Could Pokemon benefit from a Persona-like Social Link feature?

[Frogger]

BlowoverKing said:

If they somehow mixed Pokemon and Persona, two of my favorite franchises of all time, together and made it into a good game that would be fantastic! But I wouldn't want to necessarily have social links with only Pokemon but more with other characters in the game. One of my favorite things about Persona is the characters and being able to hang out with them whether it's through social links or in game events. If a Pokemon game could make it so that characters like Serena, Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna actually mean something to me that would be awesome.

The only thing is that this would mean completely overhauling how Pokemon games are setup in terms of story and gameplay as well as making it less approachable for children. They'd have to make the game garnered towards the teen to adult demographic and have things like actual cut-scenes with dialogue as well as of course voice actors. You could still travel and get all 8 badges but have the game let you hang out with certain trainers on routes or go to cafes with your rival. Hell let us do that stuff with our Pokemon too! Make it so a big reason to visit a location is not really to catch Pokemon but because you and your friends decide to go there on a whim to have fun and build up relationships with them (like when you go to the beach in Persona 4 Golden).

Honestly it'd be a huge task to pull off such a game but if they ever did it would be one hell of a game!

While I wouldn't disagree with this happening, I feel like it should happen with Pokemon first. Frankly, Pokemon are far more integral to the experience than other people, and when the entire point of the franchise revolves around forming bonds with Pokemon, that is what should take priority.

Again, I would love to have more fleshed out characters and a deeper story, but when the games are about Pokemon, I want the Pokemon to get fleshed out first. To me, they are supposed to me your main supporting cast in a Pokemon. They are why it makes sense for a trainer to travel without human companions. Giving them identifiable personalities and triggering story based scenes with your Pokemon would go a long way in making them feel alive and integral to the experience.

In a perfect Pokemon game, the lack of meaningful interaction with NPCs wouldn't matter much because the Pokemon interation fills in the gaps.

One thing I don't agree with though is the notion that Pokemon would have to cater to an older audience to implement meaningful interation with NPCs. Pokemon will never, and should never, be a game garnered towards teens and adults. There's no reason why they can't implement meaningful interactions with a supporting cast without crossing that line. The day Pokemon stops being E is the day Pokemon betrays itself.