Soapbox’s features allow our individual writers to express their own opinions on important topics, opinions that may not necessarily be the voice of the website. In this piece, Ryan explores the idea of restarting the Pokémon TCG video game and why now can be the perfect time for such a release …
Considering how many Pokémon games there are and how good The Pokémon Company has always been in absorbing every last bit of its global army of fans, it is quite surprising to realize that the official Pokémon Trading Card Game was only adapted for The video game appeared twice – and even thus, one of them was exclusive to Japan.
While ideas are not always for me, I will always enjoy using Pokémon in new and interesting ways – like an app that helps kids brush their teeth – but we’re talking about a series that is not afraid to recycle old ideas, whether fans whether they care about them or not. There has been a great eleven Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, for example, and between entries in the main series, remakes, spin-offs and mobile titles, fans of the franchise have become accustomed to seeing a small handful of new Pokémon experiences being launched each year.
So how is it that the Trading Card Game format – a game already established in its own right that has changed an astonishing 30.4 billion cards in the past twenty-five years – has been used so little? Would a new video game based on the card game make sense? It would generate the insane levels of revenue that the company would expect and help change until More physical cards? The answers to those last questions are ‘probably’ and ‘very possibly’, but I would say that there has never been a better time for the Pokémon gods to try.
As you will probably hear countless times in the coming months, when new products hit stores, this year marks the Pokémon’s 25th anniversary. A “very special” year of celebrations has been announced (Katy Perry is already on board, to begin with) and knowing how much The Pokémon Company likes to revisit the past, you can be sure that there will be some nods from where the series started played on mixture. In fact, on an appropriately current note, some iconic Pokémon cards are being re-released as part of the fun.
Suddenly, a whole community of players who used to meet in clubs or game stores to play and trade can no longer do so
This is a good enough reason to restart the TCG video game itself, but it is clear that the anniversary falls at a strange time with the growing COVID pandemic; Although video games have really blossomed as a result of people staying at home, the Trading Card Game is another story. Leaving aside the potential drop in sales, collectible card games shine more in social environments – the only thing that currently cannot exist. Suddenly, a whole community of players who used to meet at clubs or game stores to play and trade can no longer do so, and going to a store to buy some boosters is not quite the same joyful trip as before.
Now, TCG Online – an official and constantly expanding digital version of the game playable on smart devices – almost check all boxes. At TCG Online, you can fight opponents with digital decks that you have built yourself, buy new cards to add to your digital collection, and even redeem real physical card package codes to add even more. It’s a wonderfully accurate recreation of the game and it definitely works as a substitute for the real thing, but something is missing, and that something is the magic of the video game.
Let me quickly insert a line or two about what inspired me to write this article: Pokémon Trading Card Game for Game Boy. One of the two TCG-based video games to appear on the console, was released in 1998-2000 depending on your region and had players building their own decks made of cards from the first three sets of cards in the actual Trading Card Game. From there, you face eight clubs to defeat your masters and earn medals, before facing a version of the classic Pokémon Elite Four configuration. After being certified as the best (as no one has ever been), you can go into battle and negotiate with friends who have a copy of the game on your Game Boy as well.
I’ve been repeating it for the past few weeks, and while nostalgia helps, I really fell in love with him and the Trading Card Game itself again. Completing goals to receive boosters in the game – without the need to purchase – is super fun, and pulling a digital version of the shiny Blastoise card that I still have in a folder at home today made me happier than a few lines of game code. we must. It has a decent storyline, NPCs to talk to, a complete collection of cards to unlock through skill and gameplay instead of additional purchases, and it’s all playable on a Nintendo console. Looks right.
So, let me introduce the idea of a new Pokémon Trading Card Game for Switch. Just like mainline games, players can start out as newbies, 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. The cards from the series’ past are all correct and present – Can you imagine that Bright Charizard that everyone wanted, but now, in 2021? – and once you’ve finished the game’s story, you can go ahead and play against all your Switch friends online.
Now, you have something that looks like a 25th anniversary celebration, helps players enjoy the game safely online, would attract new players to the physical game, and could be launched on a console that seems to reenergize any franchise that appears on it. Now really does check all the boxes, and I’m getting excited about the idea.
Normally, I would end up saying something like “you know, it will never happen, so don’t get too excited”, but it really is not out of the question. For one thing, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist Legacy: Evolution of the Link – a Switch game that allows you to collect more than 9000 cards from the history of that series and represent scenes from your anime – it does practically all the things I talked about here, except for Konami’s collectible card game. What if New Pokémon Snap I can finally bring back a series that last saw the light of day twenty years ago, why couldn’t a ‘New Pokémon Trading Card Game’ follow suit?
Please, Pokémon gentlemen. Let it happen!
Are you a fan of the Pokémon Trading Card Game? Would you like to see a new and updated game for Switch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.