Video game ramblings: cancellations, consoles, and how to make a bad mobile RPG

 Is this blog turning into less of an original artistic content blog and more of a ranty gaming blog? Perhaps the question I should really be asking myself is, does anybody actually care either way?

With some recent occurrences in video gamery, and just overall thinking about things in my spare time, I've come up with another batch of items to discuss and no better place to put them. Read on if you're bored enough.

First off, the biggie: Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link got cancelled. Um, ouch. To be honest, this didn't come as a complete shock to me, given the game's lengthy and troubled development cycle, but it was still sad news. While I understand that Square-Enix wants to focus on Kingdom Hearts 4, after service ended for KH: Union χ (which I loved), I was really excited that we were getting another (and fancier) live-service, multiplayer Kingdom Hearts experience with some tantalizing lore (and open-world this time!). 

As another bonus, I liked that the gameplay involved the option to move the character on the map independently of where you happened to be in real life; I enjoy Pokémon GO, but one of the major drawbacks of that title is that if you're not, well, GO-ing anywhere, you can't actually play the game. Back when I used to live in a major urban area, playing GO was as easy as stepping out my front door and taking a stroll around a neighborhood teeming with PokéStops and Gyms. But I recently moved to a much less populated area with fewer GO opportunities (unless I feel like walking back and forth across a tiny, mostly-dead mall that's still stuck in the 80's and filled with obnoxious teenagers, which I don't), so nowadays I really only play GO every few weeks or so, during the rare times I happen to be near some in-game hotspots, which means I miss most of the events and can't really progress much in the permanent quests. It's not really a satisfying experience.

Another thing I think is kind of sad is the possibility that Missing-Link was cancelled because a lot of people - presumably console gamers who don't play mobile games - complained about it, specifically the fact that it was a mobile game instead of a console game. I don't understand what (mainly Western) console gamers have against mobile gaming and spinoff/side titles--you'd think they'd be excited to get a new instalment of a beloved franchise that takes the universe and gameplay in unique directions, and that they can enjoy any time on the go. Not all mobile games are terrible (a lot of them are, but not all of them), but sometimes it feels like Western gamers are just so reluctant to take a chance on new ideas, or at least concepts that are different from what they came to expect from a franchise (like the classic example of everybody hating on Zelda: The Wind Waker because it was cute).

Anyway, although I understand SE is all about KH4 right now, I really hope they won't give up on the idea of another live-service KH game. Especially because I'm worried KH4 won't release on the only (current) gaming console I have right now, namely the Switch. Which of course is a segue into my next topic.

The Switch 2 is coming out very soon, and honestly I just don't feel emotionally prepared. I've been playing my good old Switch 1 since Pokémon Sword and Shield, and I know it's been a long time in game development terms since then, but I still can't believe we're transitioning to a new console so soon. 

I guess it's not really all that big of a deal, because I'm not planning on buying it right away and there aren't any titles for it (yet) that make it me want it super bad (I'm so glad Pokémon Legends: Z-A is coming out for Switch 1), but still, realizing it's the end of an era makes me feel a bit melancholy. I probably think too much about these sorts of things.

Moving on, lately I've been pondering over Pokémon Masters EX, and why I hate it. Or, more specifically, why I just don't think it works as a mobile RPG. Now, don't get me wrong, I think the idea of a Pokémon mobile RPG is great, and as a story-driven gamer I love the idea of all of the Pokémon characters getting together and interacting. The story content of the game is fun and creative, and a great homage to the colorful personalities that help flesh out the world of Pokémon. And I also love all the voice acting by a talented and varied cast. (Voice actors are such awesome people.)

But the gameplay and overall game model really stink. First off, the game is shamelessly cash-grabby. Gems (the premium currency) are extremely difficult to earn in-game, and the cost of gacha pulls is ludicrous. It's borderline unethical to ask $30 for a 2% (yes, you read that right) chance of getting the featured character (and without even a mileage system, making it feel like even more of a scam). Does DeNA think all of us have more money than we know what to do with? I also really hate how the featured characters in the scouting banners are designed to be the optimal units to use in their events, which means you have to pay out the nose to obtain and fully upgrade these units if you want all the event prizes.

