The Low Expectations of Pokémon Winds and Waves
On February 27th, 2026, the trailer for Pokémon Winds and Waves was released. This game marks the 10th generation of the franchise, which started in 1996. This marks a significant accomplishment, as Pokémon has delivered numerous games over the past 30 years.
The trailer contained a wealth of information about the new region, which is inspired by Southeast Asia. This new region is very open and full of nature, with tropical islands, wide oceans, and even boggy swamps. This game has the same vibes as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, a free-to-explore game with limited urbanization.
In addition to the landscape of the region, the trailer also introduced the three starters that players get to choose from. The options are the grass starter Browt, the fire starter Pombon, and the water starter Gecqua. In only a week, these starters have received a lot of love from fans across the world, with Browt being an icon for memes already.
But there is one thing that doesn’t add up. If the landscape looks amazing, and the starters have received all of this support, then why are the expectations so low for this game? For a game that marks a new generation of Pokémon, you would think that the expectations would be high instead of low.
“Pokémon Winds and Waves looks pretty interesting and has a nice island vibe, but sadly, it will only be available on the Switch 2, which I don’t have, so I think that gets rid of the excitement I have for it,” says sophomore Marnin Castor.
This is one of the main reasons for the lack of anticipation following with this new game. It will only be on the Nintendo Switch 2, and no other consoles. This means that in order for the fans to enjoy the game, they must buy a whole new console that hasn’t even received the best reviews. The reason for the limited accessibility makes sense; a newer console would result in better graphics, but that is not a good move to make if you want your fans to buy your game.
However, the past is the past, and the Pokémon franchise cannot change the fact that the game is going to be exclusively on the Switch 2. So what can they do in order to make people buy the game and the Switch 2 for those who don’t already own it?
“If the new Pokémon game has a unique and entertaining story like some of the earlier games, then I’ll probably buy it. But if it doesn’t, I’ll probably just watch a Youtuber’s gameplay on it,” says junior Joel Melendez.
This is how Pokémon can still get people to buy their game. They need an interesting story or interesting mechanics that can attract the attention of the audience. This is not the first time they’ve done this either. Back in 2018,Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee were released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, instead of the usual 3DS consoles.
However, fans were still excited and had high expectations for the game due to the mechanics. The story was the same as the first Pokémon game, but the catching mechanic that used motion controls attracted the audience and still made them buy it, even though it was on a different console.
This exact same thing needs to happen in order for Pokémon Winds and Waves to get the excitement that it deserves. It needs something different that stands out from the previous Pokémon games, something that’ll catch the eye of all Pokémon fans. And I know it’s early, but so far, there is nothing that can catch the eye of the audience. The game looks similar to the games on the original Nintendo Switch, and that sadly isn’t going to cut it.
