The Pokémon series is constantly evolving, with each entry changing the formula slightly to give players a fresh and enjoyable experience unlike anything they've played before. It is why Pokémon has dominated the creature collecting genre for so long, and why millions of people keep coming back to it, even despite some rocky launches. However, when it comes to the next mainline Pokémon game, it feels like a little bit more needs to be done than introducing one or two new features.

In fact, the Gen 10 games need to fix Pokémon's biggest problems, as the series has suffered from them for far too long. Whether it is new changes introduced in the Scarlet and Violet games or ones that have permeated since the beginning, there are so many features in the Pokémon games that need to be abandoned in order for the series to properly thrive. Fortunately, with the power of the Switch 2 potentially elevating the Gen 10 games, there is a chance that Pokémon can truly shine once again.

10 Tiny Pokémon

They're Almost Impossible To See

Ever since Pokémon ditched random encounters, it has been experimenting with sizes of Pokémon. Obviously, Pokémon are all of differing sizes, with some being far taller than a regular trainer, with others neatly fitting in the palm of a hand. It is impressive to see Pokémon attempt to implement this to a degree within the open-world format, as it helps build immersion and make the experience be more lore-accurate.

However, in practice, it does not work. This is largely because, in Scarlet and Violet, combat is instigated the moment the player knocks into another Pokémon. Naturally, this is a problem when they're so tiny that the player can't see them in the tall grass, as it results in a lot of unintended battles that drag out exploration. Pokémon should be of varying sizes, but they should also be perceivable. That way, players can avoid them if they don't want to fight and know where they are if they're actively seeking them out.

9 Locking The Open World Behind Legendary Abilities

It Makes The Open World Feel Linear

One of Scarlet and Violet's worst features was how it gated content behind unlocking movement abilities for the two legendaries. The way the open world map was designed meant that it wasn't a free-form sandbox, but rather a series of small open areas separated by giant mountains or bodies of water that could only be overcome once the player had unlocked the ability to swim or climb. These abilities were tied to one specific story questline, which was similarly level-gated, meaning players couldn't rush it all at once.

While this was clearly an attempt to replace HMs, the implementation ended up being significantly worse. Instead of giving the impression of freedom, Scarlet and Violet often felt as restrictive as the earlier games. It's a shame, as once the entire world is unlocked, exploration becomes significantly more enjoyable. The next Pokémon game either needs to allow players to explore everything from the outset, or make the world design linear by default.

8 Trainers Having Too Few Pokémon

Battles Just Feel Too Basic

One of the most baffling design decisions in Pokémon is the fact that most trainers, including Gym Leaders, often only have a handful of Pokémon, as opposed to the full team of six. Rarely will the player encounter a trainer with a full team, meaning that each battle often ends up being trivial, as even if the player's Pokémon are weaker, they can win by sheer numbers alone.

Rather than introducing new battle gimmicks, the Gen 10 Pokémon games should focus on making each encounter feel far more challenging by increasing the number of Pokémon a trainer has. It shouldn't be that every trainer has an entire team of six, but certainly, by the end, and during Gym battles, players should face much larger groups of Pokémon, rather than trainers with just one or two.

7 The Full Pokédex

It Bloats Each Game

Lots of players want the next mainline Pokémon game to include the full Pokédex, and it is completely understandable. However, this fan-favorite Pokémon feature must go. It not only diminishes the need for strategy as everyone already knows the weaknesses and exploits of pre-existing Pokémon, but it also removes any sense of adventuring into the unknown when players already know what Pokémon to expect. The Gen 10 Pokémon games need to focus exclusively on new Pokémon, rather than cramming their region with those people are familiar with.

Of course, DLC or future updates could slowly introduce older Pokémon into the Gen 10 games, ensuring that, eventually, they have the entire National Pokédex. They could also be restricted to endgame locations, which would allow players to meet and potentially catch all the newer Pokémon, and build up a team of those, as opposed to the team of past-Gen Pokémon they always have.

6 Splitting The Story Into Multiple Narratives

They Dilute The Main Plot

Scarlet and Violet's three campaigns seemed like a novel idea at the start but eventually ended up being a bit of a curse on the game. Not only did they rob the story of a central villain, but they distracted players from a far more intriguing overarching story that ends with a climactic twist that's genuinely compelling. Pokémon has consistently had a problem with storytelling, and splitting up a strong narrative into three weaker ones doesn't help remedy that.

