NodeCraft
- 07 Jun 2015 17:22
#155676
One problem with this argument is that there are many JRPGs that use visible enemy encounters. For example:
Legend of Zelda
Chrono Trigger
EarthBound
Hyperdimension Neptunia series
Dragon Quest IX
Blue Dragon
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
etc
As for the reasons for why JRPGs tend to use random encounters a lot, this is a mechanic choice which in the past was due to hardware limitations, but is now used as a way of artificially increasing the length or difficulty of a game.
Kryyss wrote:The reason pixelmon went that way is that it always annoyed me in the pokemon games that you could never see the pokemon out in the world, it was always such an artificial mechanic. To me part of the fun of a universe like pokemon is seeing them in the wild and watching them interact with each other
There was a fascinating video on youtube from ExtraCredits which looked at the reason why the Western and Eastern RPG games ended up being so different. Most of it was actually down to cultural reasons but when you think about it, the differences actually made a ton of sense once you understand the minds of the people behind it.
Since you grew up in a Western culture you require a sense of logic behind what you consider acceptable. The idea of walking across an empty area and then suddenly being thrown into a battle, as is common in the JRPG, doesn't make sense to you. But in previous eastern culture this was acceptable because they are less concerned with the 'why' and more accepting of the unexpected.
Look at the early Anime as an example. Most of it doesn't actually go into much detail explaining why something is happening. The ever-famous Akira is a fine example of not-explaining-everything fiction which the Eastern culture is used to, but western audiences may sit down with that movie and dislike it because there is never any clear reason 'why' any of this is happening. Tetsu gains abilities inexplicably, loses control and turns into a blob monster. It seems kinda random but the underlying principle behind the movie was entrenched in the Eastern idea of Chi. The concept that Chi defines a persons ability to control their surroundings and themselves and the question was raised during the movie - What if an Amoeba had the power/chi of a human, would it have the ability to use or even control that? Tetsuo became the human equivalent of the Amoeba. But the movie never really explained how or why it happened. Yet it is still a great film due to the story and characterisation.
Pokemon is like Akira, but at least it gives you some reasonable justification as to why creatures only appear in the grass. But many westerners would be struggling to understand how an Onix could hide in a couple square feet of grass :) For me, I just accept that and enjoy the game - but I fully understand your irritation with the mechanic.
One problem with this argument is that there are many JRPGs that use visible enemy encounters. For example:
Legend of Zelda
Chrono Trigger
EarthBound
Hyperdimension Neptunia series
Dragon Quest IX
Blue Dragon
Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
etc
As for the reasons for why JRPGs tend to use random encounters a lot, this is a mechanic choice which in the past was due to hardware limitations, but is now used as a way of artificially increasing the length or difficulty of a game.
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