemon Gold and Silver after the release of Pokemon Red and Blue.

Pokemon winds and waves looks a lot Scarlet and Violetdown to some of the characters and Pokemon that seem to fit in the Gen 9 games as well. While this may upset some fans, the reality is that it's what the franchise has always done to varying degrees of success. In addition to performance issues, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were the first true open world games in the franchise and represent the rare technological leap over the Gen 8 games (with the Wild Area of Sword and shield be a test run for the open game). Generations almost never grow by leaps and bounds. In other words, Pokemon winds and waves' direction (after Scarlet and Violet) resembles Pokemon Gold and Silver after the release of Pokemon Red and Blue.

Pokémon Gold and Silver indicate the direction of Pokémon's winds and waves

To get the basics out of the way first, it's hardly a coincidence Pokemon Red and Blue was first released for the monochromatic Game Boy, while Pokemon Gold and Silver were released for the Game Boy Color (but were backwards compatible). The relationship between Gen 9 and Gen 10 games is identical when it comes to Switch and Switch 2.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who is that character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)

Pokemon Red and Blue laid the foundation for the formula, but Pokemon Gold and Silver refined and expanded it in a way. The Johto adventures kept the same turn-based structure and creature-collecting gameplay and added meaningful additions to that formula: day and night cycles, breeding mechanics, and held items. Gold and Silver also allowed fans to return to Kanto, expand the scope of Red and blue. The result was a sequel that respected the simplicity of the original and at the same time proved Pokémon formula had much more depth and longevity than Red and blue originally suggested.

While the original Pokémon games will always be loved, there's something to be said for how Gold and Silver placed on a similar pedestal. The same can be said about Pokemon Ruby and Sapphirebecause many fans who grew up with them saw these incremental growths in a completely different light than they do as adults today (or if people came to the franchise later). Pokemon winds and waves do exactly what Gold and Silver did.

Pokemon winds and waves can be gold and silver in the Switch/Switch 2 Cross era

The upcoming games have a similar art style, but they improve the technical elements and expand them on an improved platform. They retain the same open world structure as Pokemon Scarlet and Violetbut they expand it. Pokemon winds and waves will be the biggest open world games in the franchise to date, especially with the expansion and return of Dive – changes that are thematically similar to the introduction of the day and night cycle. Each added more depth to the franchise. Pokemon winds and waves will also have their own unique gimmicks, a trademark of the franchise at this point.

Ultimately, Pokémon has always been a series of incremental iterations on the formula; in that regard, Pokemon winds and waves is no different than Gold and Silver to Red and blue in its relation to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Whether the Gen 10 games are as well received as the Gen 2 games remains to be seen, but if it ain't broke, there's no point in fixing it. The formula works and always has, and hopefully Game Freak fixes everything that's broken with the open world leap Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in Pokemon winds and waves.