Pokemon Pokopia's Lore Has Huge Implications for the Pokemon Universe

Pokemon Pokopia is retired now, and I loved it. I gave it a 9/10 for IGN, and 1 of the things I praised astir highly astir it was its communicative and the ways successful which it leverages nostalgia for affectional impact. In the review, I didn't speech overmuch astir the specifics of that story, due to the fact that I didn't privation to spoil it for anyone.

But Pokopia has been released, and I person been unleashed. I need to archer idiosyncratic astir this story, due to the fact that it's benignant of unhinged! Pokopia, contempt having a cute and wobbly exterior, is hiding (not precise subtly) an highly grim story, 1 of the darkest successful the Pokemon beingness truthful far. So if you're prepared to delve deep, heavy into spoiler territory with me, get ready. We're gonna sermon Pokopia's afloat crippled and ending and wherefore it has monolithic implications for the franchise.

WARNING! I AM HOLDING NOTHING BACK. This nonfiction delves into afloat spoilers for the entirety of Pokemon Pokopia's story! Do not work unless you either bash not attraction astir spoilers, oregon person already finished the game! I'm SERIOUS!!!

By the clip you rotation credits connected Pokemon Pokopia, you've apt sorted retired the basal thrust of the storyline: humanity is gone. Entirely. As documented successful the Hacker's Confessions, the Team R Grunt's journal, Someone's journal, and the Professor's diary entries, the Pokemon satellite is an bare ruin successful Pokopia due to the fact that of a monolithic clime catastrophe that seemingly affected everything: each region, each continent, everywhere. A radical of scientists saw that catastrophe coming, and began making preparations to evacuate humanity...to space. And it sounds similar they were successful. So yeah, each quality who lived successful the Pokemon satellite was sent to abstraction sometime earlier the events of Pokopia, oregon other they apt perished successful the flooding, drought, volcanos, and different wide devastation.

Meanwhile, astir Pokemon were placed wrong a machine strategy to efficaciously hibernate until the humans could travel backmost and salvage the planet. And the volition was for humanity to travel back. Except...there is simply a batch of grounds to suggest that it's really been hundreds of years since they left. Hacker's Confessions #6 suggests that "even a flimsy deviation" from the program could permission humans stranded successful abstraction for hundreds of years, saying that they built a failsafe truthful that if that happens, the strategy storing the Pokemon connected the satellite would "release the Pokemon astir suited to those environments." Which seems to beryllium precisely what's happening successful Pokopia, arsenic Professor Tangrowth explains up beforehand that helium hasn't seen a azygous quality oregon Pokemon for ages, but each of a abrupt they're appearing everywhere. Of course, Ditto is the archetypal 1 to amusement up - arsenic a Ditto, it's the champion suited to each environment.

The "hundreds of years" mentation is further supported by Someone's Journal #4, which documents the steady, unexplained rising of the crushed successful Saffron City into the air. It says that immoderate scientists judge that "in a substance of centuries this country volition beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic a mountain, successful presumption of elevation." By the clip we marque it determination arsenic Ditto, those cities are the Sparkling Skylands, adjacent higher than the mountains. Again suggesting aggregate centuries person passed since humans left. That doesn't adjacent get into however heavy down the Pewter City depository is buried, oregon however agelong it would instrumentality for quality to overgrow Fuchsia City the mode it has by the clip we amusement up.

Assuming that's true, past thing has gone incorrect with humanity's evacuation plan, leaving them incapable to easy instrumentality to the satellite successful a timely manner. At the extremity of the recognition roll, we spot the rocket negociate to scope 1 quality retired successful space, alone, and the Ditto plush successful the model suggests it mightiness beryllium the subordinate quality Ditto's trainer. But that's intolerable if hundreds of years person gone by. And it's unclear if this idiosyncratic is alone, has immoderate quality to get backmost to the satellite astatine all, oregon adjacent understands the implications of the rocket reaching them. Multiple notes we prime up connote that immoderate fig of things could spell incorrect and permission humans stranded successful space, ne'er to return, and fixed that they didn't marque it backmost successful the appointed time, it's just to presume thing happened to forestall them.

What's adjacent sadder is that Ditto, Professor Tangrowth, and their pals cognize nary of this. They can't read. The notes we find are for the payment of the players, but the Pokemon planet-side volition conscionable spell connected believing that humanity tin travel backmost 1 time if they conscionable marque the satellite bully enough. And, if you needed different reminder, this catastrophe has seemingly impacted the entire world. Not conscionable Kanto, but each region. So that leaves a satellite afloat of Pokemon, awkwardly mimicking the lives of humans arsenic champion arsenic they tin retrieve them, hoping for a reunion that whitethorn ne'er happen.

Pokemon Pokopia is so astir a Pokemon Utopia - an idealistic satellite wherever lone Pokemon beryllium and are allowed to thrive. There's plentifulness present to meditate on, specified arsenic whether oregon not the clime catastrophe successful Pokopia was caused by humans, oregon if the Pokemon volition yet beryllium amended disconnected without them. Some surely look to beryllium blessed they're gone (Mewtwo), immoderate are reasonably indifferent (Kyogre), portion others, similar Garbordor, really thrive disconnected of having humans around. And of people you person folks similar Ditto who miss their quality partners, and bash not recognize those quality partners are astir surely deceased by now. Pokopia is grim, guys. I cannot judge they fto developer Omega Force get distant with this!

This, of course, leads to plentifulness of questions astir what this means for the larger Pokemon universe. Is Pokopia adjacent canon? When does it instrumentality place? Is it successful immoderate benignant of alternate universe, similar the ones posited successful games similar OmegaRuby/AlphaSapphire? Is the Kanto portion of Red, Blue, and Yellow inevitably headed for aboriginal destruction? Because look, if Pokopia is canon... humans are extinct. There is simply a mentation of the Pokemon beingness wherever humanity took disconnected and near Pokemon down to instrumentality over. What does that mean for the world? Are determination different universes wherever this didn't happen? Did...did humans instrumentality immoderate of the Pokemon with them and colonize different planets?

We volition apt ne'er get the answers to immoderate of these questions, arsenic Pokemon games person a wont of dropping lore bombshells similar this and past ne'er truly resolving them, though Pokemon Legends: Z-A did precocious wrapper up astatine slightest 1 escaped thread from Legends: Arceus that truly nagged astatine me. It besides seems similar Pokopia's devs are up for astatine slightest immoderate ongoing enactment of the game, truthful possibly we'll get a last section astatine immoderate aboriginal date.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spell outcry implicit the last cutscene for the 17th time. Ditto, buddy, I'm truthful sorry.

Wondering which Pokemon you'll beryllium capable to unrecorded alongside? Check retired our database of each the Pokemon successful Pokopia, and instrumentality a look astatine our Things to Do First successful Pokopia usher to marque the astir of your archetypal fewer days. To assistance you get started, we've besides got a database of 17 things that Pokopia doesn't archer you, positive How to Raise the Environment Level and How to Raise Pokemon Comfort Level.

Rebekah Valentine is simply a elder newsman for IGN. Got a communicative tip? Send it to [email protected].