Summary
WhileGame Freakis known by the masses almost exclusively for developing most of thePokemongames, the studio has recently released its new title,Pand Land, in Japan, an adventure RPG which has players exploring an expansive and colorful world in search of hidden treasures. This isn’tGame Freak’s first time working on a project outside of thePokemonseries, and though this flagship franchise does soak up the vast majority of the attention, some of the studio’s other standalone titles, such asLittle Town HeroandHarmoKnight,have appealed to plenty of gamers over the years as well.
With many of the morerecent entries in thePokemonfranchise taking a lot of firefrom the gaming community due to their relatively short development cycles ultimately impacting the quality of the games in various areas, many might be somewhat surprised to discover that the studio has been investing time and resources into the development of another separate project on the side. While the development of the 2021 Gen 4 remakes,Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, was handed over to ILCA, Game Freak itself has nonetheless releasedPokemon Legends: Arceus,Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and the Gen 9 games’Hidden Treasure of Area ZeroDLC since the beginning of 2022, with the next majorPokemontitle currently in the works too.
Still,Game Freak’s freedom to stretch its creative muscleswith the release of a totally new game is, overall, quite healthy, both for the studio itself as well as for gamers. The game in question,Pand Land, is an adventure RPG recently released exclusively for Android and iOS mobile devices in Japan and has the player taking the role of an expedition captain who explores the vast and largely oceanic world of Pandoland in search of treasure. The game offers a laid-back experience where players can explore the furthest corners of its charming world at their own leisure while also presenting players with combat encounters and murky dungeons that can be plundered alone or with friends via multiplayer.
Pand Land Is Only Available in Japan For Now
There’s no international release date in sight for the time being, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be beyond the reach of players outside Japan forever. Only time will tell whether the game will be brought to a worldwide audience in the future, but in any case,Pand Landseems to be aparticularly proud project in Game Freak’s eyes. Inthe game’s official announcement from publisher WonderPlanet, Game Freak development director Yuji Saito stated, “We’ve been working hard to create a game that takes the scale of a console game and makes it easy and simple to play.”
Fans of thePokemonseries don’t need to worry aboutPand Landdetracting from the development of the next entry in the franchise, however, as thehighly-anticipatedPokemon Legends: Z-Aremains set for release sometime next year. While not a lot is known about the upcoming title just yet, the popularity of its predecessor has led to a lot of excitement in itself.