As a story-driven gamer, another thing that irks me about Masters EX is how so much of the content is as transient as a social media newsfeed, moving at just about the same pace. The main storyline updates so infrequently that once you've finished the paltry two main story arcs, the handful of permanent side storylines, and the frankly half-baked Arceus Arc that involves about three actual battles, the only story content available is a barrage of events. These pop up and disappear with such frequency that if you don't check in with the game every few days, you'll miss a fun story unless they decide to rerun the event later on. And it doesn't help that the event battles are super-repetitive, making progressing for the sake of seeing the plot unfold an absolute chore.

While I understand that this update model was probably chosen because the base game itself is huge in terms of file size, and if they didn't rotate out battles and plotlines, it probably wouldn't even fit on most mobile devices, it's still a frustrating way to experience (or more accurately miss out on) the unique and ever-developing setting of Pasio. And it really gives off the vibe like DeNA want you to just hurry and spend your money on the event before it ends, just to do the same with the next event.

Again, speaking as a story-driven gamer, another thing that annoys me about the game is how much of it is tailored around showcasing the experience of battling, with most of the permanent content revolving around various battle venues that I simply don't care about. It, again, also doesn't help that you need to shell out oodles of real cash if you want units that are anywhere near useful in these more challenging game modes.

And what do you get for doing well in these modes? Way too many upgrade items for way too many upgrade systems. I love micromanagement as much as the next RPG nerd, but this is far too much micromanagement for even me. I hate tapping on a unit's profile and being presented with a dizzying array of upgrade options, all of which use their own set of items that have to be earned through various different methods. Plus, the various upgrades are so fussy that you have to upgrade your units in really precise ways to fit specific battles, and I just do not have the patience for that. I really prefer games where you can excel through grinding and steadily building up your units' strength until they're unstoppable powerhouses in any situation, not trial-and-error selecting the right skills or stat boosts to match up against any particular opponent. (I know I could probably look up online guides for every battle, but I honestly just don't care enough.)

And, finally, the Trainer Lodge is a spectacular disappointment. I love the idea of casually interacting with the various characters, having conversations with them, and building up friendships with them, but the Trainer Lodge system gamifies friendship in all the wrong ways. The "conversations" with characters are just a really boring mini-game where you have to guess what topic excites your conversational partner, instead of anything actually meaningful and/or relationship-building. And you have to endure this multiple times just to build friendship points enough to where you can view an actual story scene involving the character. Like so many other things in the game, it feels like a chore more than something that's actually enjoyable.

So that's why I don't play Pokémon Masters EX. I think it's a great idea on paper, but the execution just gets so much wrong that I can't stomach it. I hope someday there will be a Pokémon mobile RPG that actually offers as satisfying of a gameplay experience as the console games, but for now I'll just be over here feeding my Snorlax in Pokémon Sleep.

Speaking of Pokémon, I came across an interesting article from a couple of years ago arguing that Pokémon Battle Revolution has better battle animations than later 3D core series games. While that is probably true, I'm also wondering how big of a deal that really is. I don't really judge a Pokémon game by how interesting the battle animations are, and Scarlet and Violet had way more wrong with them than just dull animations. Plus, take some pity on the developers; there are now over a thousand Pokémon, and who knows how long it would take to think up and animate unique and clever movements for all of them.

(I suppose now's a good time to mention that I still have no idea why people raised such a fuss when Game Freak didn't put all the Pokémon in Sword and Shield; there are just so many of them, with each generation usually adding at least a hundred new ones, that this was bound to happen sooner or later. It's not like your favorite Pokémon doesn't exist anymore; it was just not chosen to appear in a specific game. It's like how Pluto still exists despite being currently classified as a dwarf planet. Not really a big deal when you stop to think about it instead of being emotionally reactive.)

