SPOILERS! Mysteries and Conspiracies of Pokemon

Pikachu315111

Ranting & Raving!
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I'd put money on a Kanto-based game taking place after both the Red/Blue and Sun/Moon events where Lillie is your friendly rival. And if it could include Johto content, all the better. Maybe it's a unified region by this point, with 16 gyms and one Pokemon League?
That would be interesting with Lillie as your rival and you get to explore more on what happened after she and Lusamine get to Kanto (I can't help but feel splitting Lusamine from the Nihilego poison isn't going to be easy as they hope).

And 16 Badges it way too much, at least to challenge the Indigo League. Either they'll do what they did with Gen II and you'll collect the Johto badges post game. Or, if they combine both regions, I say split it so you get 4 Badges from each region (as for the other Gym Leaders, I say move some to the Elite Four and have anyone missing be bonus battles). I would go more into this but that gets too much into speculation/wishlisting.

We're teetering on the edge of baseless speculation here, but I think there is enough data to stay on the safe side. At least for point 1) and 2).

I've been wondering about point 1) myself. Magearna was released almost immediately after the games themselves. Ash Hat Pikachu is an event series running until... October, is that right? That means, depending on how you look at it, that 2/3 of the event Pokémon are released within a year of the games. Or 7/8. And they've set a precedent for an unusually quick release schedule too. They appear to be holding off the event outside Japan for some (stupid) reason, meaning it will be a little more spaced out here, but that still doesn't fix the issue; it just means the Japanese will run out of event stuff faster than the rest of us. I guess they could be throwing out Floette-E in Gen VII too, but it's a stretch.
Is Floette-E in the game?

Another option would be to re-use event legendaries from earlier games. There's a whole crapton of them out there already by now, so nobody would bother if they released some of them again rather than adding new ones. This would also be possible without burying anything suspicious in the code for hackers to find.
Though let us not forget between now and then they could release a third version/sequel and/or a remake which could add something they could use as an event. Like if they do a Sinnoh remake, I'd say Mega Arceus would be a very tempting thing to do.

There's also the remote possibility that they would break the old convention of not adding new Pokémon mid-generation. They've done it for moves and abilities already, so I guess nothing is impossible. The obvious thing would be to release more Ultra Beasts, since they're apparently the Hot New Thing and their sudden appearance out of nowhere would be completely in line with their lore. But these would have to come after Marshadow in the National Dex, or the Dex order would have to be changed completely, so I'd say it's unlikely that they would go for that solution.
Though I think if they're willing to break their "no new Pokemon mid-gen" rule then reordering that generation's section of the National Dex wouldn't be that big of a deal. I'd say a region's position in the National Dex is only locked once we move on to the next generation. But if its still that generation, why not? It just means some printed material the made would be out of date which isn't that big of a deal as it would be when we moved onto the next generation (heck, this is true for any Pokemon that gets a new form and they give its old form a name: Giratina and Zygarde come to mind).

As for point 2), I think more Variant Pokémon is a rather natural way to proceed. It adds new designs, sort of, without bloating the Pokédex. GameFreak already set themselves up for something similar in Mega Evolutions, but dropped that concept like a hot potato as soon as the generation shifted, so it could be that they'd throw regional variants under the bus at first opportunity too. Or they could be thinking that regional variants are a better way to execute the concept of revitalizing old lines, what do I know. Either way, I wouldn't mind them adding regional variants of more old Pokémon. They haven't done a bang of a job for it so far from a competitive standpoint, but they could improve in the future.
I can see them using variant Pokemon as a way of filling gaps in the Regional Dex without creating a new Pokemon while making a new Pokemon design, that's how I see the main use of variants going forward.

