Game Freak announced Town (working title) for the Nintendo Switch today. The Pokemon developer’s new RPG will be coming out sometime in 2019.
The RPG is set entirely within one town, and players are tasked with protecting the town against invading monsters. The game was described as being “a new story in a village with a secret to hide.” The game features a turn-based battle system that was shown in the reveal trailer.
Town‘s cel-shaded art-style is bright and exudes joy, with fetching character designs and rich colors. Players will be able to enlist other townspeople to help in difficult battles. The trailer suggests a dark secret of the town, although no details beyond those in the trailer have come out. The game’s Japanese language website showcases an array of screenshots and artwork from the game. The monster seen in the gameplay trailer is known as Mamono.
The title could be built in the same engine as the upcoming untitled Pokémon game, and be indicative of that game’s style. The restricted scope of Town might be a way for Game Freak to experiment with new ideas without gambling on new mechanics in their Pokémon series.
Game Freak achieved acclaim with the Pokémon series after Pokémon Red and Blue sold millions on the Gameboy in the mid-1990s. Since then Game Freak has dabbled in new IP, but mostly worked on Pokémon games. Game Freak released Giga Wrecker in 2017 on Steam, and Tembo the Badass Elephant in 2015 on Xbox One, PS4, and Steam.
Alongside Town, Game Freak is developing the upcoming Pokémon Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! for the Nintendo Switch, and a currently untitled Pokémon RPG that is scheduled for release in 2019. The Pokémon games are developed in tandem with Creatures, Inc, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company. Game Freak has a busy release schedule over the next year or so.
