Unleashing the Power Within Pokémon: A Lesson from Zelda's Tearful Kingdom

Highlights

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet faced challenges with inconsistent difficulties and design in their gym tests, which resulted in missed chances for innovation and creativity.

Game Freak should take notes from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's freeform approach to shrine puzzles, allowing players to discover their own solutions and striking a balance between mechanics and player freedom. As Game Freak delves into its next generation with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, it should prioritize a lesson derived from Tears of the Kingdom. Even though Pokemon Legends: Arceus is experimenting with an open-world concept for Pokemon, it is evident after the release of Scarlet and Violet that Game Freak needs to reevaluate its strategies for Gen 10. Nevertheless, since Tears of the Kingdom outperformed Pokemon on the Switch, Game Freak could benefit from this comparison and learn from one flagship series to enhance another.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Tests Faced Challenges Themselves

Before Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon gyms had two components: a traditional trainer battle sequence that led to a showdown with the gym leader, and a puzzle element. The difficulty of the puzzle side varied in-game and across generations, evolving alongside Nintendo's console advancements. For example, Gen 1's Saffron City gym had warps, while Gen 8's Turffield gym involved herding Wooloo. However, due to optimization challenges on the Switch, several gyms in Scarlet and Violet's regions suffered. Artazon's gym featured a Sunflora Hide and Seek puzzle, while Cortondo's gym required an Olive Role challenge.

Not only did Scarlet and Violet struggle with its console performance, but its Gym Tests exhibited inconsistent difficulties and design. While Glaseado's Snow Slope Run creatively utilized Scarlet and Violet's traversal mechanics and Medali's secret menu added a comical twist that challenged player ingenuity, other gyms like Montenevera or Alfornada offered mere standard double battles or simple quick-time events. Despite its innovative design, Scarlet and Violet's gym puzzles failed to fully utilize the potential of the Switch, falling short of surpassing any other game in the series.

What Pokemon Can Learn From Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In contrast to Breath of the Wild's shrines, Tears of the Kingdom pushed boundaries by intertwining Link's Ultrahand abilities in a more profound way. This game adopted a more laid-back approach to shrine puzzles, allowing players to rely on their own intelligence and available resources to discover unique solutions, regardless of the complexity of the shrine. By promoting player freedom, Tears of the Kingdom successfully balanced its mechanics, abilities, and puzzles, steering away from a predetermined solution and delivering a more dynamic outcome.

Pokemon can take inspiration from Tears of the Kingdom when it comes to puzzle design, where player creativity and game mechanics play a crucial role. Instead of prioritizing the gym leader's characterization or their type specialty, Pokemon could rethink its approach by focusing on designing challenging puzzles. For instance, Cascarrafa's gym in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could have incorporated swimming tests that utilize traversal mechanics, similar to Glaseado's gym. Similarly, Artazon's gym could have integrated artistic themes with player customization to enhance the puzzle experience. Looking ahead to future generations, Pokemon should draw inspiration from games like Zelda to keep up with the competition.

You can now play Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on Nintendo Switch.