And 3)... It's a little wishlist-y, but I guess some general assumptions could be stated anyway. And that is that Kanto is outdated as heck. It's designed with the limitations of the GameBoy in mind. That means a completely rigid grid system, a camera locked to a single angle, extremely limited tilesets, no climate variation, and rather monotonous dungeons. To bring Kanto up to par would necessitate a lot of re-imagining. Town layouts are completely wonky and would have to be redone. The buildings are identical all over the region, the routes are often too cramped, and the detail level of things in general is waaaaay lower than what we've grown used to since Gen IV or so. The designers would basically have two choices: Accept an outdated-looking Kanto, or add details that weren't there before. This would radically change the atmosphere of certain places (for instance Cinnabar Island, which in its latest iteration is a handful of buildings on a concrete slab in the ocean). It wouldn't be the Kanto we're used to. There would be controversy.

Personally, I'd let the designers loose completely, and build a Kanto experience from scratch. Keep the basic layout, redesign everything else. Let nothing be sacred, the time of Gen I Kanto has passed (twice) and is preserved for posterity in the Gen I (and to some extent III) games, so no need to recreate it faithfully once again. I haven't worked out the details of everything, but elaborating here would be against the wishlisting rule anyway.
And there's a perfect excuse for it: we're now in the Mega Timeline. Who's to say that Mega Timeline Kanto isn't more diverse in appearance and locations? Plus we've moved onto full non-grid, 3D graphics, I doubt even Kalos and ORAS Hoenn would be kept the same now.
 
We're teetering on the edge of baseless speculation here, but I think there is enough data to stay on the safe side. At least for point 1) and 2).

I've been wondering about point 1) myself. Magearna was released almost immediately after the games themselves. Ash Hat Pikachu is an event series running until... October, is that right? That means, depending on how you look at it, that 2/3 of the event Pokémon are released within a year of the games. Or 7/8. And they've set a precedent for an unusually quick release schedule too. They appear to be holding off the event outside Japan for some (stupid) reason, meaning it will be a little more spaced out here, but that still doesn't fix the issue; it just means the Japanese will run out of event stuff faster than the rest of us. I guess they could be throwing out Floette-E in Gen VII too, but it's a stretch.

Another option would be to re-use event legendaries from earlier games. There's a whole crapton of them out there already by now, so nobody would bother if they released some of them again rather than adding new ones. This would also be possible without burying anything suspicious in the code for hackers to find.

There's also the remote possibility that they would break the old convention of not adding new Pokémon mid-generation. They've done it for moves and abilities already, so I guess nothing is impossible. The obvious thing would be to release more Ultra Beasts, since they're apparently the Hot New Thing and their sudden appearance out of nowhere would be completely in line with their lore. But these would have to come after Marshadow in the National Dex, or the Dex order would have to be changed completely, so I'd say it's unlikely that they would go for that solution.


As for point 2), I think more Variant Pokémon is a rather natural way to proceed. It adds new designs, sort of, without bloating the Pokédex. GameFreak already set themselves up for something similar in Mega Evolutions, but dropped that concept like a hot potato as soon as the generation shifted, so it could be that they'd throw regional variants under the bus at first opportunity too. Or they could be thinking that regional variants are a better way to execute the concept of revitalizing old lines, what do I know. Either way, I wouldn't mind them adding regional variants of more old Pokémon. They haven't done a bang of a job for it so far from a competitive standpoint, but they could improve in the future.


And 3)... It's a little wishlist-y, but I guess some general assumptions could be stated anyway. And that is that Kanto is outdated as heck. It's designed with the limitations of the GameBoy in mind. That means a completely rigid grid system, a camera locked to a single angle, extremely limited tilesets, no climate variation, and rather monotonous dungeons. To bring Kanto up to par would necessitate a lot of re-imagining. Town layouts are completely wonky and would have to be redone. The buildings are identical all over the region, the routes are often too cramped, and the detail level of things in general is waaaaay lower than what we've grown used to since Gen IV or so. The designers would basically have two choices: Accept an outdated-looking Kanto, or add details that weren't there before. This would radically change the atmosphere of certain places (for instance Cinnabar Island, which in its latest iteration is a handful of buildings on a concrete slab in the ocean). It wouldn't be the Kanto we're used to. There would be controversy.

