The release day for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet draws nearer as summer comes to an end. Pokémon has a great appeal to many people, whether because of the combat, classic RPG vibes, or simple love of the Pokémon themselves. And because Pokémon has such a history, there are a variety of ways to play the series. So, how do you play Pokémon games? 

I’m the kind of player who tries to do every quest, talk to every NPC, and build up a single, strong team. Because of this, in most of my games, I complete the storyline with Butterfree still on my main team as the first Pokémon I captured! 

The reason behind this is that I love building my teams to have the most amount of types possible within them. I always have the main three types of fire, water, and grass; however, I try to get as many dual types as I can as well. And this is just my way of playing the games, whereas there are plenty of other styles for enjoying Pokémon. 

The first task you’re given in any Pokémon game is to fill the Pokédex; “Catch them all!” is what I call this playstyle. It’s a significant appeal of the game to discover and capture every Pokémon of a region. It fills the completionists with great satisfaction to see a completed Pokédex. Even I’ve taken to trying this approach, usually after my first playthrough. 

With a similar determination to “Catch them all!” are the breeders, the EV trainers. They utilize only the best of the best after countless breeding to create the greatest team they can. It takes a lot of walking and a lot of time. I could never actually follow along with this playstyle, even as excited as I get every time I hatch an egg. The perfectionist and lazy parts of me would definitely clash trying to play this way and frustrate me in the end. 

And of course, these are just a few ways that people can play the Pokémon. There are so many different things that trainers do to make their way to the top. How do you play Pokémon games? Are you more of a casual player or a hardcore player? Do you commit to multiple playthroughs? 

Share your reactions below or join the conversation on the Boss Rush Discord. 

Image Source: Erik Mclean