There’s been many mainline Pokemon games released over the years, each containing unique aspects or inclusions of new functions and features. Unfortunately, not all of these features have been consistently included in the following titles, leaving them in the dark limbo of old consoles and Pokemon game generations.
While there’s no doubt that not every game mechanic will be a winner, some of them continue to stand out against modern Pokemon titles, leaving a hole in the hearts of Trainers who have been dreaming of their return. Keeping this in mind, we’ve gone ahead and caught 10 of the most deserving Pokemon game mechanics that need to make a comeback.
Pokemon Contests
If there’s one minigame I miss most from ORAS, it’s the Pokemon Contests. Not only did it allow your trainer to dress up in a flashy new outfit and participate in something other than a Gym Battle, but you also received a super funky little Contest Pikachu who could switch between several different outfits. Whenever you were sick of grinding out levels or hitting the Pokemon Gyms, Pokemon Contests were a fun way to pass the time and get some use out of the other ‘Mons you might not use in battle.
I’d love to see this feature make a return to Pokemon games in the future, perhaps reworked as an alternate story path much like Scarlet & Violet’s Starfall Street, Victory Road, and Path of Legends. It would be a lot of fun being able to hit up various contests to earn Ribbons in the same format as Gym Badges, much like the Contest variation in the animated show.
Most of all, the best part of this feature was that in ORAS, there was an option to compete against your friends in contests rather than battles, which added another fun multiplayer activity to enjoy together. As the future of Pokemon is heading more toward an experience that can be enjoyed alongside your friends, Contests would surely be a welcome addition to any future Pokemon title.
Battle Frontier & Battle Tree
Two of the most adored features of previous generation Pokemon games are the Battle Frontier and Battle Tree. The Battle Frontier is a post-League location in the Hoenn Region that hosts several different buildings, each with its own Frontier Brain that the player can challenge after racking up an accumulated number of battles won inside the specific faculty, giving an additional League-like challenge to participate in once you’ve become the Champion.
The Battle Tree is a facility located in the Alola Region where trainers compete to see how many other challenges they can defeat in a row and then finish off with a match against a Battle Legend. However, the biggest appeal to this mechanic was that a solid selection of Battle Tree challengers consisted of many familiar faces from previous generations, such as Allies, Rivals, Champions, and Team Leaders, deemed ‘Special Trainers.’ This was a brilliant way to let these characters shine again, as there’s nothing quite like going head-to-head against your favorites from previous Gens.
If the list of Special Trainers was expanded for the Battle Tree to be reintroduced in a new Pokemon title, it could offer some seriously fun post-game content to keep players around and prove they’re the best like no one ever was.
Exploring Multiple Regions in One Game
There’s one reason in particular why the Johto Region games (Gold/Silver/Crystal & HeartGold/SoulSilver) have always had a special place in my heart as my favorite franchise titles; they’re the only games that let you explore more than one Region. When I left the Johto Region and surfed my way across to Kanto as a little kid on my GameBoy Color, it blew my mind. Why have we never had the privilege of experiencing such joy again?
What would I give to be able to unlock a world map once you clear your home Region, allowing you to travel to and explore the others like Ash Ketchum himself? Well, Dusknoir is the closest thing to a Grim Reaper, so I’d absolutely sacrifice my soul to this creepy Ghost-Type in favor of this concept. This could even work in the form of DLC, plus it would give a chance to revisit old friends and rivals from previous generations, both sparking that nostalgic interest from old-time players while also introducing newbies to some of the friendly and joyful individuals (I’m looking at you, Silver) we’ve met along the way.
DexNav
DexNav is by far one of the most popular mechanics introduced to a Pokemon game. Present in the ORAS titles, DexNav was a fun little feature of the PokeNav that told the player information such as level, abilities, and IVs of the wild Pokemon roaming their current location. DexNav would also provide information on hidden Pokemon, giving the player an indicator when a species they hadn’t yet discovered is nearby.
On top of this, DexNav also came equipped with a ‘search’ function, allowing you to scan the area for a specific Pokemon that inhabits it. This made DexNav the perfect tool for shiny hunting, as it would also count the chain of Pokemon that you had seen in a row, indicated by a ‘Search Level’ stat.
Pokemon-Amie
Pokemon-Amie was a feature introduced in Pokemon X & Y, allowing the player to take care of their Pokemon and increase bonds by petting, feeding, and playing with their beloved team. As you can imagine, this was very adorable and amusing, with each Pokemon having its own unique animations and behaviors displayed.
