Summary
It’s largely debatable whetherPokemon Scarlet & Violethad the better gameplay, story, characters, and more over its predecessor:Pokemon Sword/Shield. Debuting in the same year asPokemon Legends: Arceus, fans had high expectations for Generation 9. While there were complaints to be had aboutScarlet/Violet’s performance, there are some quality-of-life changes that make them replayable.
Generation 10 should improve onScarlet/Violet’s flaws, but there are several things that should stay for the next title. This can be from a gameplay perspective, or it can try and mimic the quality ofScarlet/Violet’s story. Taking bits fromScarlet/Violetwith whatever Gen 10 has to offer will make the next mainlinePokemongame worthy of a replay.
10Raids
The next mainline Pokemon game will likely feature something like Terastallization, just asSword/Shieldintroduced Dynamaxing,Sun/MoonZ-moves, etc.Sword/Shieldintroduced Dynamax Raids, in which a party of four would battle against a Dynamax or Gigantamax Pokemon. This would involve depleting the opponent’s HP to 0 before the timer ran out. Unfortunately,Sword/Shield’s AI wasn’t always the greatest, and a lot of frustration was generated froma particular NPC and their Solrock.
Tera Raids, while far from perfect, were considered an improvement on Dynamax Dens. The main improvement being the Solo Tera Raids, in which NPCs would bring along useful Pokemon that wouldn’t spam Cosmic Power. Terastallizing one’s own Pokemon also doesn’t last 3 turns. If Gen 10 decides to bring Raids over, they should model them after the Tera Raids rather than the Dynamax Raids. As mentioned, there are areas that would need working. For one, the timer will continue to tick down during Terastallizing animations, and there can even be lagging as the Raid Pokemon is spamming attacks. Despite this,building off from Tera Raidsseems to be a good start for Gen 10’s potential Raid gameplay.
9No Pokemon Daycare/Nursery
Pokemon Breeding, a mechanic introduced in Gen 2, is howPokemontrainers can get Eggs, obviously. It’s also a good way to farm Shiny Pokemon, via the Masuda Method, in which Pokemon of different “languages” are paired up together. Prior to Gen 9, trainers had to leave two compatible Pokemon of opposite genders (or a Ditto) at a Daycare or Nursery. Checking back on the Pokemon would sometimes reward trainers with an Egg.
Scarlet/Violetdoes away with Daycares and Nurserys. Instead, trainers just have to set up a Picnic and have two (or more) compatible Pokemon in the party. From there, they couldcheck the Egg Basket near the picnic tablefor Eggs. Unlike Nurserys/Daycares, the basket can hold up to 10 Eggs at a time, making itmuchquicker to farm Eggs. Gen 10 should refrain from the Nurserys/Daycares and make Egg farming as easy as it is inScarlet/Violet.
8Picnics
On the topic of picnics, this feature was a huge step up fromSword/Shield’s camping. Not only could making a 3-star sandwich restore HP, PP, and boost Friendship, butScarlet/Violetalso has a thing called Meal Powers. These could increase the Encounter of a specific type of Pokemon, increase Exp, Catch Rate, Egg Hatching time, and even increase Shiny Pokemon Encounters.
Since Shiny Hunting is a common ‘hobby’ forPokemontrainers, it would be nice to keep the Meal Effects to make it easier to find them in the wild. Of course, players that prefer the challenge of finding Shinies simply don’t have to use Meal Powers at all, and can just try andhunt Shiny Pokemon the old-fashioned way. This aside, the only thing Gen 10 should change about the Picnic-mechanic is the complexity of the ingredients/fillings, as putting the wrong topping could change the Encounter typing to something completely different.
7Character Customization
Scarlet/Violetis the first mainlinePokemongame where trainers can customize the physical look of their character (not including their hair or skin tone). Trainers could change the eyelashes, eye-shape, and even the eyebrows.Pokemon Scarlet/Violethas a variety of customization options that players can take full advantage of to create a character that truly feels like their own.
Gen 10 should keep trainer customization and maybe even expand on it with more options. They should also bring back more clothing options. An unfortunate downside toScarlet/Violetis that characters can only wear their Naranja/Uva Academy uniformor a different Jinbei(if players purchased the expansion pass). They can wear different socks, hats, shoes, and bags, but some found it to be a step down fromLegends: Arceus' wardrobe.
6Auto-Battle & Let’s Go!
