The history of Pokemon spans nearly a quarter of a century, with the much-anticipated 25th anniversary happening in 2021, and since the original Game Boy releases of Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue, the franchise has come a long way. Sword and Shield marked Gen 8, and the debates about Pokemon‘s Gen 9 and what should be included are a frequent topic among series fans.
Each new Pokemon generation has seen the introduction of a new region and main games taking place in that location. Generations 5 and 7, featuring Black and White‘s Unova and Sun and Moon‘s Alola, respectively, also included new features for those main games. Generations 3, 4, and 6 took players to multiple regions by making remakes: FireRed and LeafGreen in Gen 3, HeartGold and SoulSilver in Gen 4, and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire in Gen 6, as well some new areas. Some people are concerned about the future of the logical next remake of the Sinnoh games, and others have various criticisms to make about the direction the franchise has been going.
To many Pokemon fans, the essential formula that has worked for over two decades and sold hundreds of millions of game copies is what’s worth sticking to. For a large portion of the fan community, this means several core elements that people value seeing in the games. If Gen 9 is to continue the massive success of the Pokemon franchise, it would be worth tuning into what fans are asking for.
The majority of regions make one of the player’s main goals as entering and winning the Pokemon League, meaning that they collect all the Gym badges, traverse Victory Road, and defeat the Elite Four and League Champion. This core structure mirrors the basic setup of a lot of similar games, where players train, solve some sort of puzzle or challenge in a lair, defeat a miniboss and their cronies, then rinse and repeat.
Near the end of the game, the players face off against the most challenging bosses yet and the BBEG. The Pokemon games vary on whether players’ final challenge is defeating the Elite Four and Champion or defeating the evil team’s boss, but after beating both, they’ve technically won the game.
Most people continue to play in their save files to complete the endgame story, fill out their Pokedexes, capture Legendaries, and take on facilities like the Battle Frontier and Pokemon Battle Subway. Completion means different things to everyone, which one of the beauties of Pokemon games. However much these vary, the Pokemon League challenge is a huge part of the game, and deviating from it in Sun and Moon with the Island Trials got backlash. Some people preferred them, while others wanted to go back to gyms, which the franchise did with Sword and Shield. While some people argue the gyms have gotten stale, it’s the most tried and true method.
There’s no arguing that the central mechanic of the main games is the turn-based battling system. The games have made smaller changes like how many Pokemon gain experience after a battle, and larger changes like the Special vs. Physical Attack classification. However, the basic mechanics remain the same, down to the number of moves a Pokemon can have and how big the player’s party can be. Many games have introduced variations on this system, for example, Ruby and Sapphire‘s Double Battles, Black and White‘s Triple and Rotation Battles, and most recently, the Max Raid Battles in Sword and Shield. However, the majority of battles in a game use the same basic structure.
One of the biggest criticisms of Pokemon Sword and Shield was the removal of a ton of Pokemon from older generations. While it’s true that the number of Pokemon grows with every generation, the “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” slogan is a huge part of the franchise, and a lot of people were disappointed to see many of their favorite Pokemon completely unavailable in Galar, even with transferring from outside games. The data for a huge chunk of Pokemon simply doesn’t exist in these games. If this is a continuing feature in Gen 9 and beyond, Nintendo can expect to see a lot of disappointed players.
The basic formula for a core Pokemon game works, and has worked for over 20 years. Rocking the boat too much disillusions a huge existing fanbase that not only counts on the nostalgia factor, but is very good at using the current system. Some changes, like easier experience sharing and more transparent type matchups, have angered some people for their ease and accessibility to newer, younger players. The difference is that many of these changes don’t force experienced players to change their playstyles. And some additions, like Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, were more accepted in the community, which disappointed people when they were taken away for Sword and Shield.
The side games and spin-offs have had their own levels of success, and have created their own formulas that work well for them. One example is the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, which are set within the world of Pokemon but offer a very different type of plot, battling system, and gameplay experience. Playing as a Pokemon and joining rescue teams would be odd in a core Pokemon game, but they are expected in Mystery Dungeon. Other games like Pokemon GO, Pokemon Conquest, and the Pokemon Ranger games provide alternative experiences. More types of these games could provide the developers the space they need to innovate and try out new mechanics or explore different aspects of the world of Pokemon.
While there have been some new features in Gen 7 and 8 that people have enjoyed, there’s been a basic structure that people come to expect, and it’s what’s kept the Pokemon franchise going strong for almost 25 years. There is plenty of room for innovation, whether that’s in the side and spin-off games or through smaller, supplementary mechanics in the main games. People want to see new and exciting aesthetics, themes, and gimmicks, not a complete overhaul of what they know and love. Gen 9 will need to walk the balance between too stale and too risky if it wants to prove successful.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now for Nintendo Switch.
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