With Pokémon Legends: Arceus set for release in January 2022, fans expectations are high since it's the first open-world game in the series. Ahead of its release, though, there are some things it can learn from Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. While the two series aren't exactly the same, there are numerous similarities between their foundational concepts.
In Monster Hunter Stories 2, players gather all sorts of different monsters to build teams and engage in turn-based combat. Much like Pokémon, the game features a rock-paper-scissors attack system and the different monsters each have their own elemental strengths and weaknesses. And while the Pokémon games are a little different from MHS2, they are similar enough that Pokémon should take a close look at what Monster Hunter Stories 2 does well and find a way to incorporate some of its ideas. And the best opportunity for that could be for Nintendo to return to the format of the oft-forgotten spin-offs, Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness were titles released on the Nintendo GameCube and were totally unique to the franchise. These games featured a structured narrative with an emphasis on double battles, as opposed to the traditional gym system seen in the series' most prominent titles. Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness presented players with some particularly challenging battles and are exactly the kind of game many fans of the franchise have been waiting for, but Nintendo has simply never tried to make another game like them. Given the success of Monster Hunter Stories 2, it's a unique approach that should be considered for Pokémon once again.
The focal point of Monster Hunter Stories 2's narrative is the bond between the main character and their Rathalos, which represents the game's foundational Kinship mechanic. As players battle alongside their monsters, the Kinship gauge fills up and allows both the player and monster to use stronger abilities. Thematically, the Kinship mechanic represents the player and monster battling together in a way that Pokémon has never quite managed to accomplish.
In the Pokémon anime, happiness and friendship play vital roles in the performance of Pokémon and that has never really translated to the games. Outside of a few moves and evolution requirements, happiness is a largely forgettable mechanic in the grand scheme of things and is rather irrelevant. If Pokémon were to bring back Mega Evolution, an active friendship mechanic between trainer and Pokémon, like Monster Hunter Stories 2's Kinship, could be a really interesting change to how Mega Evolution works. And a game like Pokémon Legends: Arceus could really benefit from a structured narrative that places an emphasis on the bond formed between the player and their chosen starter Pokémon.
As popular as Pokémon is, many fans have become disappointed and frustrated with the direction of the series. These types of mechanics may not be a great fit for the traditional format of a Pokémon game, but the series needs fresh ideas, and Monster Hunter Stories 2 has presented a possible look at what a game like that could look like. Pokémon Legends: Arceus presents an ideal opportunity for the series to try something innovative that sparks a potential future for the franchise that is more in line with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, as opposed to the vast Breath of the Wild-style open world that players are anticipating.
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