With Nintendo's announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releasing later this year, there has been a lot of hope that they perhaps offer a completely different take on the series. However, from the get-go, players already know that venturing into this Spanish-inspired region will involve many of the same trappings as other new regions. This obviously means the Pokedex will be expanded to include a new generation of Pokemon and may even feature some regional variations of older Pokemon.
Generation nine of the Pokemon series could have taken the route that Game Freak took with the fifth generation game, Blackand White. The second games to be released on the Nintendo DS, Black and White took the Pokemon formula that the studio had used for nearly 15 years and spun it on its head. The biggest difference between the Generation Five games and those that came before was the unique implementation of the Unovan Pokedex. Scarlet and Violet are bringing back fan favorites, but Black and White's Pokemon were all unique.
What Made Pokemon Black and White's Pokedex Great
When players first arrived in the uniquely designed Unova region, they quickly discovered that Black and White was not like previous Pokemon games that came before it. Not only were they introduced to a new set of over 150 new creatures, but those were also the only creatures they could use throughout their journey. Pokemon Gold and Silver, Ruby and Sapphire, and Diamond and Pearl all allowed players to find and catch creatures from generations before to add to their team, as well as all the games that followed Generation Five.
In Black and White, players had to start absolutely from scratch with a new set of Pokemon no one knew anything about. This mechanic breathed a new life into the Pokemon games, although not too many fans were happy about it at the time. Having to use only Pokemon found in the Unova region to defeat the eight gym leaders and members of the Elite Four made it feel like a soft reboot of the Pokemon series with a dash of nostalgia for the first generation games. It was like picking up Blue, Red, or Yellow for the first time ever, starting a fresh Pokemon adventure, although the Pokemon of generations past did pop up after players defeated the Elite Four.
Generation Five introduced 33 different Pokemon with unique type combinations, the most out of all the games up to that point. It was also the game with the most amount of Pokemon compared to other Generations, with 156 unique creatures. Yes, there were plenty of strangely designed Pokemon that had come from Black and White, but it goes to show that the designer at the time was willing to take risks and let their creativity run free.
Game Freak should consider giving future Pokemon games the Generation Five treatment before deciding to remake Black and White. It would give the Pokemon series a soft reset that it needs, providing players with a completely new set of 150 Pokemon. This would allow the studio and prospective trainers to truly get creative again. The tenth generation games could lock trainers up to utilizing only regional Pokemon to get through a fresh, deep-set story, and unlocking the previous nine generations of Pokemon once an Elite Four-type challenge has been defeated.
The Pokemon series is one of the oldest video game series around, and much like what Nintendo did with Super Mario Odyssey, there is always room for change and growth. Plus, despite the initial outrage that came alongside the release of Black and White, there are plenty more players who loved it and its unique features, not to mention some others who grew to appreciate what Game Freak was trying to do in later years. The infamous 'Dexit' scandal that followed the announcement of Sword and Shield how passionate fans of the series are, but changes are welcomed if implemented correctly.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are set to release in late 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
