I got surprisingly emotional when Pokemon Winds and Waves was revealed last week. Maybe it's to be expected as someone who's grown up playing the series; Pokemon Blue introduced me to the wonderful world of RPGs in the late '90s before I had any notion of what an RPG was. It's wild to think about how the series has continued to evolve since then, and that almost three decades later, I'm still striving to be the very best, like no one ever was.
Naturally, I can't help but be excited (and cautiously optimistic after Pokemon Scarlet and Violet) to put my trainer hat back on in shiny open-world entries for the new-gen Switch 2. But my dewy-eyed state over the reveal actually stems from something far more sentimental. Over the last 27 years, I've kept up a lifelong tradition that's connected to what's always set the Pokemon series apart: the different versions of each generation.
Do you choose the Red version or the Blue version?
Each mainline Pokemon RPG has brought something new to the table, but one core facet of the series has remained unchanged: versions. As you may already know, Game Freak decided to release two versions of the same game to foster a community of trainers, with the idea being that you're encouraged to connect with other players to trade for Pokemon in other versions. They also often include subtle differences, like which antagonistic team you'd face in the likes of Pokemon Sapphire and Ruby, or what Mega stones you could get in Pokemon X and Y.
As someone who grew up with one older sister, having two different versions proved to be the perfect set up for sibling bonding, and it became an unwritten rule that we'd each get a different game to trade Pokemon for every gen release. I'm sure my parents were very thankful we didn't each want both games, and cynically, it's quite a masterful move to make a lot of money from fans who want to catch 'em all.
But to me and my sister, it somehow felt fated in that childlike wonder kind of way: two versions for two Wald siblings. With my sis getting Pokemon Red back in the day at the tender age of eight, it made sense for my six year old self to get Blue, and from then on, it became a sacred sibling tradition that's still going strong to this day. So, when Pokemon Winds and Waves officially debuted during the 30th anniversary Pokemon Presents stream, the very first thing I did was text my sister one simple question: which version are you getting?
Bracing the Winds or riding the Waves
It's pretty magical that the Pokemon series and its different versions still bring me and my sister together almost three decades on
Now, there are always things we each take into consideration when deciding on which version we'll get (this is very serious sibling business, after all). Face value is the first factor: which one immediately calls to you?
For me, I childishly find the pun potential of Pokemon Winds quite irresistible - I mean, "I have Wind(s)" is right there. But I also really like the cowboy-like hats of the outfits you start out with in that version, and rather serendipitously, my sis prefers the threads in Waves. I also can't quite get over Pokemon Wind's Pikachu mascot, Mr Windychu. What a name. And those shades? Talk about style.
We're still waiting on the core version differences to be revealed (which I'm sure will have some sway in the future), with the new games slated to arrive in 2027. But the Pokemon Winds and Waves region and the game titles do seem to hint that there may be some environmental challenges that could diverge slightly depending on the version – the official Pokemon website suggests as much, making mention of "the forces of nature that block your path at times".
How can I possibly resist the chance to say it's fucken wimdy out here in the open-world of Winds? But old fox memes aside, I think we've both settled on our respective versions already, which means we'll once again be staying true to our lifelong tradition.
It's pretty magical that the Pokemon series and its different versions still bring me and my sister together almost three decades on. We'll have to wait and see how Pokemon Winds and Waves shape up next year, but one thing's for sure: the scared sibling tradition of the Wald family will live on when they arrive.