5TM Crafting
TMs can be used to teach moves to Pokemon, but they break after one use. While this was “fixed” in Gen 5, it didn’t take too many generations for them to go back to being breakable. Fortunately,Scarlet/Violet’s Pokemon Materials mechanic means that players can nowcraftTMs. As long as they have enough League Points (LP) and the right Materials, they can make as many TMs as they want. This was a nice remedy for the Technical Records (TRs) inSword/Shieldand the “return to form” inBrilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, as while TMs could break, they don’t cost LP to regain.
Since TMs are vital toconstructing a Pokemon’s moveset, they should absolutely be creatable for Gen 10. It seemsPokemonhas met some middle ground with its community by inputting the TM Machine inScarlet/Violet. Having it available again in Gen 10 instead of reverting to TRs like in Gen 8 would undoubtedly be welcomed.
4Overworld Shiny Pokemon
Overworld Pokemon could be seen and battled inSword/Shield, but it wasn’t untilLet’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!where Shiny Pokemon startedphysicallyappearing on the map. This carried over intoLegends: ArceusandScarlet/Violet, where Shiny Pokemon can be spotted without needing to engage them in battle. This could be thanks toPokemondoing away with the Random Encounters that have been a staple to the franchise since te first generation, but it’s a change that was greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately, Shiny Pokemon inScarlet/Violetdon’t make a “noise” or “sparkle” from a distance like they did inLegends: Arceus.Players may not even know it’s a Shiny Pokemonuntil they battle it and see the sparkle animation. This was widely met with negative feedback, as it made Shiny Hunting more difficult than it was inLegends: Arceus. However, credit where credit is due: Shiny Pokemon being visible on the Overworld Map is much better than battling every Pokemon in an outbreak just to check if they’re Shiny.
Gen 10 will likely keep the same method of Shiny Encounters as Gen 9, but it should include the jingle/sparkle that was inLegends: Arceus. Some Shiny Pokemon have very little differences from their regular counterparts, or some are so small that the difference isnearly impossible to spot from yards away. IfPokemonchooses to not have them make a noise to indicate they’re nearby, then have it where they sparkleoutsideof battle.
3Good Story & Characters
While debatable from person to person, it goes without saying that a lot of fans foundScarlet/Violet’s story and characters to be a step-up fromSword/Shieldand evenLegends: Arceus. Arven’s story in particular stood out to a lot of fans, some finding it even personal and hitting close to home. Others like Team Star’s were met with less praise, but that isn’t to say it doens’t have its share of fans.
Gen 10 should take a page out ofScarlet/Violet’s book and continue the trend of engaging stories (branching storylines, to be precise) and characters. Even The Teal Mask, while short, was met with praise, leaving trainersgreatly anticipating the Indigo Disk. Gen 10’s story should cut back on the repetitiveness of cutscenes while also retaining deeper stories and characters.
2The Box-Legendary’s Significance to the Plot
Most of the Legendary Mascots for each mainlinePokemongame were a “goal” to reach/catch. InSword/Shield, Zaphias and Zamazenta don’t appear until the very end, having no real purpose in the plot until the postgame.Scarlet/Violetmakes Koraidon/Miraidon an important character that forms a powerful bond with the trainer over the course of the story. The Teal Mask DLC also gives its mascot, Ogerpon, a bigger role than just the"Legendary that trainers need to catch."
It’s unknown what Gen 10’s mascot Pokemon will be, but there’s high hopes that they will be as much of a character as Koraidon/Miraidon and Ogerpon. At the same time, it’s not the end of the world if Gen 10 makes its Legendary Duo unimportant to the main story. However, doing so would make them more memorable, just as Koraidon and Miraidon are for their trainers.
1Open-World Gameplay
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis often mistakenly called an “open-world” gameplay, despite this being refuted by the Pokemon Company itself.Scarlet/Violeton the other hand, is an open-world game. After making it through the “tutorial” and starting the Treasure Hunt, players can choose between three different story modes. Of course,Scarlet/Violetpushes trainers to do the Gym Challenge for the Gym Badges, but “Path of Legends” is also a good stepping stone as it unlocks Koraidon/Miraidon’s abilities, such as swimming and climbing. The sky’s the limit inScarlet/Violet,with some exceptions.
Being able to choose where to go first should carry into Gen 10, as this means trainers are going to have different experiences with their gameplay. All routes eventually lead to the same outcome, butScarlet/Violetreally pushed players to have more than one team (ex: one for “Victory Road”, another for “Starfall Street”).This freedom would be absolutely welcomed inPokemon’s tenth generation.
