“History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme” is a popular quote depicting how modern events are never exactly like historical events, but learning from that history does show how often similar events unfold in ways that rhyme. Clearly, that appears to be relevant for the upcoming release of Pokemon Winds and Waves, as they follow a similar path to Pokemon Gold and Silver after the release of Pokemon Red and Blue.
Pokemon Winds and Waves looks a lot like Scarlet and Violet, down to some of the characters and Pokemon looking like they would fit in the Gen 9 games, too. While this may upset some fans, the reality is it’s what the franchise has always done to admittedly varying degrees of success. Performance issues aside, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were the first true open-world games in the franchise and represent the rare technical leap over the Gen 8 games (with the Wild Area of Sword and Shield being a test run for the open-world gameplay). Generations hardly ever expand in leaps and bounds. In other words, Pokemon Winds and Waves‘ direction (after Scarlet and Violet) is similar to Pokemon Gold and Silver after the release of Pokemon Red and Blue.
Pokemon Gold and Silver Lay Out the Direction of Pokemon Winds and Waves
To get the basics out of the way first, it’s hardly a coincidence that Pokemon Red and Blue were first released for the monochromatic Game Boy, while Pokemon Gold and Silver were released for Game Boy Color (but were backward compatible). The relationship between the Gen 9 and Gen 10 games is identical in terms of the Switch and Switch 2.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Pokemon Red and Blue laid out the foundation of the formula, but Pokemon Gold and Silver refined and expanded it in ways. Keeping the same turn-based structure and creature-collecting gameplay, the Johto adventures added meaningful additions to that formula: day and night cycles, breeding mechanics, and held items. Gold and Silver also allowed fans to return to Kanto, expanding the scope of Red and Blue. The result was a sequel that respected the simplicity of the originals while proving the Pokemon formula had far more depth and longevity than Red and Blue initially suggested.
While the original Pokemon games will always be beloved, there’s something to be said about how Gold and Silver are put on a similar pedestal. The same could be said of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, as many fans who grew up alongside them saw these incremental growths in an entirely different light than they do as adults today (or if folks came to the franchise later). Pokemon Winds and Waves is doing exactly what Gold and Silver did.
Pokemon Winds and Waves Can Be the Gold and Silver of the Switch/Switch 2 Cross-Era
The upcoming games have a similar art style, but they’re improving those technical elements and expanding them on an improved platform. They keep the same open-world structure as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but they expand it. Pokemon Winds and Waves will be the biggest open-world games in the franchise yet, especially with the expansion and return of Dive—changes that are thematically similar to the introduction of the day and night cycle. Each added more depth to the franchise. Pokemon Winds and Waves will also have their own unique gimmicks, a trademark of the franchise at this point.
Ultimately, Pokemon has always been a series of incremental iterations upon the formula; in that regard, Pokemon Winds and Waves is no different from Gold and Silver to Red and Blue in its relationship to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Whether the Gen 10 games are as well-received as the Gen 2 games remains to be seen, but if it ain’t broke, there’s no point in fixing it. The formula works and has always worked, and hopefully, Game Freak fixes anything broken with the open-world leap of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet in Pokemon Winds and Waves.
- Released
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2027
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
