Soapbox features allow our individual writers to express their own views on current topics, opinions that are not necessarily the voice of the site. In this piece, Ryan explores the idea of rebooting a Pokémon TCG video game and why now might be the perfect time for such a release …
When you consider how many Pokémon games there are and how well The Pokémon Company has always collected all the last money from its global army of fans, it’s pretty surprising to realize that the official Pokémon trading card game has only ever been adapted to video game form twice – and even then there was an exclusive to Japan.
While the ideas may not always be for me, I’ll always appreciate the use of Pokémon in new and interesting ways – like an app that helps kids brush their teeth – but we’re talking about a series that isn’t afraid to recycle old ideas whether fans care about it or not. There have been as many as eleven Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, for example, and between the main series, remakes, spin-offs, and mobile titles, fans of the franchise have grown accustomed to having a small handful of new Pokémon experiences launched every year.
So how is it that the Trading Card Game format – an already established game in its own right that has shifted as many as 30.4 billion cards over the past twenty-five years – has been used so little? Would a new video game based on the card game make sense? Would it generate the insane income the company would expect and even help shift Lake physical cards? The answers to those last questions are “likely” and “very likely,” but I’d say there’s never been a better time for the Pokémon gods to give it a try.
As you’ll likely hear countless times over the next few months when new products hit store shelves, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Pokémon. A ‘very special’ year of celebrations has been plagued (Katy Perry is already on board, for starters) and knowing how much The Pokémon Company likes to go back to the past, you can bet there will be a few nods to where the series all started thrown into the mix. Indeed, at an appropriately current point, some iconic Pokémon cards are being re-released as part of the fun.
Suddenly, a whole community of players who meet in clubs or game stores to play and trade can no longer do that
That’s a good reason to reboot a TCG video game in itself, but of course the anniversary comes at an odd time with the COVID pandemic; while video games have really taken off with people staying indoors, the Trading Card Game is a whole different story. Aside from a potential dip in sales, trading card games shine best in social settings – the one thing that currently cannot exist. Suddenly, a whole community of players meeting in clubs or game stores to play and trade can’t anymore, and going to a store to pick up some booster packs isn’t exactly the same fun outing as it used to be.
Now, TCG Online – an official and ever-expanding digital version of the game that can be played on smart devices – almost ticks all the boxes. In TCG Online, you can take on opponents with digital card games you built yourself, buy new cards to add to your digital collection, and even redeem codes from real, physical card packs to add even more. It’s a wonderfully accurate recreation of the game and certainly works as a substitute for the real thing, but it’s missing something, and that something is video game magic.
Let me quickly put a few lines in parentheses about what inspired me to write this piece in the first place: Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy. One of two video games based on the TCG that appeared on the console, it was released in 1998-2000 depending on your region and allowed players to build their own decks consisting of cards from the first three sets of cards from the real Trading Card Game . From there, you’ll take on eight clubs to defeat their masters and earn medals, before taking on a version of Pokémon’s classic Elite Four lineup. Once you are certified as the very best (like no one ever was), you can start fighting and trading with friends who also have copies of the game on their Game Boy.
I’ve played it again in the past few weeks and while the nostalgia helps, I’ve really fallen in love with both the game and the trading card game itself all over again. Completing objectives to receive in-game booster packs – no purchase required – is super fun, and pulling a digital version of the shiny Blastoise map I still have in a map at home made me happier than ever a few lines of game code should. It has a decent plot, NPCs to talk to, a full collection of cards to unlock through skill and gameplay rather than additional purchases, and it’s all playable on a Nintendo console. It feels Turn right.
So let me bring up the idea of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game for Switch. As with the main games, players can start out as novices, but this time with a single deck of cards as they set out on a journey to become the best card player the world has ever seen. Past maps of the series are all correct and present – can you imagine getting that shiny Charizard everyone wanted, but now, in 2021? – and once you’ve finished the game’s story, you can go ahead and play against all of your Switch friends online.
Now you have something that feels like a 25th anniversary celebration that would help players to enjoy the game safely online, lure new players into the physical game, and happily launch for a console that will revive every franchise that appears. seems to blow am working on it. Now it is real is doing tick all the boxes and i’m hyped at the thought of the idea.
Usually, I would end up saying something along the lines of “you know this will never happen so don’t get too excited”, but it really is not out of the question. For one thing, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution – a Switch game that lets you collect over 9,000 cards from that series’ history and re-enact scenes from the anime – does pretty much everything I’m talking about here except Konami’s collectible card game. And if New Pokémon Snap can And last but not least Bringing back a series that last saw the light of day 20 years ago, why couldn’t a ‘New Pokémon Trading Card Game’ follow?
Please, Pokémon overlords. Let it happen!
Are you a fan of the Pokémon Trading Card Game? Want to see a new updated game for Switch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.