Effective Storytelling
What Pokemon Could Learn From Digimon Story
Even though Digimon arguably draws from a darker source material, the Pokemon universe has no shortage of dark content. From creepy Pokedex entries (Drowzee, anyone?) to the haunting tales of Lavender Town, there have always been glimmers of adult-oriented material in Pokemon games. While it’s unfair to expect developer Game Freak to abandon their niche and suddenly develop an M-rated Pokemon game, Digimon models a safe way of incorporating just the right amount of mature content in their games. I want to avoid spoilers, but those who played Cyber Sleuth may remember a disturbing scene with a certain doll, or the tragic story of Pete, as examples. At the very least, Game Freak should work towards constructing a more engaging narrative. Black and White lightly touched on the ethics of Pokemon, and Sun and Moon deviated from the tiresome apocalyptic endings of some previous generations. If Game Freak continues down this path and adds more complexity to their storylines, all while sprinkling in more of Pokemon’s darker lore, than the next game’s story may be more captivating.
Pokemon has never been great on the character front, and this continually hurts the depth of the series’ storylines. Even the fan-favorite rivals, Blue and Silver, are quite flat. Nostalgia may be a big reason these two are still propped up as the series’ best, and although many fans of Pokemon clamor for a return to the days of “true rivalry” between the player and his or her rival, the reality is that an effective character can go in many different directions. A dynamic, compelling character is a great way to add depth to a story. Lilly and her family was certainly the right direction, and although many disliked him, a friendly character like Hau could function fine if given an interesting backstory.