Pokemon-Amie featured fun minigames that you could play to raise the friendship levels of your Pokemon. This was much more entertaining than simply raising friendship through walking and Pokemon battles, and it really made the experience more personal, like you were really taking care of a beloved pet.
Diving
Surfing in Pokemon games is always fun until it’s not. Eventually, swimming across those same old seas can feel repetitive and tiresome, especially when the likes of Tentacool and Wailmer are so relentless about getting in your way. Well, in the Hoenn Region titles, there’s a unique mechanic regarding the move Dive that actually allows you to explore the underwater trenches of the oceans you surf upon.
This adds another layer of exploration to a Pokemon game, giving the player more chances to find items and discover unique Pokemon who prefer to live in the depths of the ocean rather than near the surface. This mechanic was a lot of fun, especially because players got to choose the areas that they wanted to dive into, almost adding a puzzle-like element to the fun of your search. Plus, it was just really cool to discover the labyrinth-like seafloor of the Hoenn Region.
Mega Evolution
Back before all of the wild mechanics, such as Terastallizing, Dynamaxing, and Z-Moves, there was Mega Evolution. Arguably the best among them, Mega Evolution introduced various Mega Stone hold items for specific Pokemon, allowing you to activate a Key Stone and change their form to a more powerful one once per battle.
There are 46 different Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving, with 48 different Mega Evolution forms in existence. Mega Evolution was extremely popular not just for the fun mechanic but for the great designs many Pokemon received, resulting in a flurry of fan-made Mega Evolution concepts over the following years.
Battle Styles (Triple, Rotation, & Inverse Battles)
Pokemon Battles are the core aspect of any mainline Pokemon game, with many players even enjoying going head-to-head against their friends in PvP matches or stepping into the world of online Competitive Battling. During the DS/3DS era of games, there were a few extra battle modes included on top of the classic Standard and Double Battles format.
The first of these was Triple Battles, allowing trainers to battle with three Pokemon on the field each. This allowed for some really interesting combinations and harmony of abilities to negate qualities such as Type advantage or resistance. Rotation Battles were similar to Triple Battles in the layout of three Pokemon being on the field at a time for each side; however, as a free action each turn, the player could rotate the positioning of their Pokemon, as only the lead Pokemon can attack.
Inverse Battles were a wacky battle variant, shaking everything up with reversed Type matchups and removing immunity from the battle, meaning you would constantly be kept on your toes, double-checking the reversed-type matchups in your head. This added a puzzle-like feeling to the battles and made them much more challenging to pull off without any struggles. These different battle modes were certainly a little quirky in nature but also a lot of fun to play for a challenge against other players. For this reason, they would be a welcome addition back to any future Pokemon titles.
Shadow Pokemon
First introduced in Pokemon Colosseum, Shadow Pokemon are beings that have had the doors to their hearts shut by an artificial process and are now being used in wrongful acts. Shadow Pokemon can be restored to their standard forms by purification. Shadow Pokemon are certainly intriguing, sporting a ghostly, darkened visual form compared to their default sprites. For this reason, it would be awesome to see them appear in a future mainline Pokemon title, even if the chance to obtain them is restricted to a special occasion, such as a limited-time event (Shadow Lugia, we’re all looking at you.)
Shadow Pokemon are present in Pokemon GO, with Shadow species benefiting from a 20% boost to the Attack stat while in combat. It would be extremely interesting to see this mechanic transfer into a mainline Pokemon title, as it would perhaps give Trainers a whole new species to collect alongside the original Dex and shiny hunting.
Challenge Mode / Changing Difficulty
Pokemon is a franchise that is loved by all ages, and when it comes to Pokemon games, that is both a blessing and a curse. Elder fans constantly complain that the games are far too easy, aimed more at a child audience, while children still struggle with many modern aspects of Pokemon games from time to time. Well, the Pokemon Black & White games temporarily helped to fix this with the inclusion of their Key System function, allowing a player to choose between Easy, Normal, and Challenge modes.
Selecting a mode other than Normal for your playthrough would alter the levels of enemy Trainers’ Pokemon teams as well as the smarts of the battle AI, giving players on Easy mode a much less intense time getting through the game, and keeping Challenge Mode players on their toes, especially due to the fact the Elite Four use additional Pokemon on their team, alongside much more favorable movesets and Hold Items.
Published: Jul 12, 2023 09:00 am