In the Beginning…
1/28/22
My brother and I each got to experience the beginning of the world of Pokemon together in 1990s as elementary school aged kids. Pokemon Red and Blue on our Game Boy Pockets. The TV show was brand new and it was quite a time to be a kid.
I used my master ball on a Magmar cause I thought that had to be the one to use the Master Ball on.
Fast forward to today and I’ve followed Pokemon fairly well through the decades. The majority of my time has been split between the original Pokemon Red and Blue games, Pokemon Snap for the N64, and Pokemon Go. I have never been a Pokemon Master but I have been a well established journeyer through the worlds.
All of that to say, I’ve never been super excited about the franchise over the years. I’ve just enjoyed it. I now have two kids who also enjoy it…but not near as much as me. They’ve collected a few toys, played a little bit of Pokemon Go with me, and watched some of the show. But the craze I experienced as a kid is far removed. There’s something nice about all of that as it has allowed Pokemon to simply be a small piece of joy in the wonderful pie that is our lives.
We arrived to this wonderful day and I’ve watched at a distance as Pokemon Legends Arceus was released. I didn’t dig too deep in the previews or research what the expected experience was going to be. I was, however, deeply drawn to the new style of play and the look back at earlier times in the lore. The look of the game was appealing and the way different generations of Pokemon seemed to be involved in the world was exciting enough.
So I picked it up. No pre-order, no early purchase. I took my youngest son to Gamestop for him to purchase his brother a birthday present…and I grabbed my copy of Arceus.
I typically never get excited about the intro to these games. I want to rush through it and get on to the simple and repetitive act of catching Pokemon. I like the slow grind of games like this. It’s almost therapeutic to me. But I leaned against my instinct and gave Arceus an honest shot at peaking my interest. I’m glad I did.
Arceus, for me at least, is looking to be an almost mystical experience. There is an immediate link to creation and all things beginning which is an incredibly bold start to a Pokemon title. And I am here for it. For the first time it seems the creators of Pokemon games have taken a dramatic leap of faith on a very deep but simple beginning to the history of the world of Pokemon.
My character has fallen into this new but ancient world and I look forward to seeing where we go together from here.
If you’ve found yourself reading along as I type my thoughts, welcome. Please feel free to express your thoughts and feelings on your Pokemon journey. I do hope you are enjoying your Pokemon world in your own ways as we all fall in love with new and old friends again.