>>53120073Pokemon used to just be JRPG monsters. They didn't have to make sense, they just had to work for the game. You had your:
>Slimes (Grimer, Muk)>Mimics (Voltorb, Electrode)>Common cave enemies like rocks and bats (Geodude family, Zubat family)>Early game bug enemies (Caterpie, Weedle)>Late game dragon enemies (Dragonite)>"The graveyard level" that's usually filled with skeletons and ghosts (Gastly family, Cubone family>Living plant/tree enemies (Oddish, Bellsprout, Exeggutor)>Late-game enemies which are usually monsters wielding weapons or resemble an occupation of some kind (Hitmons, MrMime, Jynx)You get the idea. The reason the first Pokemon game worked and why the original monsters are so memorable is because they follow a proven formula. Of course people are going to like fire dog monster, ten other RPGs have already done it. The art style was different, yes, because that's how the Japanese designed things in the 90's.
Now they have their own design philosophy which usually aligns to modern-day franchise design. GameFreak still (mostly) follows the formula of "cave monster, early game bugs enemies, late game dragons", but their designs feel downright experimental sometimes. They're also more obsessed with simple shapes for the sake of toys which doesn't always look great.
