8 Ways Nintendo Can Save Pokémon

As great as Scarlet and Violet’s story was, it was really missing something. The climactic scenes of the game would’ve been far more impactful if you could hear the emotions of the characters bellowing out through their words.

Voice acting could be a contentious point in a way as the franchise has never done it in a mainline game before and, more than that, it presents some challenges. In the same way that the Final Fantasy games used to let you name your entire party, this ended with Final Fantasy X when voice acting came in and needed to rely on a stricter script.

That being said, it has been done. Big RPGs like Persona 5 and Dragon Quest XI have gotten around this issue by giving your character a title alongside your chosen name (“Joker” and “Luminary” respectively). Pokémon could easily go the same route by making you The Professor’s Apprentice or The Pokémon Whisperer or, quite simply, have everyone call you “Trainer”.

Naturally, this presents localisation difficulties but considering the amount of Pokédollars that the franchise must make annually, money should be no issue. It sadly stinks of laziness.

Advertising the next titles with voice acting would be a huge step. One that should’ve happened about 10 years ago but… all the same, it’s about damn time.