For many veteran fans of thePokemonseries, one of the biggest problems with more recent titles is the increasing simplicity of challenging post-game content, with some of the newer games offering little more than a rehashed version of the Battle Tower. It seems these concerns have rung louder than ever within thePokemoncommunity after the Gen 9 games came and went without a Battle Tower feature at all, and while a variation of the antique and slightly more complex Battle Frontier hasn’t been seen in many generations, a grand incarnation of this feature was originally planned for the Gen 7 titles.
Of course, this information hasleaked on Discord and Redditwith the monumentalPokemon"teraleak," which has resulted in an unprecedented amount of pre-developmentalPokemoncontent surfacing online. Throughout the past month, the community has been digging deep into the realm of scrapped creature designs, pre-alpha game builds, and lost gameplay features from throughout the past several decades, with the recent leaks even providing a glimpse into some ofGame Freak’s future projects.
How Pokemon Sun and Moon Nearly Took Players Back to Classic Regions
Up untilPokemon Scarlet and Violet, nearly every core-seriesPokemontitle featured some variation of the classic Battle Towerin their post-game. Though each game’s Battle Tower has its quirks, the idea remains the same - battle NPC trainers with a team of three Pokemon capped at level 50, earn Battle Points, and consecutively win battles for the chance to face off against special boss Trainers.Pokemon Sun and Moonhad its own Battle Tower in the form of the Battle Tree, but what fans didn’t know until recently was that the Gen 7 titles were originally planned to include something called the Battle Cruise - a post-game activity packed with interesting content that would have blown the Battle Tree out of the water.
Not to be confused with some of the other Trainer-housing cruise ships from previousPokemontitles such as the Royal Unova, the Battle Cruise was actually planned to take players to port cities from regions seen in previous generations, such as Olivine City and even Castelia City, where players would have been able to battle memorable characters and champions from such regions. The general idea behind this feature was that players would battle NPC trainers aboard the ship to develop their own reputation as a Trainer, while also building bonds with them to unlockunique Pokemon trades. Characters on board the ship could also be unlocked as partners in double battles as well.
While players can’t travel to other regions inPokemon Sun and Moon, they can battle key characters from previous games as bosses in the Battle Tree.
How The Battle Cruise’s Facilities Would Have Set It Apart From Pokemon Sun and Moon’s Battle Tree
Much like the Battle Tower, players would have been able to engage in Single and Double Battle playlists in different facilities on the ship, with players able to challenge a “Battle Captain” after enough consecutive wins. The Battle Cruise would also have included a variety of other facilities, too. The Training Center apparently would have focused on providing players with puzzles to solve and minigames to play, such as some form of the Japanese strategy board game shogi, with this facility even set to feature some kind of Pokemon rental system - anidea that was possibly recycled inPokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moonin the Battle Agency.
Not only that, a “Fast Battle” facility would have introduced some kind of new and notably simplified form of Pokemon battle, though there doesn’t appear to be much substance to this scrapped function. Along with an event hall where players would be able to encounter and interact with other characters on board, the Battle Cruise would even have featured every kind of facility players could need forraising and training Pokemon, from a Pokemon stat judge to an on-board daycare and road for hatching eggs. All six key facilities on the Battle Cruise would have included:
How Parts of The Scrapped Battle Cruise Live On In The Gen 7 Pokemon Games
Unfortunately, such a mammoth addition to the Gen 7 games never saw fruition, though it’s certainly not the only bit ofcutPokemoncontentthat would have given fans a real treat. As is the case with much cut content, though, certain traces of the overall concept eventually found their way into the final product, particularly the social aspects that likely formed the foundation of Festival Plaza and the ability for players to battle key characters from previous games in the Battle Tree.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
WHERE TO PLAY
The school that you’ve enrolled in as you playPokémon ScarletandPokémon Violethosts a special independent study project. The theme of this assignment is “A Treasure Hunt.” Explore the world and seek out your very own treasure!Three stories will be woven into your adventure while traversing the sprawling Paldea region. Along Victory Road, you will go to Gyms in different locations in order to to achieve Champion Rank. On the Path of Legends, you’re able to join Arven in search of rare ingredients. And in ★ Starfall Street ★, you’ll challenge Team Star, a group of delinquents causing trouble for the school.These stories are set in an open world, so where you go is all up to you. A world teeming with Pokémon and people to meet is waiting for you—traverse the Paldea region wherever you heart desires.
