Pokémon Case study [WEEK 6]

 In 1996, Game Freak released Pokémon red and blue for the Gameboy, A game in which you find, collect, and fight small creatures called Pokémon. The game was and still is wildly popular, selling over 30 Million copies (Bulbapedia n.d.) and was the first installation in a still ongoing series of games, some titles of which include:  Pokémon Legends: Arceus (Game Freak 2022), New Pokémon Snap (BANDAI NAMCO Studios 2021), Pokémon Go (Niantic 2016), Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (Game Freak 2012), and Pokémon Emerald (Nintendo 2004)(IGN 2024).

Pokemon red, blue and yellow (Game Freak 1996)

Understandably, the Pokémon games have intriguing and entertaining gameplay, and mechanics that are iconic to the series. At it’s core, most Pokémon games are classified under the RPG, or Role Playing Game genre having turn based fight mechanics, skills and a map to explore. On top of this however, is the unique mechanic of collecting monsters, this was first advertised on the blurb of all three Pokemon red, blue and yellow boxes. (Bulbapedia n.d.). You play as a Pokemon trainer starting out in your home town, then exploring the wider world around you and collecting these monsters as you go, through battle you can level up your Pokémon and work your way up to battling in the areas gym, once you have completed a gym you can progress onto the next area and discover new Pokémon to collect. This collecting of monsters mechanic is iconic to the IP of Pokémon as a whole, not just existing within the games, but also inspiring and branching off into other mediums such as a trading card game, and a toy line that encouraged the consumers to purchase and “collect” all their favourites just like in the game they were inspired by, Pokemon red, blue and yellow.

Within this collecting mechanic is a piece of technology used within the universe to keep log of your Pokémon, and provide the trainer with information about the monsters they have collected. This is called a Pokedex and appears to be a sort of phone-like device with a screen and a scanner. The ultimate aim of the Pokémon games are to complete the Pokedex with all the monster’s in the land, and as such it plays a huge role in the mechanics of the game. According to Bulbapedia (n.d.) there are two main types of Pokedex in the Pokémon Universe, those being Regional Pokedexes, and National Pokedexes. A Regional Pokedex will give information and display Pokémon from a certain area of the world, whilst a National Pokedex will give an overview of all Pokémon in the universe, Thus having a wider scope but displaying much more on the screen. 

Every Mainline Pokémon Game, Ranked By Pokedex Size (Game Freak n.d.)

Following on from this, it is to note that depending on where you are in the world, Pokémon will look different. Not only is this down to the environment they live in, such as water, land or air, But some Pokémon may have some cultural and temporal adaptations.As each of the Pokémon games are set in a different area of the wider world, designs will change somewhat drastically in places from game to game. A great example of these differences in designs can be seen in the pokemon Blaziken from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (Game freak 2002) and Leafeon from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl (Game freak 2006). Looking at Blaziken first, the design clearly shows this creature is based around fire, The bottom section of the creatures legs almost resembles a flame with its sharp jagged appearance and orange colour, and colour palette wise this creature uses mostly warm hues such as reds, oranges and yellows. On top of this, Blaziken utilizes attacks surrounding fire such as it’s Fire Blitz attack (PokemonDatabase n.d.). Originating from the Hoenn region, a island boasting a large volcano by the name of Mt. Chimney (Bulbapedia n.d.). With this in mind, Blaziken’s appearance and ability to utilize fire in it’s attacks would best suit it to this equally hot environment. Comparing this to Leafeon, we see that this monster has much more of a cool and natural toned colour palette, with appendages that resemble the shape of a leaf. If we also compare it’s attacks to Blaziken’s, we can see that Leafeon has a Leaf Blade skill (PokemonDatabase n.d.), and a more plant based skillset overall. Leafeon is from a location called Sinnoh, which according to Bulbapedia (n.d.) is a fertile and rural land filled with many plants and canopy coverage. Leafeon’s Colour palette and overall shape language lends itself to being able to blend into an environment like this much better, It is clear that these two Pokémon both in their aesthetic design choices and their more mechanical skills are suited best to their individual environments, one being a very hot and fiery volcanic setting, whilst the other is a green and verdant forest setting.

Blaziken ( Game Freak n.d.)

Leafeon ( Game Freak n.d.)

