ThePokemonseries has evolved quite a bit since the seriesdebuted back in 1996. Fans grew accustomed to the features that became mainstays of the series: evolution, trainer battles, and catching wild Pokemon. However, as the series progressed, these core features continued to be refined and iterated on. As they too evolved, they retained the core idea behind the features but made quality-of-life changes to make them more enjoyable. With the debutPokemon Let’s Go PikachuandLet’s Go Eevee, as well asPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield, the premise behind catching wild Pokemon changed significantly with the introduction of one of the manynice quality-of-life changes in Generation 8.
In these titles, Pokemon, for the most part, were not hidden in patches of grass in the traditional sense. For 22 years, Pokemon encounters were completely random, and players had little to no clue of what they were fighting against until the battle started. However, inPokemonLet’s GoandPokemon SwordandShield, wild Pokemon roamed the overworld (though there was still some semblance of random, unknown grass encounters). Players were able to hunt specific Pokemon that they saw in the wild, instead of hoping that the random encounter in the grass was the Pokemon they were looking for (without using specific helpful tools).
RELATED:Are Pokemon Games Becoming Too Easy?
However, the recent Generation 4 remakes,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearl, did away with this feature and returned to a more classic approach to wild Pokemon encounters. After returning toPokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemonShining Pearl, it is clear that the old way of encounters was a product of its time, and now it is time to leave it behind.
Breathing Room
There are few visceral feelings more synonymous with earlyPokemongames than being bombarded by Zubats in a cave, or stumbling upon the 20th Rattata or Pidgey in just as many steps when trying to navigate peacefully to the next town over from the starting town. Wild Pokemon encounters can be inconvenient at best and oppressive at worst when players are not looking to grind for experience. The constant stream of wild Pokemon can be annoying to those trying to make progress in the game or those just trying to get from Point A to Point B with little resistance. WhileCrobat is a great Pokemon to get, players don’t need a dozen Zubats before the second gym just to get this powerful bat. Yes, Repels exist, but wouldn’t it be nice if they weren’t needed to begin with?
InPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield, wild grass encounters were, for the most part, replaced with wild Pokemon roaming the overworld in or around tall grass on the routes and thenew Wild Area. This allowed players to not only see when Pokemon were going to try to start a fight but also allowed players to, at a glance, see what Pokemon were available on the route. Players could easily make a path through the route without encountering Pokemon if they did not want to. While there were still some small, random grass encounters, they were relatively easy to avoid as well. The main exception to this came in the Isle of Armor DLC because nobody can outrun the Sharpedo that patrol the waters surrounding the Island.
Being able to deal with wild encounters when the player wants to is a great philosophy, and in turn that makes the encounters that are forced on the player (like the Sharpedo) that much more memorable. Players being able to explore the routes and caves without being stopped every three steps to deal with a Zubat is a breath of fresh air that thePokemonseries desperately needed. Going throughPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl,several areas really struggled with this, namely caves like Mt. Coronet and Wayward Cave. Being stopped in Wayward Cave every couple of steps to deal with a Geodude or a Bronzor got tiring really fast, especially fornewer players who do not know which direction to goin the cave to find the items and Mira.SwordandShieldreally showed a better alternative to this, and that is how it should stay.
Creating Atmosphere
Outside of a mechanical standpoint, there is good reason to switch away from grass encounters and move to purely overworld encounters: atmosphere. Going fromSwordandShieldback toBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearlreally showcased how empty and lifeless the routes feel. The Wild Area inSwordandShieldmay not have been perfect, but there was something truly special about seeing Pokemon of all shapes and sizes wandering around in the overworld. InBrilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, the closest thing that players get to this are the occasional overworld sprite (like the Psyducks) or thetrainer’s Pokemon following behind them. Having Braviary fly overhead or Mudsdale gallop around nearby really made the Wild Area feel alive, more so than nearly any otherPokemongame to date - withLet’s Gobeing the only other game to come close to this.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusappears to be doing a similar approach with their expeditions. Players seem to be able towander around the Hisui regionand see all the different wild Pokemon that are inhabiting each area roaming around. Judging by the marketing material released so far, the Hisui region is set in a time before Pokemon were largely domesticated, so wild Pokemon would be running rampant. It certainly fits thematically to see a plethora of wild Pokemon just wandering around the region. That certainly goes a long way toward building the untamed atmosphere that it sounds likePokemon Legends: Arceusis going for.
Having overworld Pokemon permanently instead of random grass encounters would be a tremendous quality-of-life change that players got a taste for inPokemon Let’s GoandPokemon Sword and Shield. Not only does it save players the headache of dealing with constant unwanted wild Pokemon encounters, but it lets the worlds that Game Freak is creating feel more alive and lived in. Seeing wild Pokemon wander freely through the routes really helps the routes come alive with activity, and frankly, it is a beautiful thing to see for longtime fans of the series. Going forward, Game Freak should leave theindustry standard “tall grass"in the past and let wild Pokemon wander the regional routes and allow trainers to encounter them in the overworld, not just random encounters.
