Visual Feedback; How to make this game feel more like Pokémon?

MewVaan

Hey Pokemon Community, Dear Game-Devs,

I had the pleasure to test the new client for one week now and would like to give feedback of the overall feeling and vibe I get from the game. Many has been said before, however I would like to pick some points up again since I would like to stress the importance of them.

//Gameboard//

• I do not have such a big problem with the central tiles as many other people, I like the subtle animations that play when you play your Pokémon into play
• Attacks feel a little underwhelming, there could be smarter usage of the tiles when delivering attacks
• My biggest issue is the areas outside of the central tile element. They look quite dark, devoid of anything that breathes Pokémon. They are static, slightly darkened and feel a bit depressing and like I am playing in a basement

Suggestions: Give Pokémon attacks a bit more punch by using the central tile element. Shaking, flashing, offering depth and the likes can make it feel like your Pokémon is actually attacking. For the playboard overall, consider adding "Playmats" that change the play-area. Slightly waving grass, an arena, a famous city from any generation, Hearthstone for example does a great job at making you feel like you are in the universe. The Pokémon client is almost devoid of this beside the brand colors. I feel this will be one of the biggest drawbacks that prevents new players from checking out the game. It just doesnt look "interesting" and like Pokémon at the moment.

//Avatars//

Ah the Avatars. It has been said many times before and it tightly connects to the lack of Pokémon feel of the playboard:

• Avatars do not look like Pokémon characters
• The style of the characters look outdated
• Expression could use some more refining

Suggestions: There are multiple adjustments that could be done to breathe in more Pokémon Life into this aspect. Either, rework the assets closer to the main game assets (not sure how the legal situation is here), or enable Pokémon avatars. As of right now, I have 0 connection to my avatar, it feels plain and with this as a foundation, I have 0 interest in investing any currency into customization. Not even the free one, as of now this feature is not very interesting for the community.

I truly value all efforts done so far into the game. The client feels quick and with the amazing help from the community, bugs are being found and sorted out fast. I will enjoy using the client from a technical point of view, however I wish the game would feel more like a Pokémon game. As of right now, it coud be a software like Tabletop Simulator, that simply is a emulator for various games. I could play Yu-Gi-Oh in this client and wouldnt say: "Hey this clients visuals remind me of Pokémon".

Therefore, I feel some visual tweaking could really go a long way. Right now you are laying the foundations for a client that will be used for many years to come, so investing some more time in tweaking the heavily requested visual changes will surely resonate positively both in the community and press.

ChurchPews

If they add in gameboards like they do in Hearthstone, so your Pikachu deck could have a Pikachu themed board, it'll also add another layer of microtransactions. So win win.

As far as avatars go. 2D is Pokémon in my opinion. Bring back the anime style, its easier to do, and looks better for the scope.