New Pokémon Snap (BANDAI NAMCO Studios 2021) is a game for the Nintendo switch that utilises mechanics similar to what we hope to implement in our own game. Still utilising the pokedex and collection mechanic, New Pokémon Snap has an additional feature of the camera mechanic allowing you to take customised photos of your Pokémon to add to your pokedex. These photos can also be shared amongst friends and edited to fully customise your own pokedex (New Pokemon Snap 2021). Sharing photos aside, this is a similar mechanic to what our game might have, collecting photographs of wildlife and plant life that then turn into drawings and information that the player logs in a journal.

New Pokémon Snap ( BANDAI NAMCO 2021)

Our reasoning to looking to Pokémon for inspiration is definitely due to it being a benchmark game in the RPG and collector genre of games. One of our game’s main mechanics is the ability to find, log and research plants and animals from across the New Sahara. Many of these plants and animals have had to adapt massively to the new environment, changing from a dry desert to a lush rainforest. Similarly to Pokémon, the creatures in this game will have different designs depending on where you are on the map, and whilst you are not actively collecting these creatures, you have the ability to capture their photos and add them to your collection. This collection is much like the Regional Pokedexes, showing all the creatures in the area, the information about them, and what kind of environment suits them best. There will also be a fighting mechanic in our game, however this is where we might stray from the inspiration of Pokémon, instead of having a turn based fight mechanic, we might opt for something that is more freeform and reminiscent of some survival games in which you have freedom to roam around a space, utilising objects to jump on top of, and maybe even the ability to set traps. Overall, Pokémon is a great illustration on how these mechanics are quite popular in games and how they can help tell a story of how creatures might adapt to different environments.

Bibliography-

Websites -

Bulbapedia ,No date. Hoenn [online]. Bulbagarden. Available at: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Hoenn#Climate  [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Bulbapedia ,No date. Pokédex [online]. Bulbagarden. Available at: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9dex [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Bulbapedia ,No date. Pokémon Red and Blue Versions [online]. Bulbagarden. Available at: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue_Versions [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Bulbapedia ,No date. Sinnoh [online]. Bulbagarden. Available at: https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sinnoh#Environment [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Gamerant ,2024. Pokemon GO: A Complete Pokedex [online]. Gamerant. Available at: https://gamerant.com/pokemon-go-a-complete-pokedex-every-pokemon/ [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

IGN, 2024. The 10 Best Pokémon Video Games of All Time [online]. IGN. Available at: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-10-best-pokemon-video-games [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

PokemonDatabase ,No date. Blaziken [online]. PokemonDatabase. Available at: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/blaziken[Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

PokemonDatabase ,No date. Leafeon [online]. PokemonDatabase. Available at: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/leafeon[Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

PokemonDatabase ,No date. Red, Blue & Yellow Pokédex [online]. PokemonDatabase. Available at: https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/game/red-blue-yellow#:~:text=The%20original%20games%20Pok%C3%A9mon%20Red,Pok%C3%A9mon%20in%20the%20Kanto%20region[Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Pokemon, 2021. New Pokemon Snap [online]. Pokemon. Available at:https://newpokemonsnap.pokemon.com/en-gb/ [Accessed 29 October 2024]. 

Games -

BANDAI NAMCO, 2021. New Pokémon Snap [Digital], Nintendo Switch. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 1996. Pokemon red and blue [Cartridge], Gameboy. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 2002. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire [Cartridge],Gameboy Advance. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 2002. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire [Digital],Nintendo DS. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 2004. Pokémon Emerald [Cartridge],Gameboy Advance. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 2012. Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 [Digital], Nintendo DS. Nintendo.

Game Freak, 2022. Pokémon Legends: Arceus [Digital], Nintendo Switch. Nintendo.

Niantic, 2015. Pokémon Go [Online], Mobile. Nintendo

Images -

BANDAI NAMCO, 2021. New Pokemon Snap (Nintendo Switch) [Online]. Available via: Amazon. [Accessed 29 October 2024].

https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Pokemon-Snap-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B08TC8FYP5?th=1 

Game Freak, 1996. Pokemon red, blue and yellow[online]. Available via: Entertainment weekly.[Accessed 29 October 2024].

https://ew.com/article/2015/11/13/pokemon-red-blue-yellow-rerelease-3ds/ 

Game Freak, No Date. Every Mainline Pokemon Game, Ranked By Pokedex Size[Online]. Available via: TheGamer. [Accessed 29 October 2024].

https://www.thegamer.com/pokemon-every-game-ranked-pokedex-size/ 

Game Freak, No Date. Blaziken [Online]. Available via: Pokemon. [Accessed 29 October 2024].

https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokedex/blaziken

Game Freak, No Date. Leafeon [Online]. Available via: Pokemon. [Accessed 29 October 2024].

https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokedex/leafeon