Pokémon Virtue

Pokémon Virtue is an upcoming role-playing game developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The game intends to function as a reboot to the Pokémon series with the reworking of countless gameplay mechanics. Pokémon Virtue will be released in twelve different languages, being the first Pokémon games released in Portuguese, Arabic, and Hindi.
This new Pokémon title is open-world with a wide selection of locations to explore. While Virtue adds approximately 100 new Pokémon, every non-legendary Pokémon from Generation I through VIII is obtainable as well. Furthermore, Pokémon Virtue is the first Pokémon title to be fully three-dimensional; the player has full control over the camera in both the overworld and in battles. The games are set in the Ahinso region, based heavily off of the Indian subcontinent including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
==Story==
Pokémon Virtue is an open-world game giving the player many choices in their adventure. Most of the journey will be centered around exploration and completing smaller tasks such as sidequests and subplots. However, there are two major questlines that the player must complete in order to finish the story of the game.
The player starts their journey in their hometown in central Ahinso, Abhanram. The Pokémon professor, Professor Banyan, is stationed here and is in need of some new assistants. The player and their sibling (who is gendered opposite of the player) are commissioned to take on the task of filling out the Pokédex. To start off their journey, Professor Banyan gives the player their choice between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. After this, the player and their sibling move out on their quest and diverge paths from here. However, the player will meet their sibling periodically throughout the storyline, and they will battle to compare their progress.
===Main Quest===
There are two main questlines that are overarching above every element of the game. The player must complete them both.
The Avisa movement is a movement growing in popularity all across the Ahinso region. Inspired by the original goal of Team Plasma, supporters and components of Avisa strive to liberate Pokémon from their chains and highlight the systematic world problem of harmful human-Pokémon relationships. The player may either join them or oppose them, and there are several clashes throughout the course of the story. Avisa supporters see Pokémon battling as a means to an end in the long run. Tensions escalate when one side (opposite of whichever the player joins) has acquired Jirachi, the mythical Pokémon said to grant any wish.
The gym challenge, of course, is the other task that the player must complete. There are eight gyms scattered across the region, and the player must challenge and claim victory at all of them before they can challenge the Pokémon League. The Pokémon League is fundamentally different from its appearance in previous titles; the League is now a proper tournament similar to in the Pokémon anime and manga series. There are four rounds of the tournament, meaning the player will challenge up to sixteen powerful foes. Once they are victorious, the player must challenge the Pokémon Champion.
===Other Quests===
*Professor Banyan has labs scattered all across the region which she travels between. Meeting her at one of these labs will allow the player to choose a new starter Pokémon.
*There are twenty-four legendary and mythical Pokémon found in Ahinso. Some are found following questlines, while others are simply there to be discovered.
==Gameplay==
The gameplay formula has been generally overhauled from previous Pokémon titles. In the overworld, the game has changed completely. The world is more open and the player has full control over their camera. The option to run has been removed, being replaced with running being the default when the analog stick is held all the way in a direction versus walking when it is held part way. 
Hidden moves have been removed completely from the game. However, the player must still use their Pokémon to fully traverse the world. Field moves are simply determined by what type of Pokémon is needed for the task. For example, larger Pokémon that can swim can allow the player to surf on water. Larger Pokémon that can fly can allow the player to fast travel between locations. Luminiscente Pokémon can lighten caves. 
===Battle===
Every trainer and wild battle in the world has its difficulty scaled based on the player's progress in their journey and current location, with each Pokémon's level determined by a combination of the player's current number of collected badges, the average level of Pokémon on their team, and the location they are fighting in, with places farther from their hometown having more difficult encounters overall. This allows for the abolition of grinding from the game, but the player must use more strategy when fighting against other trainers. Furthermore, because the game is much larger than previous titles, leveling up is slightly slower, taking a bit more time to complete each level.
Most battles in the game have been replaced with double battles, with the exception of wild Pokémon battles and a select few scattered battles on the map. This requires more strategy to approaching battles, such as gauging the benefits of using a move that damages all Pokémon on the field, and also enables new gameplay mechanics focused on double battles to emerge such as new evolution methods for Karrablast and Shelmet.
The player can now carry up to eight Pokémon at a time in their party. However, only the first six slots will be sent to battle.
====Synergy Band====
 A huge new feature introduced into the game is the Synergy Band. After the Band is unlocked, the player is given the ability to collect Synergy Energy in battle. Every turn, a certain amount of Energy is earned, and the Band is completely filled with enemy after an enemy is KO'd. When the Band is full with energy, the player can then expend it to Battle Bond which is a modified version of Dynamaxing. Pokémon with Mega Evolutions will transform to their Mega-Evolved Form when utilizing Battle Bond, and likewise for Pokémon who can Gigantamax.
Thanks to this, Pokémon no longer have to hold an item to utilize Mega Evolutions. However, they do have to KO an opponent or wait for many turns to activate it. A new item, the Synergy Orb, can be held by a Pokémon to instantly fill the Battle Band at the beginning of battle.
===Typing===
:Main Articles: Sound type, list of retyped Pokémon
The type matchup has been slightly changed to better balance the game. This is highlighted with the addition of a new type, the Sound type, that over thirty Pokémon were given. The new type matchup attempts to balance the Fairy and Electric types by giving them both a new weakness, and strengthens the Ice type by giving it more resistances and less types that are strong against it.
Furthermore, a large number of Pokémon have had their types changed-- usually simply receiving a new type that matches their traits.
===Stat Changes===
:Main Article: List of Pokémon with stat changes
Several Pokémon have had their stats changed to add better balance to the series. This typically involves increasing their most powerful stats and giving several Pokémon their own new niche so that they are not obsolete at the hands of more powerful Pokémon.
===Friendship===
Friendship is one of the most important elements of Pokémon Virtue. The story attempts to highlight what makes a relationship good or bad, and this is reflected by the gameplay. The friendship system is completely overhauled from previous titles. No longer can a player simply battle with a Pokémon and expect them to have maximum friendship; players must take alternative methods to maintaining relationships with their Pokémon.
Friendship is not seen as being completely necessary in this game. The player can incentivize what they find the most important to Pokémon-- loving their Pokémon or having powerful Pokémon. In this title, Pokémon with lower friendship perform marginally better in battle than those with higher friendship. Pokémon with higher friendship will perform marginally worse in battle, but having high friendship with a Pokémon comes with a wider number of benefits.
Most Pokémon requiring friendship for evolution have had their evolution method changed.
Friendship does not come into play in multiplayer battles except in the usage of the moves Return and Frustration.
==Region==
:Main Article: Ahinso region
The Ahinso region is the largest region yet included in the Pokémon series. It is based on the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Much of the architecture and many of the people of the region reflect the diverse cultures of the Indian subcontinent. For example, the region is full of high mountains to the north, modeled off of the Himalayas. Jungles can be found scattered about the region. In the west, the city of Danavana, modeled off of Mumbai, has a strong cinema presence similar to modern India's Bollywood.
==New Pokémon==
Apart from including approximately 100 new Pokémon, Virtue brings the return of many Pokémon from a beta version of Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions, referred to as "Demo Pokémon" for their presence in a playable demo of the games at Space World '97. There are 43 included Pokémon from the demo, adding up to an even greater number of newly acquirable Pokémon to be found in the Ahinso region.
 
