ThePokemonfranchise has been around for quite some time now and has gained quite a following over the years. Many have grown to love the games, including most of the mechanics involved in them. WithPokemon Legends: Arceuson the horizon, many fans are speculating how that game will play compared to the mainline series. There are somePokemonmechanics and design choices that may not have aged as well over time.
Some key features, including some that are iconic to the series, are due for a refresh to really give the series a feeling of being new. Both new and long-term fans would likely love to see some new innovation from the team behindPokemon, and withPokemon Legends: Arceuspotentially changing a lot of things, now is as good a time as any to really shake up the franchise.
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Route and Map Design
Easily the most impactful part of everyPokemongame is the regional map. It dictates the flow of the game, how players experience the region, and how the moment-to-moment gameplay flows together. Each region introduced in thePokemonseries so far has felt unique, as each region is based off of different parts of Japan and large areas out in the rest of the world. Many regions are based on different sections of Japan, but some regions likeGalar, Unova, and Kalos, are based off other iconic places in the world.
While it’s neat to have regions based on familiar areas, that premise can also be a bit limiting in terms of designing town and city layouts, as well as making the routes that connect them. Game Freak should start being more creative with its region designs and ditch the real-world comparisons. Not only will this open up limitless possibilities for what the region can look like, but it will also allow them more freedom to try new designs for routes, cities, and more. Fans may see a bit of thisstart withPokemon Legends: Arceusnext year, but that remains to be seen.
In redesigning the maps forPokemontitles, Game Freak should re-evaluate how it handles the routes that connect major points on the map. IfPokemon SwordandShieldwere the test run of a redesigned route system, then Game Freak is on the right track.Pokemon SwordandShield’s Wild Areaserved as a great open map that players could wander around in, and it even connected a couple key areas of the map together. It was Game Freak’s first dive into a new type of route, and despite its shortcomings, it is generally a well-liked addition to the series.
The Gym Challenge
The Gym Challenge has been a staple of the mainlinePokemontitles from the very beginning. The challenge itself has received little improvement over the course of the entire series, with onlySunandMoon/SwordandShieldmaking any real changes to the format. InSwordandShield, after defeating all eight gyms, players squared off in a tournament-style event and challenged a handful of the leaders again with updated teams. Granted, this is more of a change in the Elite Four than the gym challenge itself.
InSunandMoon, the gyms were replaced with “Trials” though the premise was still the same: puzzle and type-specific Pokemon.SwordandShielddid feature unique gym leaders(at least a couple), at least, depending on which version of the game players picked up, which was a nice change of pace, but more needs to be done to revitalize the gym challenge.
While it’s fun to be able to plan ahead and concoct a team that excels at decimating a specific type of Pokemon, it would be a lot more interesting if the gyms had a theme that was somethingotherthan Pokemon type. Somefan-madePokemongameshave experimented with this idea, but gyms should be more than just a test of knowledge of type match-ups. Gym Leaders are supposed to be trainers that rise above the standard fodder found out along the player’s journey, with the Elite Four and then Champion even better than them, so these prestigious trainers should be a feat to take down.
Perhaps each leader could feature a full team of Pokemon that are significant to that Leader, if Game Freak wanted to make the characters more impactful. Or perhaps a team revolves around a specific battle style, like setting up hazards or using specific move types and strategies. This could go a long way toward helpingease players into competitive Pokemon battling, as no trainer is going to really use a mono-type team in VGC. This would be a huge improvement to the series and overall make the gym leaders much more interesting.
Starter Pokemon
EveryPokemonjourney starts off with a pivotal choice: which starter Pokemon to choose. Each game features three starter Pokemon (one fire, one water, and one grass), that are rare and not able to be found in the native region. These are usually new Pokemon that are the first Pokemon in the regional Pokedex.Pokemon Legends: Arceusactually features three startersthat follow a different theme than the usual starters do. While this is a good start towards shaking up the tiredPokemonstarter formula, Game Freak should go all out and really change up how they handle starter Pokemon going forward.
One easy way would be to introduce three starters thataren’tFire/Water/Grass and choose three types that are less commonly used. Any combination of three would be nice, and it doesn’t even have to be weak/strong against each other. Just some variety in Pokemon choice can go a long way.
If it really wanted to shake things up, itcould introduce one Pokemon of every type that can just be caught later in the game. This takes some of the pressure off of initial starter choice, and allows players to pick whatever type they want without fear of being locked out of the other Pokemon. This type of approach was used inNexomon Extinction, another monster-catcher style game thathandles the genre a bit differently than Pokemon.
Being able to choose any type of Pokemon lets players do a number of things differently. One, they can start formulating a possible team comp for the rest of the game. Two, they get to choose their own difficulty in that some types are better early on, while others struggle at the early levels. It gives players a lot more choice in a game where impactful choices are often so limited. Having so many options at the start of the game can really make a big difference in how players approach theirPokemonjourney.
While there are many things that are great about thePokemonfranchise, there are some things that are seen as “tradition” that are due for an update. Things like route and region design, starter Pokemon, and even the gym challenge could do with a bit of a refresh to keep the series interesting to those players who have been playing since the very beginning. The series has some things that could be fixed, andmay be fixed as soon asPokemon Legends: Arceusreleases, but if Game Freak wants to keep fans invested for even more years to come, it should take time to shake things up instead of playing things safe.
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis currently slated to launch in early 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
