The Problem with Modern Pokemon Design

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet are out, scarlet and violet new pokemon designs are bad, the problem with modern pokemon design

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The Problem with Modern Pokemon Design - ShadowDoyler
Game: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet

#pokemonviolet #pokemonscarlet #pokemon

[shadowdoyler]

Ok so this video ended up doing better than expected, and I just want to thank everyone who's watched and commented! It's so nice to see that there's other people out there who are just as passionate about Pokemon as I am, and thankfully you've all been really nice whether you agree with my hot takes or not <3

(I also just want to clear up that I know Palafin's Hero Form isn't actually based off of All Might... this video was recorded before these games came out and during the leaks a lot of people were making jokes about how the Hero Form ability reminded them off All Might changing forms. I tried to make a little inside joke about it in the video, so I'm sorry if its triggered you at all)

[samuelstuart]

I feel like one of the main reasons Pokemon designs are changing is because the company is focusing on theme over a cool looking Pokémon. They care more about what it’s representing then what it actually looks like. They have good ideas but terrible execution

[Jayakrishnantr]

One of my major gripes with modern pokemon designs and especially the starter evolutions is that gamefreak go for theme and gimmick over fluidity. The earlier generation's starter evolutions really represented their typings well. You could totally picture a venusaur, meganium, sceptile, torterra etc hanging out as a herd with their other stages in the wild and the same with the fire and water types. You could picture them in volcanic mountains or water bodies. But I can't picture a Greninja or a cinderace or an Inteleon or Inceneroar or Meowscarada the same way. These Pokemon are RPG characters rather than a naturally occurring species and they lose the elements of the types they represent. Why would a cat evolve into a professional wrestler or a magician in the wild and stand on two legs? Why would a frog who lives in a pond evolve into a Ninja or a baby lizard become James Bond? It's theme over typing and natural progression.

[DungForever]

I don't think Pixel Art is the solution to design problems. I think the problem is an unimaginative team. Almost none of the new Pokemon from Scarlett and Violet catch my attention. I'm not asking for new forms of old Pokemon, I'm asking for more clever or imaginative creatures.

[SquareMahogany]

I think the designers nowadays are more prominently focused on creating themed characters than they are monsters that battle

[MrIsleNFair]

I dont mind bipedals (heck my favourite mon is sableye), but when it started to look humanoid, in which their skin/fur/organ pattern becomes wardrobe (tongue on greninja, footie kit trouser on cinderace), i think its not representing the word "pokemon" anymore, more like personified character.

[supersonicbro]

One thing that I hate about a lot of the new pokemon designs is that they look more like characters than species. If you see a group of intelleon or cinderace, they're most likely going act the same because they're designed to have a certain characteristic. But if you see a group of swampert or serperior they don't have a specific personality attached to them.

[xewi]

To me it feels like the old Gen Pokémons are inspired by nature and folklore, today it feels like Pokémon are inspired by other Pokémons
Again and again until they are abstract shapes with arms and heads
There is a weird consaguinity thing happening, (on top of designer being less inspired)

[KHIMERA]

I think the problem is the dumbing-down of the design. For example - look at the talons of bird pokemon.
It wouldn't be to hard to keep the concept of a pokemon like Quaquaval and make it look appealing with a few changes, especially if you're using a different art style. Remember Farfetch'd looked like could hold its leek (or spring onion, or whatever that is) with its wings. They didn't need to give it actual hands like Quaquaval has.

[richardlee]

Old Pokemon designs were animals. They were building a modern fantasy world and populating it with creatures that could feasibly exist in it.

Now that Pokemon is an established concept (and a lucrative one at that) their design has shifted from 'creature' to character. The old designs tried to blend IN with the world while these ones are intended to stand OUT so kids remember them and want a plushie.

Thats why they seem kinda soulless. They're intended to be sold, rather than to fit.

[wesley]

Another thing, aside from the weird job-based and overcomplicated Pokémon, I feel like what GameFreak does lately is already give the Pokémon a specific personality based on the species.
There is no room for us to imagine Pokémon of the same species being different, or for example catching a Pokémon and leave room for us to imagine its personality while we raise it.

[MitternachtssternXIII]

yes the old pokemon do look like real creatures that could live in the wild but those new once just look like strange mutanhumans

[davidzcomputer]

Its crazy, we dont have all that many bipedal animals in the animal world, yet the pokemon company still decides to make all the final evolutions walk around like humans. Starting to think they should just start buying fakemon from all the hackrom/fanmade game creators, they make 100x better new pokemon then the ones that come out in the actual releases.

[MrNuclearz]

My main problem with the new Pokemon is that they are less of animals that you would expect to see in a fantasy world and more characters. It's kind of hard to explain I guess, but most of the humanoid pokemon get this kind of hate because of this reason IMO. Blaziken is humanoid but he still looks like an animal you might find in the wild (in the world of pokemon, obviously). Now, a footballing rabbit or a drummer gorila just don't look as right do they?

[gusty]

i think the most consistently universal thing about complaints regarding new pokemon designs is that most old ones look like actual living creatures while newer ones that get the most complaints tend to be too abstract, robotic, or just leaning too much into the weird gimmick

[EOneTwoThree]

Palafin is based on Superman. The whole character is based off of Superman, not just the design. It evolves from level 38 onwards which is a homage to Superman's 1938 release date. And it only turns into its hero form after being swapped in, similar to how Superman enters a phone booth as Clark and leaves as Superman. I don't know in what way is it supposed to be based off All Might apart from the bulky frame which isn't specific to anyone.

[kerrygligorovic]

I'm a bit disappointed because I was expecting exciting new Pokemon designs and more Paldean Forms for Scarlet and Violet games since the Paldea Region is base on inspiration from Spain but I guess Gamefreak weren't trying hard at all.

[meph]

I wouldn't say the main reason we like older Pokemon is because we're nostalgic. Some of my friends and I never grew up with Pokemon, we started getting into it around the time Sun and Moon came out and we still find the older designs much better even without the whole nostalgia thing.

[wolfywonder]

I think the largest flaw of the pokemon designs is that they don’t feel like a group of monsters, they feel like individual characters. On paper that sounds like a good thing; more personalized pokemon will help certain designs find their niche and hopefully help make the designs more popular overall. However, because pokemon are treated as individual people in the design process, they come out appealing only to very specific tastes, and tend to be more controversial as a result. It doesn’t help that a lot of pokemon look boring with the transition to 3D - not to say 3D isn’t a good idea for pokemon, but because the 3D models got rid of the dynamic poses present in the pixel era of the franchise, effectively killing what little personality shown outright that fans could get intrigued or deterred by.

[silvignis]

There would also be people arguing that we had bipedal starters before. But well...Charizard, Sceptile, Typhlosion etc are still more beast than anything and don't go that much into a thing humans do(like dancing, football). I am glad I could find some designs for me(I love Kilowattrel and the Sushifish). I do prefer my pokemon to be more like wild animals. I am pretty sure thats why most people started to pick Fuecoco, too. Skeledirge is the most beast-like of the bunch.