Ideas Explored for a 4th Game...

After spending an accumulation of weeks, perhaps even months on the Gameboy playing the old-school Pokémon games, fans probably thought they were safe from the draw of the Pokéball when that era ended. This couldn’t be more wrong, however. Enter Pokémon Tower Defense, and the hours spent grinding your Pokémon up the levels have numerous to say the least.

There have been 3 Pokémon Tower Defense games to date, with the latest – PTD3: Legacy – hitting the sweet spot for many fans, while still leaving many stones unturned, and leaving many disappointed when Sam Otereo Ceased with the updates a little while back. This doesn’t mean that Pokémon Tower Defense 4 isn’t a possibility, even if it isn’t a huge probability. So, in case by some insane unlikely stroke that Sam is reading this, here are just a few things Pokémon Tower Defense 4 could benefit from.

Improved Graphics

Even beloved fans of the series must admit that the graphics changes between 1, 2, and 3 are incremental at best. The pixelated graphics and sprite animations are integral to the authentic Pokémon feel of course, but this doesn’t mean that the graphics couldn’t be improved.

It goes without saying that the old-school look should still be preserved, but improvements to the battle animations could at very least be undertaken.  Furthermore, perhaps the layout of the 6 Pokémon across the bottom (trading-card style) during battles could also be re-jigged somewhat in order to keep things feeling fresh if PTD4 were to ever become a reality. It doesn’t have to be a full-on modernising that we have seen in Pokémon Masters, but some very small touches to the battle animations and/or general arrangement/layout of some of the menus could certainly inject some life into the next PTD game.

PvP Multiplayer

Though I understand the irony of requesting a head-to-head battle feature that would hark back to the old-school days of PvP battling through a damned USB cable whilst sitting in the same room, the idea isn’t without merit. Being able to battle it out head-to-head with other PTD players would be a fantastic feature for a few very good reasons.

Firstly, it would add an element of gameplay that has thus far been absent from the PTD trilogy. Sure, we can battle in story mode, but live battles with other users are among the most fun that some people can have when it comes to the official Pokémon games, so an email-invite system or a battle-scheduling system isn’t outside of the realms of possibility.

Secondly, as well all know, updates for PTD3: Legacy were discontinued a good while ago now. This means PTD3 is now stuck in time, and once players finish the story mode, level up all their Pokémon, and grind away to catch all the possible Pokémon in the game, there is nothing left to do. Including a PvP battle system would mean that PTD3 players could experience months, if not years of extra joy from the game, simply by being able to pit their best Pokémon against those of their friends or even just strangers across the world.

Forget the Towers (On Occasion)

Though the Tower Defense format on which all the game’s battles are based has always been the main feature of the game, it doesn’t always have to be about this style of battle. I envision a world where there is a PTD4 that incorporates a mixture of Tower-Defense battles and authentic Pokémon-style, true 1-on-1 battles like you (or at least I, because I’m old) used to enjoy on the GameBoy Colour back in the day. This would represent a bit of a change in direction for the series if it were to catch on, but there cannot be any harm in trialling such a format alongside the regular battles within the game. The tower-defense battles that are woven into the fabric of the PTD series can still be as ubiquitous as they are now, but there isn’t a reason that true 1vs1 battles couldn’t be introduced as an optional extra/pursuit in PTD 4.

Sure, the tower-defense battles are fun, but there’s something about the personal, 1-on-1 nature of the old Pokémon Red / Blue battles - such as the fantastic sprite animations and sense of immediate action – that cannot be ignored. Flareon used tackle. Oh no! Blastoise used Water Blast. Flareon Fainted! Ah, this brings back memories. And it could bring them back with more ferocity if these kinds of battles were peppered into the PTD4 action!

Shiny Money Talks

No one can blame Sam for selling the SnD coins on his website. After all, developers need to eat, particularly when you have one that is as dedicated to fan satisfaction as he is. However, there is quite a lot of grumbling and moaning on various forums when it comes to the ability to adopt shiny Pokémon just buy dropping real coin on some fictional SnD coins.

I’m conflicted here. As a capitalist, I feel that people should be allowed to purchase anything within reason. However, when it comes to how un-level this can potentially make the playing field in the world of Pokémon Tower Defense, there may need to be a small balancing of this playing field to correct the advantage. Players should be given more opportunities to encounter shiny Pokémon, regardless of whether they have “paid to play” by buying SnD coins.

Bring Back the Chat

To deny that we live in a world ruled by social media would be to deny reality. Therefore, I cannot think of a reason that the PTD Chat Room should not be re-furbished and reinstated should a 4th game ever surface. This way, users could keep up to date with other users’ experiences in real time, swapping tips, information, and progress along the way.

The chat could be integrated directly into the game’s interface, too, as opposed to being kept separately on a URL that will inevitably go dead (as the previous chat feature inevitably did).

What improvements and additions would you like to see to the series? Discuss below.