Many Pokemon fans have been wondering, both out of genuine curiosity and out of humor that a sleep app with Pikachu even exists, if Pokemon Sleep would tie-in to the mainline games in some form. Now that the application has slowly made itself accessible worldwide, it's become known that Pokemon Sleep won't connect with other games than just Pokemon GO, not even Pokemon Home. This has upset a number of players for various reasons.
However, that doesn't mean that Pokemon Sleep doesn't have anything fun or surprising for fans to discover, or to collect. As players sleep every night, they're using the power of their helper Snorlax to encourage other critters to sleep with them, and these can become partners like one would expect from a Pokemon game. As these creatures gather around Pokemon's Snorlax, fans may catch a few details that might put a smile on their face despite the fact that Pokemon Sleep doesn't allow players to transfer their helpers over, and that would be its attention to detail to the Pokedex itself.
Pokemon Sleep Takes Tons of Inspiration from the Pokedex
In regular Pokemon games, it's usually a bad thing when a player's partner pocket monster falls asleep. It's seen as a status ailment that keeps players from moving for a number of turns which can range from as little as three to as many as seven. As a result, the only instances where these iconic creatures can be seen properly sleeping is when they doze off while relaxing, like during picnics in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
However, when players want to learn more about the creatures they've caught in their Poke Balls, there's always been the Pokedex to turn to. When fans catch a new Pokemon in the mainline games, they'll be given a small blurb that explains how the creature survives in the wild and what's been understood about them by Pokemon Professors over the years. These flavor texts differ between games, and while more recent titles sometimes choose to repeat older facts, Pokedex entries can be utterly terrifying or absolutely heartwarming with everything in-between.
What the Pokedex says is often thrown out more than it's used, though, which can create a bit of disconnect at times. Pokemon Sleep, however, has done its homework. While there are obvious inclusions such as Psyduck's headaches being a problem even during sleep, the animations of some creatures are taken directly out of Pokedex entries and nowhere else. Doduo is one example, as its animations show that one head stays awake while the other one sleeps, which is taken directly from Pokemon Ruby specifically.
There are many more Sleep Styles that take even more inspiration from Pokedex entries that don't even talk about sleeping habits. The entire Bulbasaur line of Pokemon, for instance, have "sunbathing sleeps" which alludes to the fact that sunbathing helps aid in its evolutionary process. Raichu also has a special "grounded-tail sleep" which deals with the many entries talking about how the Electric-type discharges electricity through implanting its tail in the dirt. There are many similar animations for fans to spot when they wake up in the morning after sleeping with Snorlax.
Of course, if a Pokemon fan is aware of Select Button's history with the franchise, this fact may not entirely be surprising. Select Button was also the studio responsible for another Pokemon mobile game Magikarp Jump which included many fun Easter eggs from the lengthy history of titles featuring Magikarp. Among them was a random chance game where if the player encouraged their fishy friend to jump high, they might lose their Magikarp to a Pigeotto flying by; referencing a Pokedex entry that's gone as far back as Pokemon Silver. Both games make it very clear that Select Button is very dedicated to both Pokemon and its games for the series.
Pokemon Sleep is available now for mobile devices.