Personally, I'd let the designers loose completely, and build a Kanto experience from scratch. Keep the basic layout, redesign everything else. Let nothing be sacred, the time of Gen I Kanto has passed (twice) and is preserved for posterity in the Gen I (and to some extent III) games, so no need to recreate it faithfully once again. I haven't worked out the details of everything, but elaborating here would be against the wishlisting rule anyway.
They could also release shinies of currently shiny-locked Pokemon if they wanted to throw more things out there to tie in with a movie. They did do something similar with the shiny Johto beasts prior to Black and White along with the Time Travel Celebi, (which goes along with the re-release previous legendary/mythical Pokemon possibility you brought up) so... Heck, if they wanted to be really cheeky, they could do a shiny Power Construct Zygarde. (which also prevents players from accidentally disassembling it and losing their shiny) Then again, we've only gotten one form of Magearna, so they could use the original color form for a movie.

Pikachu315111 Eternal Floette was in gen 6, with unique stats, model, and Fleur Cannon Light of Ruin, (and incapable of evolving and likely breeding just like Ash-Greninja) but was never released. I don't think its data was removed in gen 7, so it may see release... or go entirely unused for all eternity. Who knows.

Editing to correct myself because I'm an idiot and forgot E-Floette's move was Light of Ruin, not Fleur Cannon. >.<
 
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Pikachu315111

Ranting & Raving!
is a Community Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributor
They could also release shinies of currently shiny-locked Pokemon if they wanted to throw more things out there to tie in with a movie. They did do something similar with the shiny Johto beasts prior to Black and White along with the Time Travel Celebi, (which goes along with the re-release previous legendary/mythical Pokemon possibility you brought up) so... Heck, if they wanted to be really cheeky, they could do a shiny Power Construct Zygarde. (which also prevents players from accidentally disassembling it and losing their shiny) Then again, we've only gotten one form of Magearna, so they could use the original color form for a movie.

Pikachu315111 Eternal Floette was in gen 6, with unique stats, model, and has Fleur Cannon, (and incapable of evolving and likely breeding just like Ash-Greninja) but was never released. I don't think its data was removed in gen 7, so it may see release... or go entirely unused for all eternity. Who knows.
Ooh, that's right, we never got Original Color Magearna. I wonder what they plan on doing with it, I mean we already had the Magearna movie which had Magearna both in its Original Color and colorless.

I know what the Floette-E is, I just didn't know if its data is still in Gen 7. Actually, give me a moment...

Okay! After looking around, someone who hacked the game files has confirmed it still is in the code along with its signature move, Light of Ruin (not Fleur Cannon, that's Magearna's Signature Move).

The anime writers idiotically decided to remove AZ's story (among other story elements) so if they want to wedge it into Sun & Moon somehow they can release Floette-E (as you pointed out, they released Ash-Greninja and Zygarde forms so why not? Not like Z is being made).
 
(I was afraid of potential wishlisting, but it was nice to get opinions from fellow users anyway.)

Anyway, we have not received Original Color Magearna, but it's possible that it could remain anime-exclusive. Golly! To be honest, I was expecting Ash-Greninja, Zygarde-10%, and Zygarde Complete to be anime-exclusive, but they're usable alright. I've heard that hacking Floette Eternal Flower into Alola would crash the game. Is this true by chance? Light of Ruin exists, so was this just an attempt to discourage hacking again?

Pokémon's anime has always blatantly disrepsected its source material we know as the video games. That's not going to change until the story becomes as deep as One Piece. In other words, never.
 
Personally, I'd let the designers loose completely, and build a Kanto experience from scratch. Keep the basic layout, redesign everything else.
This is what I want out of my remakes tbh. I felt like ORAS did some of that (mostly with Mauville but there are other places as well), it felt to me like they had a map of the region and a general plot outline and worked from scratch moreso than the pixel-perfect remake that was FRLG.

