As Game Freak learns from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet ahead of its next generation, one lesson it should focus on has an answer from the unlikely source of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Even with the likes of Pokemon Legends: Arceus testing out an open-world approach for Pokemon, it's clear after Scarlet and Violet's launch that Game Freak needs to revisit the drawing board as it moves toward Gen 10. Yet after Pokemon was upstaged on the Switch by Tears of the Kingdom, Game Freak could capitalize on this comparison and take notes from one flagship series to another.

Though it would be fair to acknowledge that Tears of the Kingdom shares some of Pokemon's issues, there is still much more the Zelda sequel got right that Scarlet and Violet didn't. Among these was how both games approached designing their puzzles, considering Scarlet and Violet's new Gym Challenges versus Tears of the Kingdom's familiar shrines. Since the former seemed to struggle between Pokemon's new open-world design and older mechanics, Tears of the Kingdom could provide the inspiration Game Freak needs to ensure gyms succeed in Gen 10 and beyond.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Gym Tests Faced Challenges Themselves

Pokemon gyms prior to Scarlet and Violet always consisted of two parts, one with traditional trainer battles culminating in a gym leader showdown and the other being a puzzle element. The difficulty of the gyms' puzzle side varied both in-game and between generations, such as Pokemon's design scaling with Nintendo's console advancements leading from the likes of Gen 1's Saffron City gym warps to Gen 8's Turffield Wooloo herding. But due to the challenges Pokemon faced with optimization on the Switch, many of Scarlet and Violet's own gyms suffered as a result, such as Artazon's Sunflora Hide and Seek or Cortondo's Olive Role.

Not only did Scarlet and Violet struggle with its console performance, but its Gym Tests seemed to have inconsistent difficulties and design behind them. For instance, while Glaseado's Snow Slope Run took advantage of Scarlet and Violet's traversal mechanics and Medali's secret menu tapped into player ingenuity with a comical twist, other gyms like Montenevera or Alfornada were just standard double battles or simple quick-time events. Despite its tradition-breaking design, Scarlet and Violet's gym puzzles missed opportunities on the Switch to potentially go further than any other game in the series.

What Pokemon Can Learn From Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

While Breath of the Wild had already laid out the groundwork with its own shrines, Tears of the Kingdom arguably took things a step further with how Link's various Ultrahand abilities interacted with one another. Tears of the Kingdom's relaxed approach to its shrine puzzles allowed players to find their own solutions using just their wits and the resources available, regardless of how straightforward or complex the shrine actually is. These puzzles balance Tears of the Kingdom's mechanics and abilities with player freedom instead of limiting them to just one intended solution and a scripted outcome.

This is where Pokemon could learn from Tears of the Kingdom, where puzzle design is informed by player ingenuity and game mechanics. Pokemon could rethink its approach to gyms, designing puzzles before anything else, such as the gym leader's characterization or their type specialty. With Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as an example, Cascarrafa's gym could have followed Glaseado by using the traversal mechanics in a swimming test, while Artazon's test could have blended its artistic themes with player customization. Ultimately, for Gen 10 and beyond, Pokemon should look to others like Zelda as its design catches up with the competition.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.

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