Pokemon GO's approach to storytelling has changed a lot over the years. It used to be that there really wasn't any narrative to speak of in the game, but thanks to the ebb and flow of Team Rocket's influence, as well as various Special Research questlines starring Professor Willow, it feels like a much more dynamic world. Pokemon GO storytelling has come even further thanks to seasons, which feature stories and missions that stretch over multiple months at a time, telling more complicated and compelling stories than ever before. The Season of Heritage is in full swing right now, but Niantic has made it clear that it's already preparing more seasons for the future.
The latest Dev Diary for Pokemon GO includes some thoughts on storytelling in the game. Niantic's team states that it plans on expanding Pokemon GO narratives in future seasons, and that's great to hear. In order to make future stories succeed, though, Pokemon GO really ought to expand its cast of recurring characters. While the player team leaders and Team GO Rocket serve Pokemon GO well, they just aren't enough to carry every narrative in the game. It's time for some new figures to help explore this version of the Pokemon world.
The Need for More Pokemon GO Characters
As it stands, there's only a handful of named characters in Pokemon GO. The most well-known is Professor Willow, the upbeat, outdoorsy, and somewhat shy professor who helps players catch their first Pokemon. Aside from Willow, his assistants Spark, Blanche, and Candela make regular appearances as the leaders of Pokemon GO's three-player teams. There are also the lead figures of Team GO Rocket, which include Pokemon franchise newcomers Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo, and franchise mainstay Giovanni. Most of these Pokemon GO characters have limited story roles and simple personalities, but so far they've played their parts in Pokemon GO successfully.
Even so, their success so far stems partially from the fact that Pokemon GO stories have been simple so far too. There's little in-game interaction between characters, and each character plays a basic, predictable role in the plot. If future Pokemon GO stories are going to get more complex, they'll need to introduce more characters to help hold up the narrative and show how Pokemon GO is expanding. The established Pokemon GO cast is just too small and simple to carry stories with deep lore and character growth; Niantic has to conjure up some new heroes and villains with deeper roots in the Pokemon world who can help inspire character arcs for one another.
Pokemon GO's Potential New Stars
There's no shortage of characters that Niantic could bring in for future storylines. For instance, it could create some NPC members of Teams Valor, Instinct, and Mystic who help explore Candela, Spark, and Blanche's lives, or low-level members of Team GO Rocket that provide new perspectives on the villainous organizations. Pokemon GO has the potential to gain a lot of unique characters if Niantic makes the most of the baseline lore that it already has in place.
If Niantic doesn't want to craft new characters, it could always bring known Pokemon characters into the mix. Niantic has already used Team Rocket's Jesse and James, so there's no reason it couldn't introduce more characters from the Pokemon family. Alternatively, it could look into roles for any number of Pokemon game NPCs, from fan-favorite regional champions like Cynthia to other occasional stars like Looker. On top of that, it would be great to see Willow team up with some other Pokemon professors to investigate a Pokemon-related mystery. It's great news that Pokemon GO is going to get more ambitious stories in the future, but every story is only as strong as its characters. Expanding the game's cast would go a long way to helping its future storylines grow.
Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS devices.