I hope they take it further with the gen 4 remakes. Gen 4 is probably my second least favorite, and a lot of that is due to so much wasted potential that I hope they fix
 
Floette-E's data and light of ruin are coded into Sun and Moon fyi. Just wanted to confirm that.

Beyond that just a reminder that the Mystery thread only covers currently released pokemon media, and not unreleased or potential games. Although discussing Marshadow is probably fine, as his data is currently "released" even if the pokemon has not.

But this is an interesting point of discussion so please carry on and/or move it to the appropriate thread if it outgrows the Mystery thread.

Double check with the mods if you feel you're getting off topic, they're good lads and lasses and most certainly have no connections to assassin guilds. Have I mentioned that I'm not being blackmailed?

;P
 
(I was afraid of potential wishlisting, but it was nice to get opinions from fellow users anyway.)

Anyway, we have not received Original Color Magearna, but it's possible that it could remain anime-exclusive. Golly! To be honest, I was expecting Ash-Greninja, Zygarde-10%, and Zygarde Complete to be anime-exclusive, but they're usable alright. I've heard that hacking Floette Eternal Flower into Alola would crash the game. Is this true by chance? Light of Ruin exists, so was this just an attempt to discourage hacking again?

Pokémon's anime has always blatantly disrepsected its source material we know as the video games. That's not going to change until the story becomes as deep as One Piece. In other words, never.
Actually, OC Magearna is in the game. The Pokedex even has special entries for this form of Magearna. But yeah, I too was completely expecting Ash-Greninja to never show up in-game, and yet here it is along with Zygarde 10% and Complete... for... some... reason.

Did we ever try to piece together why Kalos' Order Pokemon is in Alola, and scattered no less?
 
There's a question to be asked about Gen 4 remakes: What about HMs? What about gyms? GAME FREAK made a huge shift from normal mechanics in SM, and I think they're not likely to go back to HMs for fear of backlash. Also, the lack of Gyms in S/M could signify a problem for D/P. A lot of people liked what Game Freak did in the place of Gyms in Alola, and it's somewhat likely some people will be VERY vocal about the return of the same stale, old formula in D/P Remakes. This could pose a serious problem for Game Freak. If I was Game Freak, there would be 3 things on my mind: 1. What would the fans be like if you went back to the old formula? Gen VII was innovative, a change a lot of fans thought was for the better, ditching HMs and gyms. 2. How do you add something that makes the remakes worth playing? Gen III was on the GBA, something a lot of people don't have, and ORAS was the perfect opportunity to play an updated version. D/P/Pt is on the DS, and an abundance of D/P copies means that people could just buy an original at GameStop if they didn't like the remake. 3. HOW DO YOU SOLVE THESE QUESTIONS? Game Freak has set themselves up for a serious issue. Mega Evolution, as much of a change as it was, was relatively easy to implement in Hoenn, since it involved just adding something. But Gen VII's new mechanics? That's a serious issue. I'd bet on a B2/W2 style remake, set a few years after the events of the game, with Gen VII mechanics implemented (no gyms or HMs). I'd think you'd see more of that than an ORAS-type remake of Gen 4.
 
