For better or for worse, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has shaken up the series' established formula in some major ways. Gone are the linear routes connecting cities in favor of a fully open-world map offering players the freedom to explore the Paldea Region in any order they desire. With the change to an open world came the elimination of a classic feature of the Pokemon series: random encounters in the tall grass. Now that players can only encounter mons in the overworld in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the random encounter mechanic may be a source of nostalgia that future remakes will capitalize on.
While many players applauded the removal of this antiquated mechanic, others missed the classic method of encountering these creatures. Regardless of where fan opinions fall, it seems this new method of overworld encounters is here to stay. This has many wondering if Game Freak will bring this mechanic back in future remakes of older entries that included this mechanic. The most recent remakes—Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl—were incredibly faithful to the original games, so it's not out of the question for tall grass encounters to return.
Pokemon Has Been Moving Away from Random Encounters for a While Now
Random tall grass encounters have been a controversial gameplay element among fans for years. As other JRPG franchises moved away from this outdated combat encounter method, Pokemon fans had hoped Game Freak would follow suit. Pokemon Sword and Shield were the first entries to really dabble with overworld encounters with the Wild Area featuring both tall grass and overworld mons. Although fan reaction was generally positive, limiting this mechanic to specific areas felt like a half-measure that wasn't fully fleshed out.
The release of Pokemon Legends Arceus changed up the franchise's core gameplay loop significantly. In addition to removing random encounters, players could also catch mons without having to battle them. The removal of the tall grass mechanic was solidified with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's release which kept the overworld spawns for the creatures alongside the return of requiring battles before players could catch them. Despite the consensus that random encounters were an inferior design choice, it seemed like the end of an era for many fans nostalgic for the bygone days of the series.
A Remake of Pokemon Black and White Could See the Return of Tall Grass
If Game Freak was to ever bring back the tall grass encounter system to a new game, it would likely be in a remake of an older title. The next games of the docket to be remade are Pokemon Black and White, and there couldn't have been a better choice for reintroducing this mechanic. The original Pokemon Black and White games introduced a new variation on the usual tall grass—the double grass, which featured the chance to encounter double battles with wild Pokemon. Additionally, these games added the shaking grass mechanic which gave players a low chance of finding a rare mon only available in those shaking spots.
Depending on how faithful a remake it is, a Pokemon Black and White remake could see tall grass return to take advantage of the iconic Gen 5 grass mechanics. With ILCA having developed Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl rather than Game Freak, it's unclear which developer would handle a Gen 5 remake. But regardless of developer, it seems very likely that this remake would return to a system similar to that of Pokemon Sword and Shield and feature both tall grass and overworld encounters.
As Game Freak continues to experiment with the Pokemon formula, fans can expect new variations on established mechanics like wild encounters. It seems clear that with the trend of faithful remakes, old mechanics still have the chance to return alongside features new to the series. Those who miss the classic method of tall grass encounters may not have to fear as future remakes will likely try to recapture some of that nostalgia. Hopefully, fans will get the best of both worlds as Game Freak attempts to cater to its vast audience.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.