Gamescom 2021 showed us some eye-catching new games – perhaps none more so than DokeV. This cute but visually impressive Pokémon-like game caught a lot of people’s attention. And it got us thinking – why does Pokémon, after all these years, not look as good?
DokeV Gamescom 2021
If you didn’t see the trailer for DokeV at Gamescom this year, you really should go out of your way to check it out. Now, it certainly isn’t for everyone. Hell, I don’t even know if it’s for me. But its art-style and graphics were stunning. Take a look:
After watching the trailer, my first thought was “Pokémon”. And developer Pearl Abyss may very well be striving for DokeV to be the next Pokémon. They have even described it as “a creature-collecting open world action-adventure”, which is pretty much Pokémon‘s whole schtick.
DokeV vs Pokémon
Of course, Pokémon is HUGELY popular. And it has been for decades. But it has arguably fallen into the same formulaic rut that has trapped other long standing franchises like Call of Duty and FIFA. Yes, improvements have been made to that trusty Pokémon formula over the years. However, anyone would struggle to argue that, technically speaking, it has improved in parallel with gaming hardware.
DokeV has, without doubt, set a new graphical benchmark for the genre. Whatever your thoughts on its kid-orientated approach, its open-world is incredibly impressive. I’d go as far as to say it looks like one of the most “alive” and vibrant worlds I’ve seen from an open-world gameplay trailer.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus Looks Bad
Pokémon Legends: Arceus, an open-world action RPG, coming in January 2022, is perhaps most in line with what DokeV will be. And its graphics are, frankly, awful. Its open-world looks sparse and muddy. There’s just nothing about it that screams “next-gen”.
Why, with all the money and success Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have made off the back of the series, they aren’t producing a game that looks even remotely close to DokeV is simply baffling. Pokémon is a beloved series. But, fundamentally, it hasn’t kept up with the times. And while diehard fans will always get the new games, it doesn’t entice anyone new. Of course, I will reserve final judgement until Pokémon Legends: Arceus is released, but it seems destined for “meh”.
Battle of the Critters
While DokeV‘s world looks great, the same can’t really be said for its creatures… At least not yet.
Based on the short glimpse we got, they lack the creative umph of Pokémon. And ultimately, if you can’t match Pikachu and Charizard, you’re facing an uphill battle.
That said, there’s no doubt more to come from DokeV. So, it’d be a shame if Pearl Abyss didn’t have more up their sleeve on the creatures front. Luckily for Nintendo, Pokémon retains the edge there for now. But if DokeV musters up some exciting looking critters alongside its flamboyant and fun open-world, Pokémon should be worried.
Will DokeV be the next Pokémon?
While it’s too early to tell if DokeV really has what it takes to supplant Pokémon as the king of creature-collecting, it certainly has potential. The real shame is that Pokémon could quite easily look as visually awesome as DokeV – if they really wanted it to. But with a lack of real competition comes complacency. And let’s face it, Pokémon hasn’t had any serious competition for years (hey, Digimon). As a result, they’ve lost the need to innovate because the market was theirs. Until now.
In 2021, Pokémon, in its current form, should be concerned about DokeV. Not because Pokémon is bad. Or because DokeV is a guaranteed success. But because DokeV has shown an innovative spark of possibility that may well set a new standard. A standard that Pokémon isn’t quite living up to.
Were you impressed with DokeV? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other gaming articles…