There's a question to be asked about Gen 4 remakes: What about HMs? What about gyms? GAME FREAK made a huge shift from normal mechanics in SM, and I think they're not likely to go back to HMs for fear of backlash. Also, the lack of Gyms in S/M could signify a problem for D/P. A lot of people liked what Game Freak did in the place of Gyms in Alola, and it's somewhat likely some people will be VERY vocal about the return of the same stale, old formula in D/P Remakes. This could pose a serious problem for Game Freak. If I was Game Freak, there would be 3 things on my mind: 1. What would the fans be like if you went back to the old formula? Gen VII was innovative, a change a lot of fans thought was for the better, ditching HMs and gyms. 2. How do you add something that makes the remakes worth playing? Gen III was on the GBA, something a lot of people don't have, and ORAS was the perfect opportunity to play an updated version. D/P/Pt is on the DS, and an abundance of D/P copies means that people could just buy an original at GameStop if they didn't like the remake. 3. HOW DO YOU SOLVE THESE QUESTIONS? Game Freak has set themselves up for a serious issue. Mega Evolution, as much of a change as it was, was relatively easy to implement in Hoenn, since it involved just adding something. But Gen VII's new mechanics? That's a serious issue. I'd bet on a B2/W2 style remake, set a few years after the events of the game, with Gen VII mechanics implemented (no gyms or HMs). I'd think you'd see more of that than an ORAS-type remake of Gen 4.
I don't think Game Freak should worry too much. If it is truly a remake of Gen 4, then it should look a lot like Gen 4. The HMs question is a fair one, but I think Gyms would have to show up, otherwise it's not really a remake of Gen 4. And I don't think it would be too hard to add some new features, just look at what HGSS did with adding a Safari Zone, Pokeathlon, and walking with the lead pokemon (I know, this was basically just copying Yellow, but still). People didn't freak out because FRLG looked/played the same as Red and Blue, that was the point. It was a remake (have I stressed this enough? lol)
 
There's a question to be asked about Gen 4 remakes: What about HMs? What about gyms? GAME FREAK made a huge shift from normal mechanics in SM, and I think they're not likely to go back to HMs for fear of backlash. Also, the lack of Gyms in S/M could signify a problem for D/P. A lot of people liked what Game Freak did in the place of Gyms in Alola, and it's somewhat likely some people will be VERY vocal about the return of the same stale, old formula in D/P Remakes. This could pose a serious problem for Game Freak. If I was Game Freak, there would be 3 things on my mind: 1. What would the fans be like if you went back to the old formula? Gen VII was innovative, a change a lot of fans thought was for the better, ditching HMs and gyms. 2. How do you add something that makes the remakes worth playing? Gen III was on the GBA, something a lot of people don't have, and ORAS was the perfect opportunity to play an updated version. D/P/Pt is on the DS, and an abundance of D/P copies means that people could just buy an original at GameStop if they didn't like the remake. 3. HOW DO YOU SOLVE THESE QUESTIONS? Game Freak has set themselves up for a serious issue. Mega Evolution, as much of a change as it was, was relatively easy to implement in Hoenn, since it involved just adding something. But Gen VII's new mechanics? That's a serious issue. I'd bet on a B2/W2 style remake, set a few years after the events of the game, with Gen VII mechanics implemented (no gyms or HMs). I'd think you'd see more of that than an ORAS-type remake of Gen 4.
If Game Freak has gen 4 remakes in the works, I fully expect gyms and HM's to return. The trials and Poke Ride feature are so far made out to be an Alola thing. As for making it worthwhile playing, surely being able to bring in your post-gen 4 favorites into Sinnoh and the fact it'll be able to do GTS and other online features again (plus likely new Megas Z-Moves) will be more than enough. People lost it when OR/AS lacked trainer customization, yet everyone bought the crap out of the games anyway.
 
If Game Freak has gen 4 remakes in the works, I fully expect gyms and HM's to return. The trials and Poke Ride feature are so far made out to be an Alola thing. As for making it worthwhile playing, surely being able to bring in your post-gen 4 favorites into Sinnoh and the fact it'll be able to do GTS and other online features again (plus likely new Megas Z-Moves) will be more than enough. People lost it when OR/AS lacked trainer customization, yet everyone bought the crap out of the games anyway.
Well, Gen 6 still had HMs and Gyms. Even though Megas were a big change, you have to admit that compared to the changes Alola made, Gen 6's core storyline/gameplay changes were few and far between. Game Freak mixed it up in Gen VII, and they might end up paying for it.
 
