Post #2774224
2026-05-07 12:23 UTC
@mid_kid@fosstodon.org yeah, when I think too hard about why combat is even in this game, it makes less sense. Everyone in this world seems to have a professed love for pokemon, so what better way to love them than to have them than to force them to fight to the death against all these randos loitering around the roads between towns...? I want to liberate the pokemon from human slavery, but that doesn't seem to be a choice.
I am going to stick with it for now, in part so I can better understand this thing my 6yo is suddenly obsessed with thanks to the proliferation of contraband cards at school during recess!
Replies (1)
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@mid_kid@fosstodon.org 2026-05-07 15:02
@scribblemacher@mstdn.games Tbh, battling is just one of the many things people do w/ them in this world, and it's portrayed as you playing the role of the strategist, kind of like a coach would with a sports team. Pokemon aren't forced to obey (there's mechanics to reflect this, although with a different goal), and the bad guys are usually people who steal or otherwise force pokemon to do their bidding. The black/white games explore capturing as enslavement a bit in the story but it's shallow.