The Gen 10 Pokémon games absolutely need to revert to a single plotline and preferably one that's memorable. Scarlet and Violet proved that Pokémon can have good storytelling if it features strong characters, understandable motivations, and compelling character arcs that lead to meaningful endings. The next mainline Pokémon games should learn from Scarlet and Violet's ending, and less from its overall narrative structure.

5 Empty Towns

They Aren't Fun To Explore

From Saffron City to Castelia, Pokémon games are renowned for their memorable and visually stunning towns that are a joy to explore. However, later entries, especially Scarlet and Violet, haven't quite delivered the same level of quality when it comes to their towns. This is largely due to the fact that they feel completely empty, devoid of anything interesting to see or do, and with populations that lack character or life.

Pokémon towns should have more things within them that inspire players to keep returning, rather than merely ing through to get to the next area. There's rarely a reason to return to a city in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, as they contain little else other than the Gym and a Pokémon Center. What the Gen 10 games need are side quests for players to pick up in towns, as well as fun minigames and unique locations per town that are worth coming back for.

4 The EXP Share

It Makes Pokémon Far Too Easy

EXP Share is a handy tool that allows players who pick up a severely under-leveled Pokémon to have it earn experience in the background, ensuring that it doesn't faint in every battle. This tool made a lot more sense in earlier entries, where it could only be applied to a single Pokémon and could be removed at any point. However, Game Freak made the baffling decision to make it something that's on all the time and applies to every Pokémon in the player's party, whether they want it or not.

There is no way to turn off the EXP Share in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which is extremely frustrating. It often leads to Pokémon rapidly leveling up without the player even using them once, removing any form of potential attachment they could have with that Pokémon and also leaving them massively over-leveled for every Gym. Either Game Freak needs to remove the EXP Share, or it needs to make it an optional feature that can be toggled on or off at will.

3 Gym Leaders

It's Time To Shake Up Progression

Gym Leaders have been a staple of Pokémon games since the very beginning. They offer a convenient form of progression, as not only do they force players to reach a specific level to ensure they can handle the next area of the game with ease, but they also prevent players from going too far and catching Pokémon that are too high leveled. However, while they've served the series well over the past few decades, it is time that Pokémon broke tradition and introduced a new form of competition or challenge for players to overcome.

Gym Leaders are not nearly as exciting as they once were. While they're always excellently designed and typically have some fun quirks about them, they rarely offer any meaningful challenge and are ostensibly just a harder version of the hundreds of other trainers players have been fighting since the start. While Scarlet and Violet attempted to innovate by adding fun minigames players had to complete first, it still didn't help to make Gym Leaders feel any less underwhelming.

2 The Lack Of Voice Acting

Pokémon Should Absolutely Have Voice Acting By Now

Pokémon is easily one of the most profitable video game franchises of all time and is typically one of the best-selling games on any given Nintendo platform. So, it remains utterly confounding that Nintendo still hasn't added voice acting to any of the Pokémon games, including Scarlet and Violet. Instead of imioned speeches and key moments being delivered by great voice actors, players just sit through awkward silence as music attempts to elevate the scene to little success.

The lack of voice acting is just ludicrous at this point, especially as Pokémon has some cutscenes that would warrant it, even if they aren't up to the same standard as, say, the Xenoblade Chronicles series. The Gen 10 Pokémon games need to add voice acting, even if it is for every character other than the player, otherwise it will stop feeling like a AAA series worth the price of ission.

1 The Massive Open World

Pokémon Isn't Ready For An Open World

It was great to see Game Freak attempt something ambitious with Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's open world, especially as it better accommodated multiplayer, which is something fans have wanted for a very long time. However, Scarlet and Violet buckled under the weight of that ambition, with their open-world proving to be little more than an empty expanse occasionally interrupted by a smattering of noninteractive pretty scenery.

It is clear that Game Freak is not well-equipped to create such a huge open world yet, and still needs more time practicing with smaller areas like in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. That's why the Gen 10 Pokémon games should ditch the open-world model and either return to the open zones of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, or the more linear and better-structured routes of the older titles or even Pokémon Sword and Shield.

Source: Nintendo UK/YouTube