Contests were axed in Gen V yet that did not stop ORAS from reintroducing them.

A Gen IV remake will have Gyms and may have HMs. They could very well keep the HMs as TMs (and have the Gym that allowed the out-of-battle use of the HM move in Gen IV give out its corresponding TM), as the only difference between either is that the formers need a Move Deleter.
 
Contests were axed in Gen V yet that did not stop ORAS from reintroducing them.

A Gen IV remake will have Gyms and may have HMs. They could very well keep the HMs as TMs (and have the Gym that allowed the out-of-battle use of the HM move in Gen IV give out its corresponding TM), as the only difference between either is that the formers need a Move Deleter.
Gen VII didn't just axe old mechanics, they implemented new ones. There's a world of difference between axing contests and replacing gyms and hms with the rideshare and island challenges
 
Gen VII didn't just axe old mechanics, they implemented new ones. There's a world of difference between axing contests and replacing gyms and hms with the rideshare and island challenges
If new games are remakes, gyms are there. If they're sequels of some kind, what would the rationale be for gyms having been phased out of the region? It wouldn't make any sense. If anything, Alola is progressing toward a system that replaces the traditional system with one based on gyms. The idea that another region would scrap its whole infrastructure in favor of something less sophisticated and organized just doesn't pass the straight-face test.

HMs could certainly be replaced reasonably, but they'd have to adjust things a little bit for it to make sense. The whole Ride system or whatever is presented in a way that makes sense specifically for that region (at least as far as it does make sense).
 
If new games are remakes, gyms are there. If they're sequels of some kind, what would the rationale be for gyms having been phased out of the region? It wouldn't make any sense. If anything, Alola is progressing toward a system that replaces the traditional system with one based on gyms. The idea that another region would scrap its whole infrastructure in favor of something less sophisticated and organized just doesn't pass the straight-face test.

HMs could certainly be replaced reasonably, but they'd have to adjust things a little bit for it to make sense. The whole Ride system or whatever is presented in a way that makes sense specifically for that region (at least as far as it does make sense).
They could set it in a B2/W2 manner, where the events of the game are set in the same place but different time. Like before the Pokemon League was established.
 
They could set it in a B2/W2 manner, where the events of the game are set in the same place but different time. Like before the Pokemon League was established.
So a prequel instead of, like BW2, a sequel? Sure, they could, but it's extremely unlikely.
 
What are your thoughts on more variant Pokemon, especially ones that would be made for previous regions (even though they didn't exist prior in the original games)?
I'd like to point out Arbok and Dodrio where said to get regional variations in early leaks (you know before everyone and their mother stated "leaking" alola forms)
so maybe these two'll get sinnohan forms?
 
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Gen VII didn't just axe old mechanics, they implemented new ones. There's a world of difference between axing contests and replacing gyms and hms with the rideshare and island challenges
Game Freak implements and abandons mechanics all the time. (RIP Pokemon walking behind the player and DexNav) I severely doubt Game Freak will do much to change how Diamond and Pearl played out in potential remakes other than, "oh hey, Fairy type. Oh hey, infinite-use TM's. Oh hey, Mega Evolution." If we're lucky, they may implement Platinum's regional dex and give more Fire type options than Infernape and Rapidash.

Either way, it's pointless to speculate or worry about games that we don't even know if they're going to happen. Not to mention that isn't what this thread is about.
 
Game Freak wouldn't do anything so risky. Fans of Gen 4 will want a proper Gen 4. Axing Gyms is only going to piss off the fanbase and the game won't sell as well, meaning they'll earn less money. Without Gyms it isn't a faithful Gen 4 remake and sales are going to be driven, at least partly, on nostalgia value, removing gyms goes in the face of that. If Game Freak want money, Gyms are staying.
 
