Japanese Pokémon players long for a cozy sandbox game, not more battles
Perhaps prompted by recent Palworld discourse and comparisons, Japanese users have been voicing their ideas about what their ideal Pokémon game would be like. It seems that a large portion of Pokémon lovers have grown tired of battle and would do anything for a cozier, life simulator-kind of take on Pokémon.
I just want to be one of those common folks that live in the Pokémon world.
Japanese concept artist Le Yamamura shared this sentiment in an X thread posted on January 23, which has since accumulated over 81k likes and 14k reposts. Amidst the recent trend of battle-oriented Pokémon titles, Yamamura expresses hope for a more peaceful and comfy Pokémon game in the future. Rather than being a trainer each time, “living a regular life in the Pokémon world,” is certainly an appealing idea.
In a subsequent post, they describe their ideal game as something that mixes elements of Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Animal Crossing with the addition of Pokémon. While the 2018 sandbox RPG Dragon Quest Builders 2 does include some battle, it also has a whole lot of building, crafting, cooking and exploration. Yamamura goes on to make an even more detailed account of what they mean:
Post translation: My fantasy of a sandbox game set in the Pokémon world:
Vast land like in (Dragon Quest) Builders 2
A few story elements
A slow-paced simulator approach like Animal Crossing
Shops and facilities like in Animal Crossing
Other city dwellers like in Builders 2
High level of freedom when building like in Builders 2
The room system of Builders 2
Farming
You can have Pokémon help you with building like in Builders 2
You can go on journeys with Pokémon like in Builders 2
You can encounter wild Pokémon
You can raise/evolve Pokémon
Commands for showing Pokémon affection
If there was a game like this, I would be willing to pay any amount
In response, many users agreed with the notion and suggested their own ideas for relaxing Pokémon games. The concept of an Animal Crossing- or Story of Seasons-type Pokémon game seemed to be particularly popular.
The topic also triggered some nostalgia for past Pokémon games that were not battle-oriented, such as the 2003 slow-paced virtual pet simulator Pokémon Channel, in which you watch TV with Pikachu, and the 1998 Hey You, Pikachu!, an interactive Pikachu simulator in which you can talk to Pikachu via voice recognition software and gather items.
While these titles were targeted towards children, many Pokémon fans wish for them to would like them to get remakes that would include more Pokémon and a wider scope of gameplay.
Over the course of its 30-year history, Pokémon has captivated players with its unique worldbuilding and creature design, but it seems people are starting to seek for different ways to interact with the Pokémon world and the Pokémon themselves, with battle becoming less popular.
