The next Pokémon game will remaster old creatures, not just add dozens of new ones
Soapbox features allow our writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random things that have been on their minds. Today, Lowell looks at how future Pokémon games can do justice to the old Pocket Monsters that were relegated to the underdog category…
We are still a bit far away Pokémon Legends: ZABut the process leading up to a new series entry is often more fun than playing the game itself. A constant stream of new Pokémon are revealed, along with old favorites getting regional variations, leading to memes and fan art flooding your social media site of choice. Madness surrounds Lechonk lead to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a great example of this: for a while, memes were more of a concern than graphical and technical concerns, the adventure in Paldea looked like hot Garbodor.
However, many other Pokémon soon get lost in the flood of shiny new designs, which detracts from how special each particular ‘mon feels. With each new generation, more and more Pokémon get left behind, whether they lack the ability to evolve, have lousy stats or move pools, or simply lack any unique design aspects to them.
I’m not an Original-151 elitist. The more Pokémon the merrier. I have no problem with having over 1000 Pokémon, but at the same time, I really believe it would be refreshing for Game Freak to skip adding a few dozen new Pokémon and instead go back and remaster forgotten Pokémon from the past.
You might remember Lechonk but you might have forgotten Oinkologne, its less adorable evolution but one that seems to have a lot of upside. It comes in both male and female forms and has pretty decent stats with 110 base HP and 100 base Attack, which isn’t bad for a modern Pokémon. The male version has a unique ability, Lingering Aroma, which can change the abilities of an opposing Pokémon if it comes into contact with it.
Sure, Oinkologne will never even snort in competitive play, and Paldea’s Gym Leaders and Team Star bosses never use one, but at least this stinky pig Pokémon has some uniqueness. Even then, I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve never trained an Oinkologne or completely forgot Lechonk had an evolution at all.
If Oinkologne doesn’t stand out, what chance does a Pokémon like Carbink have? Introduced in Pokémon X and YThis gem-like Pokémon resembles Diancie, one of the strongest Legendary Pokémon, but is completely unremarkable. It’s basically a worse Shuckle with a moveset that doesn’t take much advantage of its incredible defensive stats. Wouldn’t it be better if Carbink had an ability that made it more unique in some way, or an evolution that added a little more mystery by linking it to Diancie?
Forgettable Pokémon appear in every generation. Thievul and Eldegloss from Galar. Minior and Komala from Alola. Pyroar and Heliolisk from Kalos. Maractus and Swanna from Unova. Carnivine and Lumineon from Sinnoh. Delcatty and Grumpig from Hoenn. Ledian and Sunflora from Johto…
And no, the iconic Original 151 is no exception. The first Pokémon many people caught was Pidgey, but its final evolution, Pidgeot, has been outclassed by much more powerful flying types (like Talonflame) for decades now, even with its stat boosts in Generation IV. And while Bug-types like Butterfree and Scyther have admirable qualities, types like Beedrill and Venomoth suffer terribly from their types and have laughably bad stats.
You might be thinking, ‘Don’t Pidgeot and Beedrill have Mega Evolutions?’ And they did. However, Mega Evolutions were more of a problem than a solution. Sure, they temporarily revived Pokémon like Mawile, a Pokémon that was still in dire need of a proper evolution, but the mechanic was only temporary, falling into oblivion once the next generation of Pokémon introduced a new battle gimmick and removed the old one. Mega Pidgeot was as forgettable as Pidgeot itself, and we haven’t had a Mega Evolution since. Omega Ruby and Alpha SapphireYes, they’ll be back in Pokémon Legends: ZA, but who knows if Pidgeot will return or be overshadowed by the more powerful birds that are being Mega Evolved?
A much simpler and more fun solution would be to spend a generation looking back at a lot of forgotten or beaten Pokémon and actually doing them justice. And I don’t mean giving them regional variants, which are essentially new Pokémon.
There’s a lot of design room available to make each Pokémon unique in some way. Take Marowak, for example – the evolution of my favorite Pokémon, Cubone. It has average stats, lacking in comparison to more recent ground types like Ursaluna, but it also has a powerful signature attack (especially compared to Beedrill’s poor Twinneedle attack) and a unique item that doubles its attack power, making it one of the most offensively powerful non-Legendary Pokémon.
Deerling and its Sawsbuck evolution are another great example. While they aren’t particularly powerful, their designs change based on the season they’re caught, making them visually striking. Likewise, Oricorio has four different forms, making them four completely different Pokémon. Likewise, Silvally changes its type and color based on the item it’s holding, leading to a lot of team building possibilities throughout the story and during matches.
I admit Game Freak has done a good job of reviving a ‘mon or two every generation. Most recently, Primeape got an incredibly powerful evolution in Annihilape that also came with a great signature move. They also turned the bland Ursaring line into a competitive force by giving it the awesome Ursaluna and Bloodmoon Ursaluna as its final evolution.
With all that said, I would love to see Pokémon like Mawile and Maractus get an evolution or two in a similar fashion. More importantly, I would really like to see new moves added, stats boosted, and creative design changes for Pokémon lost in the flood. That would make me much more excited for the next adventure than some new Pokémon.
After all, does anyone remember Flamigo, the friendly pink flamingo Pokémon recently introduced in Scarlet and Violet? Sure, it had a unique hidden ability, but it was a terrible, forgettable Pokémon that needed to be improved. When even newly introduced Pokémon are forgotten, it’s time to take a break, go back in time a little, and give each forgotten ‘mon something to remember.
