It’s been a very long time coming, but next year, we will finally have a 20 year dream fulfilled when Pokemon launches at last for the Nintendo Switch. Given how long the franchise has taken to make the move to home consoles, there are naturally going to be expectations surrounding this new game- will Game Freak and Nintendo finally break free from the confines of the admittedly limiting structure the series has had on handhelds?
It would be best if you did not expect that, it seems. Speaking to Game Informer, Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda discussed the form the franchise may take on Nintendo’s home console/handheld hybrid.
“What I’m really curious about, and really excited to see, will be the main way that people play the Switch, he said. “Will it be home for the most part? Will it be out and about? I think that is really going to depend on where the person lives, maybe. Depending on the country, maybe the main style of playing will be different. As we’ve been saying a lot, we always focus on, when designing the games, thinking about how the player is going to play the game – how they’re going to enjoy it, and what kind of experiences they are going to have. I’m really just kind of excited to see where the main style of playing is going to land.”
He went on to talk about the pressure Game Freak now faces, as all eyes are on it for the debut of Pokemon on the big screen- going as far as to say that maybe people shouldn’t expect too much.
“It definitely is really fun to see that, but at the same time, it is definitely a lot of pressure, so we’re going to do our best to create a game that answers those expectations. It is very difficult to make the game, so I hope people don’t get their expectations up too high. We’ll do our best.”
Okay, no- unless Masuda’s comment is somehow targeted at a fringe group of fans on the internet who are expecting a Pokemon take on Breath of the Wild, I can’t say that his comment rubs me off the right way whatsoever. You have the most successful franchise in the world- do something with it. This is the long awaited home console debut of the series- make it your magnum opus. Go all out with it.
I hope it does not disappoint, once it finally launches. As of right now, it doesn’t have a release date, but the earliest we can expect the title is in late 2018.
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