Game Freak announced Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves at the end of the 30th anniversary Pokemon Presents direct. Not much is known so far about Pokemon winds and waves in addition to what has so far been shown in the advertising material. We know they're going to be open, we know they're in a tropical environment and we know the players are going to have slightly different standard outfits depending on the game. And of course we know the beginners.
The prelude to a new one Pokémon release is always filled with theorizing, as evidenced by fans already analyzing the new Fire-type starter Pombon's design. The trailer has players wondering about the new open world, how navigation will work, and the lore and culture of this new region. While the region of Winds and waves It already looks fun to explore, we might not get many answers about its history or culture even after the game release. Previous Pokémon patterns suggest so Winds and WAVES can be more focused on gameplay and less on story.
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Pokemon Generation releases tend to alternate between gameplay and story focus
Ever since then Pokemon Black and White started Generation 5, games that take place in new regions have varied between focusing more on narrative or gameplay. Black and White stood out upon release for emphasizing action more than any game before it, to the point that they received direct sequels in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2. When Pokémon X and Y came out the following year, they really brought the franchise into a new era by switching to 3D worlds and introducing the beloved Mega Evolution mechanic. But their plots were pretty standard “be the very best” tales except for A-Z and ZAs detective Emma, none of which were the main focus of the games.
Mega Evolution is the only new combat mechanic introduced since then Pokémon X and Y to appear in several regions in the main games: Kalos, Hoenn, Alola and Kanto.
Pokemon Sun and The moon took after the Unova games with their heavy focus on story. In fact, the ratio of stages to games is something of a joke in the fandom – some players who were really there to catch them all or be the very best were frustrated by how much time they had to learn about Lillie's family drama. And while they revamped the gym system and introduced Z-moves, the Island Trial format and Z-moves haven't returned in any post-Alola games.
On the contrary Pokemon Sword and Protect's Wild Area and later Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra in the DLCs was when the games first dipped their toes into boss raids and open world mechanics. However, Generation 8's writing did a poor job of justifying its actions with its villain's motivations and put more focus on the player's journey to once again become the very best.
And so we have Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The first real open world titles tried to develop the best parts of Sword and Protectby giving the player much more to do and giving them the freedom to explore a much larger map than just the Wild Area. But Paldea's performance woes will go down in history and forever mark that time Pokémon tried and failed to make their own version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Although how much the bugs and graphics hurt the player experience is of course subjective, Scarlet and Violets plots were well received. Each storyline really engaged the player with the game's cast, and the finale stands out not just among Pokémon games, but among JRPGs as a whole.
Winds and waves have the potential to do what Scarlet and Violet couldn't
Because we already know Winds and WAVES will be open world titles, they will hopefully build on the foundations of Generation 9 to make something really fun – and more importantly, smooth – to play. The mysterious tablet the protagonists hold in their official art may well play a role in world exploration, and the game may even begin with all modes of travel unlocked. That way the player can really have one Breath of the Wild great freedom to do what they want in the new region from the start.
Mainline Pokemon games playable on Nintendo Switch 2
- Pokemon FireRed and Leafy green
- Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's go, Eevee!
- Pokemon Sword and Protect
- Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining gem
- Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- Pokemon Legends: ZA
- Pokemon winds and WAVES
The environments – especially the water – look great in the trailers, so hopefully they'll stay that way as development progresses. But more than anything, here is hope Winds and WAVES takes on the mechanics of the open world which Scarlet and Violet didn't do it. Let's go inside the house again. Give us side quests with more substance than the busy work Pokemon Legends: ZAs side quest. And please, please, give us level scaling this time. Since Generation 10 has at least another 10 months in the oven before it's released, it's very likely that it'll be more polished than its predecessor did, and that's a good sign for me.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
