Pokémon Winds & Waves "Peak" Starter Final Evolutions Praised By Gamers

The announcement of Pokémon Winds & Waves as part of the franchise’s big 30th birthday celebrations was a pretty exciting one, with Game Freak taking things in a considerably more tropical direction, in what looks to be a much-needed departure from the relatively samey settings of the last few releases.

Despite the exciting footage we were treated to at the time, we don’t really know a whole lot about what it’s going to be like to play, as well as which Pokémon we’ll be able to catch and use along the way.

One thing we do know is the new starters, in Water-type Gecqua, Fire-type Pombon, and Grass-type Browt, all of which look pretty adorable. Unfortunately, Game Freak hasn’t confirmed the full evolutionary line, and it’s safe to say that fans have some strong opinions of their own about what they should be like in final form.

Pokémon Winds & Waves Fans Love These Evolution Concepts

Game Freak

Over on Reddit, one user shared a post featuring stunning concept designs for all three phases of the starter evolutions by artist Vergolophus. From a purely subjective standpoint, they all look pretty cool, particularly in their final form, and fans were full of compliments for the approach taken to their design.

“Those are all so good it’s going to make the real thing seem like such a disappointment. The typings are all great and the video explaining the inspirations make them even better,” one comment read.

“If all of these were the final evolutions, to me, it would be Gen 4 quality (in the sense that I genuinely cannot pick a starter because all of them are perfect),” another added.

Others were a little more constructive in their feedback, with one saying, “Gecqua’s whole line looks perfect here, as do Browt’s middle stage and Pombon’s final stage. But I’m not really a fan of Browt’s final stage or Pombon’s middle stage, they look too different from the other two stages in their lines.”

When Will We Learn More About Pokémon Gen 10?

The unfortunate fact remains that we don’t have a real release date for Pokémon Winds & Waves beyond the arrival of the game at some point next year. At the same time, it’s a fairly safe speculation that it will probably release towards the back end of 2027, from September onward.

All of that means we might have to wait a little while longer before we hear anything official from Game Freak that provides more details on the game itself. Hopefully, we will get more before this year closes out though, if only so the developer can control the release of information and avoid any further leaks.