Summary
The ninth generation ofPokemonthat started with the release of 2022’sPokemon Scarlet and Violethas been a prosperous one for Game Freak and Nintendo, but fans of the franchise who have been around since its early years have also voiced plenty of criticisms regarding the titles. Having sold over 20 million copies in less than a year from their launch, the success ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetis inarguable, but that hasn’t stopped many outspoken players from being disappointed in areas where the games may have fallen short. One groundbreaking feature of the past, however, could reinvigorate the perception ofPokemonmoving forward into the next generation.
The concept of mainlinePokemontitles available for a home console would have seemed like a dream to fans of the series during its original handheld days, but reception to the past two generations ofPokemongames has been less than unanimously positive. With even avid supporters of the franchise being taken aback bythe cut Pokedex ofSword and Shield,Pokemon’s community has become more divided over the past few years. The Pokemon Company’s recent focus on endeavors like spin-off mobile apps and a revolving door of gimmick features has likely wrought incredible financial success across the experiences of millions of casual players, but the recent repeated formula hasn’t captured the staying power of past innovations.
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Pokemon’s Gimmicks Need More Lasting Impact
Pokemonhas always had gimmicks, as some would even consider the Hidden Moves (HMs) used for traversal in the first generation as the original example. Complimenting the core battle and catching mechanics, features from the introduction of berries and held items inPokemon Gold and Silverto the double battles in the subsequentPokemon Ruby and Sapphireformed the identity of their respective titles while also forming the DNA of the series. HMs in particular may have become infamously disliked, but their long-term presence still undeniably helped to define the identity ofPokemon’s gameplay in their own way.
AsPokemonhas stayed a massive franchise and one of Nintendo’s core pillars over the years, Game Freak has continued to innovate with the introduction of many more gimmicks.Diamond and Pearlmay have modernized the series with online play and the Global Trade System, but those games also carried on the now discontinuedPokemon Contests. With the forgettable Poffins and Contest Conditions taking up focus then, it makes sense that future titles continued to experiment. The fifth generation’s introduction of features like rotational and triple battles would instead begin a trend of gimmicks that would not end up lasting between titles at all.
Despite the victories of Mega Evolution, evenPokemon X and Yhad the all but forgotten Sky Battles fought with special Sky Trainers. WithSun and Moonthen pushing Mega Pokemon into their post-game and instead focusing on Z-Moves, a trend of replacing the gimmick with a new iteration each generation truly began to form. The eighth generation’s Dynamax feature andninth generation’s Terastalhave shown that Game Freak has likely shifted the series’ gimmicks toward being more generally useful to any Pokemon throughout the journey, but these features haven’t matched the unity withPokemon’s identity that Mega Evolution was built upon.
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Mega Evolution’s Near-Limitless Potential and Fundamental Flaws
The sixth generation may have changed the series forever with its transition into 3D graphics, but the desire for more of the core franchise concept of simply seeing Pokemon change into new and more powerful forms was satisfied in an unprecedented way bythe introduction of Mega Evolution. Giving brand-new forms to 48 Pokemon followingOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s additions, Mega Evolution competitively changed the landscape of Pokemon for its singleplayer and multiplayer experiences alike.
From bringing attention to lesser known classic designs like Mawile and Kangaskhan to pushing the limits of the game with Mewtwo’s two forms and the infamous Mega Rayquaza, Mega Evolution had the potential to shine a spotlight on literally any capable Pokemon during its heyday. The features that followed may not have lasted, but have certainly continued to take inspiration from the influence ofPokemon X and Y’s unique era.
While it may have had some of the greatest potential of any gimmick featured inPokemon, Mega Evolution also turned out to be far from perfect in execution. The limitation of only 48 Megas being available out of over 700 Pokemon at the time further decreased the pool of competitively viable picks down to a predictable handful, something that future gimmick features seem to have been made to actively combat. Between the unique Gigantamax forms ofSword and Shieldand regional variant Pokemon of the past few generations, the need for new transformations has arguably already been met anyway, only highlightingthe flaws of Mega Evolutioneven further.
There is certainly a case to be made for leaving Mega Pokemon behind entirely, and they would likely need some significant updates to thrive if they ever were to return. Despite the obvious failings of the pigeonholed metagame that Mega Evolutions ended up establishing during their prominence, a nuanced approach in the next generation ofPokemoncould remedy the problems that came with them. The competitive fatigue of Mega Pokemon may have been overbearing for some fans, but it could be considered a symptom of the greater lack of balance that has led manycompetitivePokemonplayersto become dedicated to external, self-imposed rules that level the playing field.
If the roster of Mega Pokemon had continued to grow throughout the years followingPokemon X and Y, there would likely be an assortment of diverse and possibly even well-balanced Mega Evolutions available by now. If Game Freak can manage to balance an emphasis on continuing to give new Mega forms to older Pokemon with also providing an appropriate amount of similar attention to the newly introduced Pokemon of the next generation as well, some of the core problems with Mega Evolution could finally be addressed. WithPokemon’s 10th generation likely still far off, however, rumors of uniqueTera Forms inScarlet and Violet’s DLC have some players anticipating the next best alternative for the time being.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare out now for the Nintendo Switch.
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