I'm also just really tired of Pokémon side games that are glorified battle simulators. Pokémon Stadium had the wow factor of "for the first time you can watch Pokémon battles in 3D!!!!!", which was a huge deal back when Pokémon were tiny monochrome pixels, but I'm just not into battling for battling's sake, so all these games do nothing for me. I'm so incredibly unexcited for Pokémon Champions, which looks like it will have zero storyline and just exist to make Pokémon battles super shiny or something. (That said, it's possible that Champions is being developed exactly to satisfy gamers who don't like the rather cut-and-dry look of core series battles. So that's good for them, but I'm definitely skipping this one.)

And finally, speaking of mobile RPGs that need to do better, I'm taking an indefinite break from Cookie Run: Kingdom, because most of the last few updates have been really lame. I think the trouble really started during the Grand Cookie Games update, which was (I think unarguably) the stupidest plotline introduced up to that point. It just consisted of a bunch of Cookies beating each other up for glory, which had all the writerly depth and sophistication of a shounen manga whose writer had run out of ideas. And the three new characters introduced were extremely obnoxious (and I hate Choco Drizzle's outfit).

The subsequent Shadow Milk Cookie story update was great, and I loved how (spoilers) it introduced the possibility of the Beasts having a change of heart (which I think would be absolutely fantastic, and also really good on a gameplay level, because they'd basically become permanent fixtures in the cast with a lot of potential for future plotlines and character development), but that stupid wedding-themed update back in March was so unpleasantly weird that I actually just didn't play it at all. The Fire Spirit Cookie update was fun (I love when Cookies cross over between games), but the Eternal Sugar Cookie update was what just killed the game for me.

First off, Eternal Sugar's personality and motives are way too similar to Mystic Flour Cookie's. They're both Cookies who want to relieve others of suffering through putting them into a state of emotional stupor (whether that be through sloth or apathy). Sloth isn't even the opposite of passion--apathy is the opposite of passion and that would have worked better for Hollyberry Cookie, because the opposite of resolution (or resolve) is cowardice and weakness. Basically, Eternal Sugar and Mystic Flour are way too similar in the way they operate, which is disappointing to see when, up to this point, the Beasts have had really distinctive and unique character traits. (Also, Eternal Sugar's outfit needs to be more modest.)

Also, Pavlova Cookie is maddeningly irritating. I don't know if the writers were trying to make him cute or what, but his stupid obsession with and unrealistic views of romance make him sound like a fanfiction-writing teenage girl. I just wanted him to stop talking, honestly. And I didn't want to hear any more of him talking, so I uninstalled the game.

I'm really disappointed with the directions CRK has been heading lately. It used to be an extremely tightly-written game with well-designed and endearing characters, but the vibe feels like it's changed in the past few months. I know the game got a new director a short while back, and while I hate pointing fingers, usually it's the director who influences the direction of the game. I feel like CRK is turning into every other lackluster mobile RPG out there that's trying too hard to be trendy, and to appeal to what it thinks the usual mobile RPG demographic wants, when a huge part of what made the game so great to begin with was how it ignored trends and just did its own thing with a huge dose of unique charm.

It's painful to let this game go after I've spent the past few years enjoying it so much, but if it's going to keep disappointing me, I can't waste any more time on it. I still play Cookie Run: OvenBreak, but I'm disappointed with recent franchise offerings such as Tower of Adventures (which is really light on story content and really heavy on repetitive battling and constantly introducing new characters you never have any strategic reason to use), Witch's Castle (which has some excellent lore locked behind unoriginal and boring block-smash gameplay), and the upcoming OvenSmash (which looks like a vertigo-inducing brawlfest with nothing to offer noncompetitive people).

I really wish Devsisters would come out with a Cookie Run open-world RPG or MMORPG, something that would allow players to openly explore and experience the rich lore and fun characters of the franchise. I'd sink so many hours into that (assuming it's well-written, of course).

So that's how I've been feeling about video games lately. I'm still hoping Digimon Alysion will be fun, and I'm of course looking forward to Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I also have to finish replaying Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX so I can borrow my niece's copy of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. (As someone who has grown up with the "modern" Zora design, she thinks the River Zora look hideous. Back in my day, young'un, they spat fireballs and nobody thought twice about why a water creature would do that!)