Trailers and News Discussion

[PurplePopplio]

I think that Ash's new female travelling partner will have black hair. We had a ginger (Misty), brunette (May), blue hair (Dawn), purple hair (Iris), blonde (Serena), but no black haired female.

Also, I love that Gyms will possibly be gone. The best idea ever is the island trials!

 

[Esserise]

we NEED them for like ever.

On what grounds? What essential function do Gyms and Gyms alone inherently provide? If they can be replaced by a more robust system that isn't just eight successive battles against fairly unremarkable bosses, then I don't see what "need" there is for them. The Gym Challenge is and has always been a very bare-bones benchmark system.

 

[godiego]

I don't see why Gyms and the trials can't exist together.

my short response to that would be that Trials and Gyms are currently occupying the same narrative space making one of them redundant. does that mean there won't be Gyms? we don't know yet, however i don't think it looks all that likely that there'll be both.

 

[Hidden Mew]

I wouldn't be against both Gyms and the Island Trials existing together. It would help to provide more battling experiences for players and more content in general, which sounds great. At this point, I wouldn't be too surprised if the Island Trials do take the place of Gyms in the Alola region, which could work out fine, but I've never had much of a problems with Gyms, so I'm not really that eager for them to be replaced with something else. It can be an interesting way to help spice up the main series, but it also seems a bit sudden given how long they've been using Gyms in the main series.

 

[Mitchman]

I think that Ash's new female travelling partner will have black hair. We had a ginger (Misty), brunette (May), blue hair (Dawn), purple hair (Iris), blonde (Serena), but no black haired female.

Also, I love that Gyms will possibly be gone. The best idea ever is the island trials!

Actually the best bet is Marrow heing the companion as per the Litten3 concept art.

 

[PurplePopplio]

Actually the best bet is Marrow heing the companion as per the Litten3 concept art.

That would be so different! Green hair this time.

 

[Elementar]

They've haven't trialled the new system yet, so it can be a big possibility for them to both be included. I don't think that we'll be happy with the new system if it's bad, so keeping gyms for a little while longer in co-existence with the new system would be good. That way, GF and TPC can see the fan's reaction and make a decision based off that.

 

[Desdar300]

They've haven't trialled the new system yet, so it can be a big possibility for them to both be included. I don't think that we'll be happy with the new system if it's bad, so keeping gyms for a little while longer in co-existence with the new system would be good. That way, GF and TPC can see the fan's reaction and make a decision based off that.

We might get Gyms in a future game but for now it looks like they're gone

 

[vncredleader]

I don't see why Gyms and the trials can't exist together. The games would get more challenging and could have introduced us something else apart from Gym/The Evil Organization/Legendary routine -- that said Gyms are NEVER bad ideas and we NEED them for like ever. Also it would be a perfect chance to give Ash's female companion some promising goal that is not cheesy and will make pefect sense since she will be from Alola.

Just please don't let Gyms go away.

Agreed. I really don't want (nor do I think they will) them to get rid of gyms. Great idea on the female companion. I have always wanted Ash to have a female companion who is also doing gyms but this could be a cool way to do that and have her not just be a female Ash.

 

[Soki]

Retiring GYMs and replacing them with trials is practically a brand new system for Gyms. So how is that a better idea to cancel 8 Gyms and replacing them with 4 of them instead? And how is that a better idea than having BOTH systems at once in a game? There is nothing trials to "provide" more than Gyms do. If you are unsatisfied with Gyms, you will be with Trials too.

Gyms aren't replaced by just 4 gyms. They're replaced with at least 4 Island Trials (Japanese site says there are more than 4), at least 4 Totem Pokémon and 4 Kahuna's. That's a lot more than 8 gyms.

Also the Island Trials aren't just about battling, they're all sorts of challenges. Gyms are just battling, which is getting kinda boring after 20 years imo, so I really like the diversity the Island Trials are providing.

 

[Esserise]

So how is that a better idea to cancel 8 Gyms and replacing them with 4 of them instead?

There are more than four Trial Captains. But even if there weren't, I don't think it would necessarily be a problem. "More" doesn't always equate to "better"; in this case, I would readily take fewer-but-interesting Trials over more-but-monotonous Gym battles (where their monotony only increases proportionate to the number there are, so "more" actually hurts it even further here).

And how is that a better idea than having BOTH systems at once in a game?

Having both is cluttered and redundant.

There is nothing trials to "provide" more than Gyms do. If you are unsatisfied with Gyms, you will be with Trials too.

Not necessarily, because Trials, while filling in the same essential narrative function, are a more robust take on the idea, with more involved puzzles and Totem Pokémon, while also being interspersed with the Kahunas, which is all a fresh change to the extremely linear dynamic of the Gym Challenge.

I get bored of Gyms because they are literally just slightly flashier Trainer battles, one after the other. Some of them have puzzles, but not all of them, and even the ones that do are only rarely interesting. Trials at least try to make the process more dynamic and multi-faceted.

