It’s no secret that Pokemon is one of the biggest franchises in the world, as has been the case since nearly the day it debuted. This privilege comes with plenty of perks, including the video game equivalent of a national holiday. Pokemon Day arrives on February 27 every year, and just like every other year, this year’s Pokemon Presents showcased plenty of exciting announcements regarding the future of the franchise.
The announcement of Pokemon Champions was undoubtedly one of the event’s biggest reveals, surpassed only by Pokemon Legends: Z-A ending its near-year-long radio silence. Although the teaser left some details up to the imagination, the information revealed so far does more than enough to sell the concept of the game. In fact, the presumed design of Pokemon Champions invites a strong comparison with one of Pokemon‘s biggest fan projects.
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Pokemon Champions Confirms 3 Different Game Modes
The upcoming Pokemon Champions confirms three different game mode for players to try at launch.
Pokemon Champions Could Be Exactly What Showdown Fans Have Been Looking For
What is Pokemon Showdown?
Pokemon‘s vibrant community is a key part of what has kept the franchise going strong for all this time, with plenty of fan projects created during Pokemon‘s decades-long existence. Pokemon Champions bears a striking resemblance to Pokemon Showdown, which stands toe to toe with the Nuzlocke as one of the Pokemon community’s most lasting and beloved inventions.
Pokemon Showdown is a battle simulator that includes monsters and mechanics from every generation, all in the same place. This was mostly meant to satisfy players who felt it was too difficult to build teams in-game, and allow fans to show their love for competitive battling. Showdown has always existed in a bit of a gray area as an unofficial work, but has continued to be a major function of the community in making older generations more accessible for team-building.
Pokemon Champions Could Be an ‘Official Version’ of Everything Showdown Has to Offer
Pokemon Champions‘ announcement trailer was marketed with two primary features. For one, it seemingly allows players to access multiple Generation gimmicks at once, with one scene depicting a Mega-Evolved Pokemon facing off against a Terastallized Pokemon. There is currently little to indicate whether other mechanics like Dynamax will make a return as well, other than the implication that Champions‘ battle system would be incomplete without it.
With the inclusion of Mega Evolutions being shown as a prominent feature, it’s possible that Champions is using Legends: Z-A‘s Pokedex as a foundation. If developers were to reveal that Terastallization will come back in Z-A alongside Megas, this seems even more likely. However, it is worth including that the brief looks at Champions‘ in-game HUD appears to feature a more traditional battle system than has been seen in the Legends series so far. Likewise, Pokemon Champions currently appears to only be compatible with Pokemon Home transfers from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, as well as Pokemon GO.
Pokemon Champions has yet to reveal anything resembling the team-building functions found in Pokemon Showdown, but some of its battling features seem remarkably similar. After all, while the mixing of certain battle gimmicks would be a first for official Pokemon games, this has been a staple of Showdown for years.
Either way, this first look is already looking promising for the countless fans of Pokemon Showdown. If Pokemon Champions does turn out to be a sufficiently complete battle simulator, it may very well change the landscape of competitive Pokemon forever.
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
