Marking the 30th anniversary of the franchise, as well as the 10th generation, Pokémon Winds and Waves is an important release for Nintendo. However, many people feel recent Pokémon games, and Nintendo games as a whole, have missed the mark. Nintendo is failing to adapt, innovate or even reach the standard the gaming industry has set. Despite the games being the main source for all things Pokémon, whether it be anime, merch or their massive stake in the trading card industry, the games are the core inspiration.
Surprisingly enough, the announcement for the newest games, Winds and Waves looks to be a drastic improvement over recent installments. While the announcement trailer only provided a minute of in-game footage, it’s not hard to tell that, given the new hardware capabilities of the Switch 2, the graphics and lighting are the best they’ve ever been. Winds and Waves looks to have a truly attractive landscape, as opposed to the “Play-Doh” land fans have grown accustomed to (because of how bad and unpolished the terrain looked in recent titles).
The first Switch’s hardware made it more difficult to create ambitious games that were also polished, which led to shortcuts in graphic design and coding. The trailer for Winds and Waves, however, takes full advantage of the improved capabilities of the Switch 2, showcasing dynamic lighting, vibrant water effects and detailed environments full of life. Sunlight filters through forest canopies, fire Pokémon glow naturally and the leaves of a tropius even let light pass through.
Another nice detail is how shadows react realistically to the environment: objects closer to the ground cast darker shadows, as opposed to those farther away. These kinds of details all add up to create an immersive world, and with so much time and effort put into details, it may reflect the rest of the game well. The trailer clearly demonstrates how much more polished and well-thought-out the games are turning out compared to previous entries.
You might think the conclusion is that the new game is going to be simply amazing. While that might be the case, and I hope it is, it doesn’t change the fact that great Nintendo games are few and far between nowadays and that great graphics in a trailer don’t promise a polished game when it comes to many other factors we can’t see. I would be surprised if the game is released without a few glaring, problematic issues and criticisms. However, if any Pokémon game were to break the mold, this would be the one.
Another big reveal was the new starter trio, which were the only new Pokémon revealed in the trailer. Of course, many fans are going to love the starters, but when compared to previous generations it’s clear they aren’t the most creative choices. A fire dog, a water gecko and a grass bird (which we’ve gotten as a starter before). If we use something simple like a color palette to compare them to other generations, most starters usually have at least three main colors, while the new trio only really have two each.
Overall, they seem a bit overly simple and uninspired. The starters may not be the best way to judge Winds and Waves so far before its release. With over 1,000 Pokémon, the supply of good ideas is starting to go down, and this might be reflected in the new Pokémon themselves.
You should always make informed decisions when you plan on purchasing anything, even when it is something as simple as a video game. While there is a lot of great digital media out there, remember that most corporations are out to get your money at the end of the day. Overall, the game looks promising, but we’ll have to wait and see for ourselves.
