>>37397701This cannot be overstated. Even if Game Freak stayed the design course of RSE/DPP the entertainment world around them would have dwarfed them just the same. Recall that they have not been working on the presumed defacto video game device for children for most of decade, depending on precisely when smartphones took that crown. I entirely agree that older games were not too hard to navigate, process of elimination at worst, but those in Pokemon's core age group now have much wider and more dynamic options than a Game Boy. And to add, remember that Game Freak is often so bad at presenting Pokemon's appeal in the first place that Pokemon has always been a series that counts on hooking the player halfway. THEY need to find the idea of catching, evaluating, and battling Pokemon fun in and of itself, because these games have nothing to offer if they don't. The linear routes and increase in cutscenes are very clearly attempts to keep the bouncing young player engaged at any cost.
>>37401672There is no good reason to buy a Switch if they are content with a million free smartphone games, it is a futile question. But Game Freak has to ask the question "IF the smartphone babies WERE to play a Pokemon game, through family, friends, or finding it through the series lasting popularity, would they find that game engaging and buy another one?" It is ultimately a gamble they HAVE to make for need to hook a new generation of fans. How they have gone about is is bad.
>>37401763This is as well. Remember how many children Pokemania introduced to video games? Stories of kids not knowing what to do with Oak's Parcel, over-leveling their starter because it was easy, or not even being able to get out the house because they had never used directional input in a video game before are super common.