Doing anything less in any non-remake games to come would be a very unfortunate step back, if you ask me.

 

[PurplePopplio]

Gyms do provide puzzles though. But these aren't so challenging. The Island Trials will provide more challenging quests.

 

[Boss1708]

I really doubt IT are going to be any more challenging than Gyms were, quite the opposite. I think they will be very easy, and straight forward. Why? Simply because GF are against challenging difficulty in their games, and I don;t see that changing tbh.

 

[DoctorWhy]

And hopefully, as I believe, they all contain a battle element. I mean, they do provide type specialties and it's Pokemon lol. I would be ecstatic if we could get difficulty options upon starting the game.

 

[Zeb]

Totem Pokemon honestly look like they have the potential to be more difficult than gyms so far.

-The levels aren't massively lower like horde battles
-You have 2 vs 1 with fully evolved "bosses"
-The Totem gets a boosted stat (maybe later ones will have more than 1)
-Presumably they will combo nicely - Yungoos is seen using Leer for Gumshoos's attacks, and if you try to switch out to reset your stats it could have Stakeout to hit you hard. I'm guessing Lurantis and its allies will have a sun strategy to use Solar Blade and Leaf Guard. There's potential for a Vikavolt one using Charjabug's with Battery to give its special moves more power too.
-We don't know how deep SOS battles go. Do they summon one and only one ally, or do they keep summoning more after until you knock out the Totem? Will later SOS battles summon 2+ allies?

They also seem to specialise in types, so it's essentially a gym in its boss battle nature.

I'll be honest and say I find the complaints about the changes baffling. I know everyone has their own thoughts but after 20 years of the same shtick I thought a change like this would be greeted with positivity and not negativity and cynicism. :/

 

[Mitchman]

I really doubt IT are going to be any more challenging than Gyms were, quite the opposite. I think they will be very easy, and straight forward. Why? Simply because GF are against challenging difficulty in their games, and I don;t see that changing tbh.

Both Totem Pokemon shown have downright excellent double battle potential, I doubt they are going to be easy. Gumshoos and youngoos with stakeout and roar could be trouble, while Lurantis calling in a Sunny Day Fomantis is going to be an absolute bitch to defeat, especially if they unnerf the weather. Good luck with the Flying Trial if Oricorio gets to be the Totem Pokemon, danc copying and combo stringing could result in an insane amount of minmaxing. Basically, don't write thme off because "its gamefreak". They just took the two major complaints and threw em off a cliff, and then some. Outside of battles, instead of doing a gym you get to do some cool quests, which kight have some duds, and might have some cool stuff. So far, we have itemfinding, calming down a Pokemon who is causing ruckus in the Travertines, dancing with Kiawe, and Sophocles apparently has some inventions for his trials. They could be short, but with potentially 18 trials and Totem battles, it adds up. Baaically, I have faith.

 

[Boss1708]

They have potential to be a difficult challenging boss battles, but I doubt they will use said potential, because it would scare away the casuals...

 

[Mitchman]

They have potential to be a difficult challenging boss battles, but I doubt they will use said potential, because it would scare away the casuals...

When said casuals are always the most ardent opposiion of major change in long standing franchises, that is a weak arguement. People are coming back in swarms because of Pokemon go, and are likely expecting, or were expecting, the typical beat eight gyms, defeat evil team, and become the champion gig. This alone will be met with caution, Gamefreak right now has to meet expectations that this is a good change to KEEP the install base that returned to the franchise recently, and its not going to be done with easy 1 Pokemon battles that technically replace gym battles.

 

[PurplePopplio]

Both Totem Pokemon shown have downright excellent double battle potential, I doubt they are going to be easy. Gumshoos and youngoos with stakeout and roar could be trouble, while Lurantis calling in a Sunny Day Fomantis is going to be an absolute bitch to defeat, especially if they unnerf the weather. Good luck with the Flying Trial if Oricorio gets to be the Totem Pokemon, danc copying and combo stringing could result in an insane amount of minmaxing. Basically, don't write thme off because "its gamefreak". They just took the two major complaints and threw em off a cliff, and then some. Outside of battles, instead of doing a gym you get to do some cool quests, which kight have some duds, and might have some cool stuff. So far, we have itemfinding, calming down a Pokemon who is causing ruckus in the Travertines, dancing with Kiawe, and Sophocles apparently has some inventions for his trials. They could be short, but with potentially 18 trials and Totem battles, it adds up. Baaically, I have faith.

Just imagine battling all four different Oricorio at once! :O

 

[Lufenium]

The island trials seem more inclusive of the Alola region, whereas a Gym challenge is just going to the gym, clearing the puzzle and the trainers before defeating the leader. And then you move on. The Island Trials seem more about quests, exploring places, and finding things. It's more of an experience than a simple quest for strength. They seem to incorporate more of their surroundings in them. As much as I've enjoyed the gym challenges over the years, I'm really excited to see this change of pace, and if it works out well, I hope they continue to expand the series like this.