|}
 
|}
 
==Gallery==
Ahinso Starters.png|Meldow, Flambé, and Ruddle
Burubiru.png|Burubiru
Birboys.png|Cawling, Ravenge, and Ravenant
Chicadell.png|Chicadell
Crelevac.png|Crelevac
Felux.png|Felux
Klainka.png|Klainka
Knocktopus.png|Knocktopus
Lastyke.png|Lastyke
Tvboys.png|Megabiter, Gigaleg, and Terrafrayed
Rubarrier.png|Rubarrier
Templad.png|Templad
Terraslug.png|Terraslug
Tikasai.png|Tikasai
Vanilana.png|Vanilana
Vestigast.png|Vestigast
Windighost.png|Windighost
AhinsoFish.png|Unnamed water types
==Credits==
* - Direction, general concept, writing
* - Concepts, writing
* - Pokémon concepts/art
**Burubiru, Chicadell, Crelevac, Felux, Klainka, Knocktopus, Lastyke, Rubarrier, Templad, Terraslug, Tikasai, Vanilana, Vestigast, Windighost
* - Pokémon concepts/art
**Unnamed water types
* - Pokémon concepts/art
**Meldow, Flambé, Ruddle, Cawling, Ravenge, Ravenant
* - Pokémon Concepts/art
**Megabiter, Gigaleg, Terrafrayed
Category:Fan Games
Category:Games
Category:2020
Category:Seacastles
Category:Pokémon Games
Category:Nintendo Switch Games
Category:Role-Playing Games
Category:Pokémon (series)