The Pokémon video game franchise has always remained largely the same. It has innovated in places such as the switch from tall grass to having Pokémon actually roam the world, as well as the inclusion of a fully open world in Scarlet and Violet. However, beyond these somewhat significant yet always complementary changes, it has otherwise stuck rather dogmatically to tradition. That hasn't always been an issue, as the Pokémon formula is so unbelievably captivating, but it can occasionally be to the detriment of the series.

Of course, the recent Pokémon Legends games have offered a more experimental look at the Pokémon formula, breaking tradition in minor and major ways, such as redefining the means by which players catch the titular creatures. Pokémon Legends Z-A is once again breaking tradition, except this time it is perhaps the biggest and most fundamental feature of the Pokémon video games. While the inclusion of a potentially controversial Pokémon feature could prove to be a win for the series, I can't help but feel somewhat skeptical.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Will Have Real-Time Combat

It Is One Of The Biggest Innovations The Series Has Ever Seen

It is no small secret now that Legends Z-A features real-time Pokémon combat as opposed to the traditional turn-based battles that have been a staple of the series since the very first generation. Gameplay of how it works was featured in the initial gameplay reveal, and it is even listed on the game's official website as being a key feature of the experience. It is a rather dramatic change, one that not only will completely alter the entire experience but also usher in a new wave of fans who were turned off by the turn-based nature of the franchise.

The real-time battles in Pokémon Legends Z-A are ostensibly the same as those found in one of Nintendo's best first-party series, Xenoblade Chronicles. Players will move around the battlefield freely alongside their Pokémon and issue commands. Pokémon still only have four moves, but these can be used at will and not when it is the player's turn. You'll have to take into consideration the distance between you and your target, AoE attacks, as well as the timing of your attacks. It all feels a lot more strategic than the current iteration of Pokémon's turn-based battles.

Honestly, as much as I am genuinely skeptical of this real-time combat, I am somewhat excited for it. As a huge Xenoblade Chronicles fan, I do really love this style of combat as I feel it blends the best aspects of turn-based battles with the excitement and dynamic nature of real-time combat. Pokémon's combat has also stagnated rather significantly in recent years, lacking the strategic and challenging edge it once had. So, in theory, this change could be for the best. However, as much as I do believe that, it also goes against everything Pokémon is.

Turn-Based Pokémon Games Have Lasted Since Gen 1 In 1996

It Has Been A Staple Of The Series

Turn-based battles have been a defining and foundational feature of the Pokémon video games since the very start. Of course, when Pokémon was first being developed, turn-based battles were the most popular form of combat in any JRPG. However, I believe the reason it has endured all of these years, unlike other JRPGs like Final Fantasy, for example, is thanks to its rather simplistic nature. It is easy to grasp, yet when handled correctly, packed with strategy and genuine challenge. Kids can understand it, and adults can engross themselves within it.

While Pokémon desperately needs new ideas, I'm not entirely convinced its combat is what should change. It isn't even just that Pokémon traditionally has turn-based battles, and that's the way it must stay. After all, if that were the case, then we'd have never gotten Final Fantasy 7 Remake's phenomenal combat. Rather, Pokémon's core formula and gameplay loop lend themselves perfectly to turn-based battles, and making it more mechanically complex with real-time encounters seems like a fundamental flaw that could turn away its core fanbase, and its younger audience.

Persona & Dragon Quest Prove Turn-Based Combat Is Still Popular

It Just Requires A Little Innovation

Turn-based battles are also just really fun. There is definitely a stigma around turn-based battles as being somehow lesser than real-time combat. Perhaps it is the aforementioned simplicity, as all it requires is for players to press a series of buttons as they scroll through menus. However, the wonderfully phenomenal Persona 5 proved that turn-based battles could still feel innovative and fun, largely through its implementation of stylish graphics and the inclusion of the Baton mechanic.

It made turn-based battles more mechanically complex while retaining the intuitive nature of the turn-based formula. Dragon Quest has also done this, although perhaps to a lesser extent, with its implementation of moving around the battlefield and its lack of restrictions on the number of abilities players can learn. Where Pokémon went wrong is in reducing turn-based combat into its most basic form, signaling to the player which moves they should pick, limiting players to just four moves, and putting few restrictions on the best ones.

Hopefully, The Mainline Gen 10 Will Return To Turn-Based Battles

Game Freak Can Make It Work

The next mainline Pokémon game should return to turn-based battles, but with some significant alterations. Of course, I'm glad that Legends Z-A does have real-time combat as it both explores what that could look like for the franchise and continues the subseries' tradition of experimental ideas. However, the Gen 10 games should focus instead on improving the turn-based model the series is so well known for, rather than deviating when it has reached its lowest point.

Turn-based battles can be extremely enjoyable, if they're made only slightly more flashy and complex. Take, for example, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which blends turn-based combat with QTEs to make combat more dynamic. Its animations are also extremely stylized and explosive, which makes every attack feel all the more impactful. Pokémon could benefit from introducing new mechanics to its turn-based battles, allowing players to use a greater number of moves, and making its animations more visually dynamic and impressive.

Pokémon doesn't need real-time combat to be fun, it just needs Game Freak to make its turn-based battles more stylish, mechanically complex, and rewardingly strategic.

I think Pokémon feels outdated, and that is likely the reason that Game Freak is pushing for more innovative and exciting ideas. It is trying to replicate the success of FF7 Remake's combat switch or even the more strategic and challenging combat of Xenoblade Chronicles rather than simply updating what has worked for the Pokémon franchise for over two decades. Pokémon doesn't need real-time combat to be fun, it just needs Game Freak to make its turn-based battles more stylish, mechanically complex, and rewardingly strategic.

Source: Pokémon