I love "Pokémon", but it can't go on like this

I love "Pokémon Crimson & Purple". So far, I have spent about fifteen hours in the huge, open game world. There I have caught countless cute pocket monsters, competed against strong trainers and defeated giant ruler Pokémon. I haven't had this much fun with a Pokémon game in a long time.

Taking off my rose-tinted Pokémon fanboy glasses, however, I have to confess: "Crimson" and "Purple" are broken, unfinished and - I can't put it any nicer - ugly games.

I am not alone in this ambivalent attitude. The new games are simultaneously teared up and loved by both fans and critics. But this ambivalence has no effect on sales figures. Nintendo sold over ten million units (!) of Crimson and Purple in just three days, setting a new record. By comparison, the most successful Playstation game of the year, "God of War: Ragnarok", made it to over five million units in its first week.

So the developer studio Game Freak seems to be doing everything right. Why invest more time and money in a product when the fans are also satisfied with an unfinished game?

Facing these big problems is the Pokémon franchise

I admit it; I'm part of the problem. I blindly buy all Pokémon games, no matter how badly they are reviewed. Each new game is a nostalgic trip back to my childhood. Catching Pokémon, training and fighting with them - that's all I need to be happy.

But even the biggest nostalgics and hardcore fans cannot close their eyes to the obvious flaws in "Pokémon Crimson & Purple"
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I am convinced: Game Freak is facing big problems after the release of the new Pokémon generation, which could damage the Pokémon brand in the long run. The whole thing reminds me of the disastrous launch of "Cyberpunk 2077" and the lasting damage to its image that CD Projekt Red suffered.

I have summarised the three biggest criticisms of the current state of the franchise based on "Pokémon Crimson & Purple". Game Freak needs to address these problems with the next generation of Pokémon at the latest in order to regain the favour of the fans.

Problem #1: Sad open-world design

This point most aptly illustrates my inner conflict. On the one hand, I'm happy that Game Freak has finally answered the prayers of Pokémon fans. For years, the community has wanted an open game world. Away from the old-fashioned game design with linear routes, towards a large-scale game world with lots of freedom.

The new games offer me exactly that - I can move out into the big, wide world and either devote myself to the main missions or pass the time fighting and hunting.

The problem with the huge game world is that it is empty and only serves as a lifeless backdrop for the gameplay. Apart from wild Pokémon, trainers and items, there is not much to discover on Paldea. I search in vain for exciting side quests. Moreover, the cities don't seem like real places, but like artificial film sets with which I can't interact.

Earlier this year, Game Freak released "Pokémon Legends: Arceus", which works on a similar principle - large, empty levels with lots of wild Pokémon. This simple formula is starting to wear thin with "Crimson" and "Purple".

For upcoming games, Game Freak needs to radically rethink their open-world design. Otherwise, the open worlds will quickly degenerate into a boring routine - much like the dull, linear routes from the old Pokémon games.

Problem #2: Loveless graphics from the day before yesterday

In the best moments, the open game world in "Pokémon Crimson & Purple" looks like games from the early PS3 era. In the worst moments, I feel reminded of games from the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube era. I'm not exaggerating.

Even the animations look sad. Many movements come across as unintentionally comical. Like, for example, in this short sequence that plays when I eat a sandwich. My character bites the air. Into the AIR! And what are my Pokémon doing in the background?! It all looks so uncharitable.

Admit it - Pokémon games have never stood out for their exceptional graphics. Before the Switch era, that wasn't a problem either - the games were only seen as "small" handheld titles on the Gameboy, DS and 3DS. On the Switch, the games have to put up with the comparison with other console titles. And in that comparison, the recent Pokémon games literally look very old.

Game Freak needs to find a way to bring the graphics up to an acceptable level. The now five-year-old Switch hardware cannot be an excuse for loveless game worlds.

That open-world games can look quite pretty on Nintendo's hybrid console has already been proven by Monolith Software with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Nintendo itself with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Twitter user Mr. Sinnoh illustrates the differences between the games in this post:

Problem #3: Poor performance and glitches

"Pokémon Crimson & Purple" look unspectacular, but surely they run stable, right? Think again. The performance is a horror for long stretches of the game. Long loading times wear on my patience and there are jerks everywhere.

The game also doesn't handle objects in the distance well. Wild Pokémon and NPCs only pop up directly in front of my character. Not only does this look unsightly, it also has a negative impact on the flow of the game.

In addition, distant animations are played at a visibly lower frame rate. In the example below, you can see how jerkily a windmill turns from far away. For the life of me, I can't imagine that the Switch hardware is too weak for windmills.
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As if the unattractive graphics and poor performance weren't enough, "Pokemon Crimson & Purple" also suffers from numerous glitches and bugs. Youtuber Beta Brawler's video sums up the plight beautifully.

Because not all glitches fit into one video, here's also part two, three and four.

Performance issues are nothing new for Pokémon games. Ever since the franchise ventured into the 3D world, the games have been accompanied by low frame rates and long loading times. The technical problems with "Crimson" and "Purple", however, have reached a completely new level.

Some Pokémon games have been affected by low frame rates and long loading times.

Some Pokémon trainers have already requested refunds for the game from Nintendo due to the technical problems - and received them. "Cyberpunk 2077" sends its regards.

I love you, but it can't go on like this

Behind the loveless implementation and the technical problems in "Crimson" and "Purple" are good games that are incredibly fun. The familiar Pokémon gameplay loop with collecting, fighting and levelling up the cute monsters would work excellently in a huge, open game world. It's hard to imagine how sensationally good the games would be if Game Freak took more time. Or if they cooperated with open-world experts like Monolith Software - just like Nintendo did for "The Legend of Zelda".

But how can Game Freak be motivated to invest more time and money in development? Pokémon games are self-sellers that sell millions of copies regardless of their quality. A sustainable, positive change cannot be brought about with such a big franchise by individual purchasing decisions. I can't buy the next game on principle - my decision won't have a noticeable impact.

Public discourse about the game, on the other hand, can have a much stronger effect. Especially when, as in the case of "Crimson" and "Purple", it is predominantly negatively coloured.

I am convinced that the long-standing cult franchise has reached a turning point with the launch of the new games. I have never sensed such heavy negative criticism of new Pokémon games online. And that's a good thing. Nintendo and Game Freak can't ignore the numerous opinion pieces, Twitter shitstorms, glitch compilations and scathing technical analyses. The image of the Pokémon brand is worth more in the long run than individual sales records achieved by unfinished games.

That's why we Pokémon fans currently have no choice but to talk and write about the disastrous launch of Crimson and Purple. The optimist in me is convinced that the criticism is currently loud and scathing enough to bring about a lasting positive change.
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Titelfoto: Twitter / @t_a_b_e_r_u