I thought I’d do a mini review of the new Pokémon game that came out, on account of I think it’s really good and as far as I’ve seen it’s free from even a hint of woke nonsense. Very light spoilers ahead.

To start with, the game has jettisoned a LOT of the baggage built up over the years. I know that a lot of people have issues with Gamefreak, and some have dragged the graphics of the game, but in terms of gameplay and function there is a LOT that is done subtly and very well. Menus take far less time than ever, which have become one of pokemons most cumbersome things. Battles against wild Pokémon happen right in the over world and don’t make you wait through five seconds of starting animation. Level ups, evolutions, and new moves all happen seamlessly in the hud. You can move around during battles, making it so you are almost always able to DO something. You have the option to easily release multiple mons. These are all subtle but very good steps forward that show that Gamefreak is actually able to be competent a with game design when they want to be.

The mechanics of moving and catching Pokémon are great. You can do the usual battling, or surprise them and just Chuck a ball. You can just observe Pokémon, feed them berries, and much more. It just feels really fluid and most importantly it feels FUN. It makes me feel like a kid playing again.

This is good, because the gameplay loop has shifted more towards Pokémon research. Meaning you have to catch AND use every mon you catch (or at least catch and defeat a bunch of them in the wild) to get their Pokédex entries. To spice things up there are giant ‘alpha’ Pokémon who are bigger and tougher, and also add a nice element of potential danger.

The exploration is also very fun. You can catch Pokémon, gather items for crafting (surprisingly fun) or just explore. In a series first, Pokémon can attack YOU as well, which means you have to actually use some thought when traveling- you can’t just run through a swarm and assume you’ll be ok.

Speaking of, this is easily the ‘hardest’ Pokémon game I’ve played. I actually have to think and strategize a bit, because just running at some mons will result in you getting hit and attacked and losing some items. Now, I should contexuakuze this by saying it’s hard for a Pokémon game- most non game journalists will be able to do fine. But if you’re coming to Pokémon for a dark souls experience then you will always be disappointed. For what it is, I think it strikes a good balance between being accessible to kids and actually presenting a bit of challenge.

Finally the story! There actually is one, which is a nice change of pace. Without giving away too much (though I haven’t beaten it yet so I can’t say everything), it actually is pretty good. The motivation for making the dex is to help people who are just settling in the region. People are freaked out by Pokémon, viewing them as potentially dangerous. The village is safe, and those outside it on their own will likely die. You’re basically sent by Arceus (God) to help them out. All of this is actually fun worldbuilding, and above and beyond what happens in other games. In addition, there’s strong emphasis on helping to unify the local Diamond and Pearl clans, who have differing perspectives on the powers and abilities of god. Again, there’s a typical Pokémon emphasis on understanding different perspectives, and while not groundbreaking, it’s a nice little thing. Conspicuously absent is any polemic against ‘colonizers’ or anything remotely similar. Not a hint of wokeness have I found.

So all in all, I’d say that it’s a great game. It moves the franchise forward in huge ways, and I hope that it does well and that Gamefreak learns a good lesson from it. If you’re at all attached to the Pokémon franchise then I highly recommend it!