I was a person who's first real Pokemon experience was Pearl (I came in on Gen 3, but Gen 4 was the first one where I knew what I was doing in some capacity), so I definitely have a nostalgic attachment to that. I think the basic structure can be maintained for nostaglia, but even Gen 4's fans probably won't argue that the overall region design could probably use an update (Mt. Coronet's HM saturation in particular), and there's a lot of stuff to address in the lore: How do the Creation Trio and Arceus fit into a sort of "power hierarchy" now that we have other Pokemon like the Primals, Mega Rayquaza, or the Tao Trio (and Original Dragon in Lore)? Does Arceus govern all of existence, or just our dimension (ergo are the Ultra Beasts outside his sphere)?

As for the previous third entry prospect drought, there's one very obvious aspect not touched on: Necrozma. It's speculated to be related to the Ultra Beasts, and more exploration of Ultra Space seems like an obvious means of expansion in a Gen 7 follow up, and if you look at it, it's very odd in its placement: no particular fanfare, unremarkable as is, and isn't it just kind of in the grass as opposed to a "present" encounter?

Besides that, there's both back story points they can go into as well as unexplored points, mainly with Zygarde and the Guardians. Are the Guardian Deities committed to protecting the Islands or the Islands' people? Say Lusamine's plans opened the Ultra Wormhole and the immediate means to close it would devastate the island's societies. Would the Guardians come to blows with Zygarde (who would want the hole closed ASAP to keep order) or assist it (save the islands at the cost of the people)? And at the risk of continuing to sound like fanfiction, Zygarde's just kind of there, would it have any kind of interaction with the Ultra Beasts? A completely outside factor like them would probably catch attention of a mon who already has to maintain a delicate balance with what the world already hosts.
 
And at the risk of continuing to sound like fanfiction, Zygarde's just kind of there, would it have any kind of interaction with the Ultra Beasts? A completely outside factor like them would probably catch attention of a mon who already has to maintain a delicate balance with what the world already hosts.
Seeing that Zygarde's cells are spread all around Alola, perhaps its lack of role is because they didn't merge in time. If the player character didn't forcefully merge all cores and cells, then Zygarde would have done so anyways.
 

Pikachu315111

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After thinking long and hard on it, doing research on the other remakes and how they handled new generation mechanics and game design, and accessing the pros and cons I have come up with this deep and analytical thought on the subject of Gen IV remakes bringing back Gyms and HMs:

NO DUH!

They key word here is "remake". Yes, the remakes do some re-imagining of things, but it's overall the same game with updated graphics and new/changed battling mechanics that generation introduced. You also got to remember Alola is the way it is do to in-game cultural reasons. Alola had no Pokemon League and had been historically isolated due to being in the middle of the ocean. Sun & Moon is an interesting view as we're actually seeing the islands going through a transitional stage of focus on its old traditions, the Island Challenge, and modern times being introduced, the Pokemon League. Thankfully the merge is being done by a respected local Alolan with the cooperation of the various Kahuna and Captains which is speeding up the process with little resistance (there might still be some, mainly concerns with how it'll affect island traditions, but that's all in the background and Kukui's problems). Also remember throughout our journey of Alola we've seen some vacant lots in major cities/towns, while not stated what they're for, well, if you have a Pokemon League...

But this isn't the case for Sinnoh. Sinnoh has a long established Pokemon League complete with Gyms. They have been modernized for they aren't isolated.

As for HMs, once again this has to do with the locations. Like other regions have HMs as they're tools for the trainer to get around the wilderness areas they explore. Like I'm sure there are other ways to get town to town without having to go through forests and caves, but as a trainer you want to explore areas where Pokemon would be and thus where other trainers would gather. We're going through "out of the way" areas, areas not really kept up, so we need the HMs to remove or go over obstacles that would normally have been removed or handled with. But Alola is an archipelago, a group of small islands. They don't have much room so the paths trainer take are the same paths everyone takes. Poke Rides aren't just a trainer tool they're a service everyone on the island use and needs. In addition the paths are kept clear of things like overgrowth and large rocks, what they couldn't do a Poke Ride is for. And when you have Poke Rides what's the point of HMs? HMs aren't used not because they aren't useful but because you don't need to.

