What is Pokemon Rodeo? Everything known about the leaked unreleased Pokemon game
The Pokemon franchise is no stranger to rumors, but recent leaks about a certain unreleased Pokemon Rodeo are making rounds on the internet. From footage to in-game descriptions and certain mechanics - there is a lot to take in. The title did seem to have a lot of potential, but Nintendo seems to have scrapped it after spending some time in development.
Unfortunately, trainers can never experience what Rodeo would fully have been. From what remains, a lot of deductions about the game can be made. In this article, we will explore what Pokemon Rodeo was, and what this unreleased Pokemon title could have been.
Note: This article is based on various leaks from prominent Reddit channels like r/GamingLeaksAndRumors and r/PokeLeaks. Readers are advised to take the content with a grain of salt.
What is Pokemon Rodeo?
Pokemon Rodeo is an unreleased game that was reportedly scrapped after spending some time in development. From the looks of it, Rodeo seems to have been a real-time action RPG title.
Videos that exist showcase a trainer riding a Pokemon while exploring the open world, indicating it did have RPG elements indeed. However, according to RyDawgE - Freak Leak on X, you could choose a Pokemon and ride it into battle. For those of you who have played Palworld, the mechanic seems to be similar to the mount mechanic where you ride Pals and both of you attack together.
What do we know about the unreleased Pokemon Rodeo?
Since Pokemon Rodeo has been scrapped, details are limited. However, from the images and descriptions that still exist, here are some of the things that can be deduced:
1) Different categories of Pokemon
There seem to have been different categories of critters in Pokemon Rodeo. In the leaked images, we can see at least two types:
- Handheld Pokemon: These critters have some kind of unique attack when they pop out of their Pokeballs.
- Ride Pokemon: You ride these critters into the battle and they attack along with you.
Each category also had different kinds of attacks. Generally, it seems that smaller critters like Pipulup and Geodude fit into the handheld category, while others like Electivire, Garchomp, and other big Pokemon, were in the ride group.
2) Elaborate riding mechanic
The riding mechanic itself seems to have been complicated. First off, you would need a special item called "Ride Glove" to activate this feature. The position and way of riding greatly relied on the Pokemon's shape and size. From the footage, it seems you could sit on the heads of certain critters like Garchomp and Samurott. On the other hand, you could piggyback ride others like Decidueye and Charizard.
Ride Pokemon also had a special kind of attack, akin to the Charged Attack mechanic in Pokemon GO. These could be used to deal decent chunks of damage, with unique animation. One of the videos shows Garchomp diving underground while the trainer holds its fin to ride on it.
3) Pokemon decals
Trainers also supposedly had the option to paint their Pocket Monsters in Pokemon Rodeo. Smeargle seems to have been the designated painter for this purpose, and you could customize your Pokemon's look in any way. From patterns to various colors and even tattoo-like designs - there were a lot of options.
4) Raid Bosses
Pokemon Rodeo had something called "Pokemon Ride Joint Action!", where the cover art shows players and the Pokemon they are riding taking on a giant Ho-Oh. This could also be a Shadow Ho-Oh, based on the color scheme, but alas, there's no way to know for sure now.
This feature might have been the equivalent of Raids in Pokemon GO since this was clearly a cooperative feature that required teaming up with others in Pokemon Rodeo.
The reasons behind Pokemon Rodeo's cancellation are completely unknown. The game did seem to have a lot of potential, but several complexities also arose with the inclusion of real-time mechanics in the vast Pokemon setting.
As fans, you can only imagine the endless adventure that this game could have provided since it will forever be an unreleased haven in the Pokemon franchise.