MORPEKO

The Pikachu cousin we get every generation, but this time with a slightly edgier streak I guess? Morpeko seems to be some kind of hamster, but it's electric/dark. It's apparently driven by hunger more than anything, and if it goes too long without eating it shifts to a "hangry mode," which is said by the pokedex to commit "evil" acts. How evil are we talking? Evil by its own standards or evil by ours?

The idea of a pikaclone with an "evil side" is at least a brand new twist for this family line. Its ability causes it to switch forms every single turn, but all this does is change the typing of its signature special attack; its own actual typing remains electric/dark instead of shifting between the two, which feels like a missed opportunity for a pretty interesting mechanic. It's too bad that the Pikoids never get evolutions, but I think I say that every generation.

My only point of contention this time is the use of "hangry" at all; it's terminology I haven't heard in so long now, this brand new game has already kind of dated itself with the reference. If you're reading this ten years later, "hangry" was a briefly popular way to describe being both "hungry" and "angry" at the same time, kind of like when you 2030's kids are fresh out of spores and have to pupate into a harvester before your bones escape. See? Dating your work can go both ways!