Unlocking a New Dimension: Pokémon's Groundbreaking Gym Gimmick Inspired by its Thriving Card Game!

Highlights

Pokemon gyms have evolved over the years, adding tasks and variety to make them more memorable encounters rather than just time-fillers.

The Science Club in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, instead of centering around a particular type, is focused on themed elements. This concept could serve as inspiration for future gyms in the main series games. Introducing gyms that revolve around themes like outer space or music would offer players a unique challenge and create opportunities for designing leaders and their teams with enhanced creativity.

Pokemon's gyms are an integral part of the series and provide an exciting feature. One of its spin-off titles offers a great idea for future gyms. After numerous generations, Pokemon needs to continually innovate its various aspects, including the iconic gyms. Although their role remains largely unchanged, it is crucial to make sure that the gyms are memorable to players, rather than just time-fillers. Fortunately, the Pokemon Trading Card Game has already tested a new concept to revolutionize gyms.

The evolution of gyms can be witnessed in games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, showcasing how gyms have progressed over the years. In the early days of Pokemon Red and Blue, gyms often featured simple puzzles or a series of battles leading up to a fight against the gym leader. However, in recent generations, each gym presents a specific task that players must accomplish before challenging the leader, adding more excitement and variety to both the gyms and their leaders. For instance, Sun and Moon did not have traditional gyms, but instead featured Trials that served the same purpose. One could argue that gyms have transformed from mere progress checkpoints to grand spectacles in their own right.

Pokemon Can Create a New Kind of Gym Without Type Theming

Recently added to Nintendo Switch Online, the Pokemon Trading Card Game is a title that features its own equivalent to gyms known as clubs. Each club is dedicated to a specific Pokemon type and requires the player to defeat all eight club masters in order to reach the endgame. However, the Science Club stands out from the rest by not being named after a specific type, but rather consisting of scientists. This unique gimmick sets it apart and makes it more memorable than the others.

The Science Club presents an idea that could potentially enhance the personality of Pokemon gyms. While most gyms are tied to a specific type, this club demonstrates that it is possible to deviate from this pattern. Instead, future games could take inspiration from the Science Club and focus on a theme for the trainers and leader, which would influence the Pokemon they use. While this departure would be a significant change from tradition, it has the potential to be successful in future generations.

Creating gyms based on different themes rather than types could potentially revolutionize the traditional formula of Pokemon Generation 10. For instance, a gym centered around space could showcase Pokemon like Minior, Clefable, and Beheeyem, all of which have ties to celestial bodies and extraterrestrial beings. Similarly, a music-themed gym could incorporate Pokemon such as Exploud and Noivern, known for their sound-based abilities. These unique gyms would offer players a fresh and exciting challenge, while also allowing for the exploration of new themes for gym leaders and their teams, moving away from the reliance on a specific type as seen in previous gyms.

The gyms in the Pokemon series have always been a fundamental aspect, and altering their conventional structure should not be taken lightly. Nevertheless, disregarding the opportunity to introduce something new in the forthcoming generation of Pokemon games would be a missed chance. In the last three generations, gyms have transitioned from island trials to grand arenas, and then to specialized tests culminating in a climactic battle. Thus, the next generation of Pokemon games warrants a new gimmick for its gyms, and inspiration could be drawn from the Science Club featured in the Pokemon Trading Card Game.