While fans eagerly await the upcoming release of Pokemon Scarlet and purple, Game Freak has already shown that it plans to break with many pokemon traditions and the fishing mechanic of the series should be next on the list. Given that current details have already been confirmed, such as two Pokemon professors or new ways of traveling in the open world, if there was ever a time to revive outdated game mechanics, it would be with Pokemon Scarlet and Purple. Dating all the way back to the very first games of the series, fishing has been an important part pokemon gameplay, but after several decades it has hardly changed.
While only part of a larger whole of the pokemon experience, fishing has extraordinary potential that Game Freak has not yet exploited. Other mechanics in pokemonhowever small, have seen improvements lately, such as the recent changes to shiny hunting in Pokemon Sword and Shield. The fishing then seems to fall by the wayside, relegated to the weary mechanic of waiting for the exclamation point with only a handful of rods to choose from. To really push the fishing boat out and make it Scarlet and purple the best they can be, the fishery needs a massive revamp to get it up to speed.
Expand Pokemon’s Fish Mechanics
Lately, players on behalf of Game Freak have made a significant effort to improve what the games have to offer, with examples such as a range of cosmetic items and character customization in pokemon whether allow players to connect to their Pokemon team via camping or Scarlet and purple‘s rumors picnic. Therefore, it’s possible that Game Freak could turn its attention to fishing and expand on what it currently has to provide a more rounded, more thought-out system for how players can fish. With recent games showing how to work naturally in an engaging fishing system, Game Freak could draw inspiration from this.
An example pokemon could take after is Red Dead Redemption 2‘s fishing mechanics, which uses a range of baits and lures that work best on certain types of fish or in certain waters. Add another range of rods to this Pokemons traditional Old, Good and Super Rods and Game Freak can encourage players to get creative with where, when and how they fish. For example, some types of lures only work on smaller fish, while higher quality baits will make for higher or rarer catches, and different rods can increase players’ chances of successfully landing Pokemon.
Game Freak doesn’t need to overcomplicate the mechanics, but by providing a more interesting experience for the players, it actively promotes experimentation and interaction with the fishing mechanic. Potential incentives for this could include catching unique or hard-to-find Pokemon, such as those with hidden abilities, that are shiny, or that were traditionally rare, such as Feebas in earlier pokemon spell. Furthermore, Game Freak could look to other games for inspiration such as Stardew Valleywhose fish change with seasons, areas and time of day. pokemon could reflect this, with certain Pokemon available in different rivers, lakes or coasts depending on the time of day and year.
Make fishing an active mini-game
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Stardew Valley‘s inspiration does not stop there, however, because unlike pokemon its fishing mechanism actively engages players in a mini-game to reel in fish. While this mini-game is simple at first glance, it can be challenging to master, especially when trying to catch rarer or legendary species of fish in Stardew Valley. Giving players an active role in catching Pokemon while fishing would give the mechanic a huge boost immediately as it currently remains very passive and just requires the right timing from the player. Again, this doesn’t have to be complicated, because Stardew Valley proves that even simple minigames are highly effective, but Game Freak should consider adding a little more for players to do.
Moreover, Stardew Valley adds extra incentives with treasure chests, giving players the chance to “catch” one while fishing with an item of varying rarity or value. While players don’t need to get hold of the treasure chest to catch the fish, it gives players an extra level of challenge and intrigue to a simple mini-game. pokemon has already had something similar, as in Pokemon Sun and Moon players would sometimes bring in items instead of Pokemon. Game Freak could reintroduce this aspect of fishing, adapted to an expanded fishing mechanism, and give players the chance to find useful or rare items worth fishing for.
Pokemon Scarlet and purple will be released on November 18, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
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