How my reaction to the Poké-rapture fits perfectly into the Kübler-Ross five stages of grief model.
Just as we’d gotten over the MCU’s snap, it emerged over E3 this week that Pokémon fans are due to experience a universe culling all of their own. According to developers Game Freak, Pokémon Sword and Shield will not contain a National Dex, the Pokédex that contains records of every Pokémon since Gen I, and will only support the Galar regional Dex – meaning if it ain’t wondering about the Galar region natively, you can’t catch it.
Crucially though, not only will you not be able to find it first-hand in the game (as is often the case), you will not be able to import it from previous games either – effectively rendering that Pokémon extinct as of Sword and Shield’s release.
This is quite the blow to Pokemon fans, who have become accustomed to being able to transfer their pocket pals up with them through the years. It’s arguably one of the reasons the franchise remains so popular with now-adults, and has created a unique video game experience in which you can benefit from work you put in years ago.
Additionally, the Galar Dex is filling up fast (as documented on fansite Serebii), and with every Trubbish or Vanillite that takes one of the coveted spots, that’s a Chimchar or Dark Rai that may be left to go the way of the dodo.
Fans crying on Reddit or disliking YouTube videos isn’t out of some weird sense of entitlement or insane expectations – it’s out of grief.
Some of their trusty pals won’t be joining them on their journey, potentially after many years of loyal partnership. They’ll be left on their cartridges, and over time the memory will erode, the game will corrupt, and they will die. Nothing short of death awaits these once fierce critters, and if we’re entitled to anything, it’s our sad, sad tears.
To illustrate, here’s how my reactions fit perfectly into Kübler-Ross five stages of grief model when I first heard the terrible news.
Denial
I was first alerted to this news by somebody else, and initially, I didn’t react to it at all. I just took it as a passing comment – some other tidbit from E3. Surely they just meant that every Pokémon can’t be caught in Galar. They must have just misunderstood, because that’s been the case for some time. You can’t catch a Rayquaza* in Pokémon Sun, for example, but you can easily let your favourite legendary from Pokémon Emerald bask in the Alolan sun with your new BFF Incineroar if you just transfer him over from an older game. This isn’t news – this has been the case for years now. Sweet, simple child. So easily confused.
*In the original Pokémon Sun, that is – you can in the Ultra re-release.
Rage
Wait, what!? You mean they just haven’t bothered to create them in the game? Breaking 20 years of tradition? How dare they! Those lazy, idol, corner-cutting cowboys! How dare they try and sell me a Pokémon game with all my favourites cut out! Why the hell have I spent my entire life building up a roster of formidable monsters, friends who have been with me through thick and thin, my family just for you to tear them away out of sheer ineptitude? This won’t stand. I… I… I won’t buy the game! Ha, that’ll show you. Prepare to taste the consequences of your failure, Game Freak. You can kiss my £49.99 goodbye!
Bargaining
Ok, who are we kidding? Of course I’m going to buy the game. I’ve already pre-ordered it. I’ve already had Zacian (clearly the superior of the two) tattooed on my chest – over my heart. Over my DAMN HEART, Game Freak. You hear? I love you, I love this game. I’ll buy every copy in the world, if you could just see your way to including the National Dex? Maybe you could just outsource all that boring modelling and scripting work and then just release updates in waves, whenever you’re ready, of course. No rush. We’ll be good, we’ll be grateful. But please, save our Pokémon – we can’t bear to be apart.
Depression
But that’s just not way these things go, is it? Pokémon Go does it, but that’s a different situation – and it’s not developed by Game Freak. The continual adding of content isn’t really a done thing in a lot of Japanese games. Maybe some paid-for DLC here and there, but Nintendo isn’t known for value for money. Plus game producer Junichi Masuda has already said that they’re not going to release new Pokémon as updates. Damn. After all these years, after all that work – what was the point? Certainly, what is the point of Pokémon Home? But what was the point of any of it? If I can’t catch ’em all, why catch any at all? Why ever step foot out of my Kanto region bedroom door? Big sigh.
Acceptance
But this is really it, isn’t it? God, it hurts. I’ll be holding a memorial service for my beloved Infernape on Sunday. Please wear black. If it’s not raining enough we’ll rearrange for a suitably sad weather. Donations to me personally please. Cash only. I’m very sad. Money won’t help, but at least I can be rich and sad. RIP.
Follow Newplex editor Jads on Twitter for all the latest in the run up to Pokemon Sword and Shield’s release, and follow The Newplex on Twitter and Instagram for more nerdy features.