As we mentioned in our review of Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver, Pokémon is an incredibly frustrating franchise to review simply because, even by Nintendo standards, the games have changed very little in the span of what is now five generations of mainline games. This is also the first time a new pair of games has been released on the same console as the previous generation; we would certainly have been more than intrigued to play a Pokémon game that took advantage of the extra functions of the 3DS. Still, since the games are usually of a consistently high quality we won’t complain too much.
As usual, you’re a rookie Pokémon trainer (who actually looks more like a teenager than a child this time around) looking to hit the big time, this time in the new Unova region, which is more heavily inspired by the USA rather than Japan. Normally we would stop our analysis of the story right here, but this time we really feel that it deserves a special mention. The villains this time around are much better-developed, and the themes that the story explores actually question the franchise itself at a fundamental level. Of course it’s done in a way that keeps the game accessible for children and doesn’t dilute the essential Pokémania, but we still appreciate this really daring move to have the game question its own thesis while still ensnaring you with it.
One thing that’s also different is that there are no returning Pokémon from previous generations until after the main story is complete. Instead there are now over 150 entirely new creatures to find and battle. This can give the game the feeling of a reboot, and it evokes memories of when we first played Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow all those years ago, as the same initial sense of all-new discovery and wonder resurfaces.
The fundamental mechanics still haven’t changed much, retaining the same mixture of exploration, combat and various other new distractions such as the Pokémon Musicals to take part in. Overall, however, we found that the number of distractions was considerably smaller this time around; in fact, the whole game feels much more linear and story-driven than other entries in the series. Field moves such as Surf, Strength etc. aren’t even as necessary as they were before, and most routes and dungeons now have at least one healer on hand to bring your party back up to full health without having to traipse back to town all the time. The whole game has been streamlined and designed to steer you through the areas as quickly and painlessly as possible, a move which many will appreciate as it speeds up the time it takes to get to the real meat of competitive Pokémon battling.
The same turn-based, Rock-Paper-Scissors-like battle system returns, but it remains as deceptively deep as it ever was, with a huge variety of moves, Pokémon types and combat strategies to consider. The fights themselves, however, move at a much faster pace than before, and without the constant weather condition reminders that would cause battles to drag (they’re replaced by a simple icon on the bottom screen). There are also two new types of battles, Triple Battles and Rotation Battles, both of which involve sending out three members of your party at the same time, either to fight all as one or switch between them mid-battle. Which type is more common depends on which version of the game you have, but both can get chaotic and add even more tactics that must be taken into account. It’s also possible to encounter more than one Pokémon at a time out in the wild, which helps add some much-needed variety to the proceedings.
The experience system has also changed, as it’s now scaling; your monster gets more points for being below the enemy’s level, while being above it reduces the amount gained somewhat. This brings about a sense of risk versus reward, as well as making it easier to raise weaker Pokémon. There’s also the fact that TMs (items which can teach a Pokémon new moves) can now be used as many times as you want, making it much easier to tailor a team to your specific needs and handle any situation that might arise.
There are also a greater number of differences between the two versions this time around. As well as each having different creatures to encounter, some of the locations have an aesthetic change depending on your version, while there’s a whole area that is either an open forest or a hi-tech city. There’s also an all-new Seasons system in place, where the seasons change every month and alter the locations of some Pokémon and the physical appearance of some of them. It helps to make the game world seem more dynamic and alive than before, and again can fundamentally alter some areas in the game.
One of the biggest improvements is in how communication between players is handled. The main new item is the C-Gear, which acts like an “always-on” wi-fi function, making it much easier to link up via wireless, wi-fi or even the infra-red option built into the cartridge and start trading and battling with other players. The game even includes a limited co-op option, as it’s possible to enter another player’s game and run small side-quests. The connectivity is also encouraged via the Dream World function; by linking your game to a special website, even more special items and Pokémon can be obtained. It’s nice to see Game Freak actually trying to use all this technology, making it even easier to link up and take full advantage of what is a very social franchise at its core.
However, for all the improvements the game makes there are some areas where it takes a step back. You can no longer access all the options from the touch-screen, which is taken up by the C-Gear, so accessing the menu is now more fiddly than it was before. There also isn’t an option to keep the running shoes on this time, so you have to once again keep a button held down to move at anything above the snail’s-pace walking. These were small but very welcome improvements made in HeartGold and SoulSilver, and we wish that the team behind Black and White had taken some notes from the team responsible for those excellent remakes.
The most annoying thing we found with these versions, however, is that the encounter rate for wild Pokémon is insanely, maddeningly high. Random encounters and the frequency of said encounters are a common bugbear of ours when it comes to JRPGs, and Pokémon has never been any different in this regard. However, this time the developers have gone way, way too far with this; often in dungeons we couldn’t even take two steps without getting attacked. It gets incredibly aggravating when all you want to do is explore but get harassed constantly, and we ended up wasting more money than we would have liked on Repels for those times when we just didn’t feel in any condition to fight.
The graphics are far and away the most impressive yet in the series. While the world is still populated by sprites and your movement is still restricted to a grid, more care and attention to detail has gone into the world. No longer do the towns look so samey, and more dynamic camera angles are used (sometimes the game even slips into an over-the-shoulder view) to give a much more cinematic look. The first evidence of this is when you reach Castelia City, a sprawling New York-like metropolis with its own docks, back-alleys, a small park and dozens of commuters walking to and fro to work. The whole game-world feels much more alive than it did before. The dungeons and Gyms also use a lot more technical trickery, making for some very interesting challenges.
The Pokémon themselves are now animated in battles, and while the animations don’t go as far as some would like (they’re essentially still fixed to the spot) the subtle little gestures and movements that they have make them seem more like actual living creatures than before. One thing we do take issue with though are the creature designs; it’s evident to us that Game Freak are running out of ideas, so are making monsters based on what they happen to see in the street. It’s the only explanation we can think of to see creatures based on objects such as rubbish bins, chandeliers and ice-creams. Few of the creatures look like the sort you’d want to take into battle with you, and many just look over-designed and not aesthetically pleasing, especially when viewed from a distance. In short, many of them are entirely forgettable.
Thankfully more effort has been put into the audio this time. There are some really catchy tunes scattered throughout, especially for the battle themes, and some suitably epic-sounding pieces when world-shattering events are taking place. Every tune sounds appropriate for the situation at hand. The sound effects have just the right amount of impact, including some great-sounding new Pokémon calls (which sadly only apply to the new creatures, so you’ll still have to put up with Charizard’s indistinct 8-bit fuzz even now).
This is what you call a good sequel; familiar yet fresh. Our gripes with the creature designs and other little niggles aside, this really is as good as the core formula could possibly get. The greatly-improved story, graphics and more fluid gameplay really are to be commended. It’s not perfect and can still feel a bit over-familiar to veterans, but it’s still a well-constructed and extremely addictive entry which is well worth checking out.