Here are the questions for Gen IV remakes we should be asking:

1.
Will they implement elements from Platinum or pull an ORAS and mostly focus on Diamond & Pearl? For example, will we just have the Battle Tower or will we see a return of a Battle Frontier?
2. Will we see new Mega Evolutions and Z-Crystals? If so, how will they explain their existence there.
3. Adding in the HMs to the TM list won't be a problem, but we do have an issue with some TMs in Sun & Moon having been HMs. Fly is TM076, Surf is TM094, and Waterfall is TM098. Easiest thing to do is swap them with another move, so which moves would those be? I would like to think TMs are chosen with certain balances in mind so it can't just be any move. Like they could bring back Struggle Bug and Secret Power for TM076 and TM094, but I doubt they'll be bringing back Power-Up Punch as that move was considered a bit broken, especially when used by Mega Kangashan. Of course the replaced Dig with Leech Life so they could always bring back Dig since it'll have its use back in the remakes.

I was a person who's first real Pokemon experience was Pearl (I came in on Gen 3, but Gen 4 was the first one where I knew what I was doing in some capacity), so I definitely have a nostalgic attachment to that. I think the basic structure can be maintained for nostaglia, but even Gen 4's fans probably won't argue that the overall region design could probably use an update (Mt. Coronet's HM saturation in particular), and there's a lot of stuff to address in the lore: How do the Creation Trio and Arceus fit into a sort of "power hierarchy" now that we have other Pokemon like the Primals, Mega Rayquaza, or the Tao Trio (and Original Dragon in Lore)? Does Arceus govern all of existence, or just our dimension (ergo are the Ultra Beasts outside his sphere)?
Ugh, Mt. Coronet, yeah I hope they do something with that. Like at the very least add a Pokemon Center or some sort of building at the top with a PC and bed so we can swap out Pokemon and rest up. I don't want my HM slaves to be gaining experience from the Team Galactic battles.

As for the "power hierarchy", I don't really see an issue. All the lore you listed are pretty self contained within their region. To solve the "power vacuum" issue with Arceus they just need to give it a Mega, problem solved. Also do we really need to know the relation between Arceus and Ultra Space? Would it be neat to know, sure, but it's not dire information that the game needs to explain.

As for the previous third entry prospect drought, there's one very obvious aspect not touched on: Necrozma. It's speculated to be related to the Ultra Beasts, and more exploration of Ultra Space seems like an obvious means of expansion in a Gen 7 follow up, and if you look at it, it's very odd in its placement: no particular fanfare, unremarkable as is, and isn't it just kind of in the grass as opposed to a "present" encounter?

Besides that, there's both back story points they can go into as well as unexplored points, mainly with Zygarde and the Guardians. Are the Guardian Deities committed to protecting the Islands or the Islands' people? Say Lusamine's plans opened the Ultra Wormhole and the immediate means to close it would devastate the island's societies. Would the Guardians come to blows with Zygarde (who would want the hole closed ASAP to keep order) or assist it (save the islands at the cost of the people)? And at the risk of continuing to sound like fanfiction, Zygarde's just kind of there, would it have any kind of interaction with the Ultra Beasts? A completely outside factor like them would probably catch attention of a mon who already has to maintain a delicate balance with what the world already hosts.
Zygarde was merely added because there was no Z version. They had to find a way to add in Zygarde's other forms and just having Zygarde Cores and Cells appear in Alola as it sensed there was danger was how they did it. Zygarde had no bearing on the plot and I wouldn't be surprised if they removed it in a 3rd version. Likewise I don't really see there being an issue with the Island Guardians, I think they made it clear where they stand. They are guardians of Alola and will protect the region from what they perceive as a threat. They will protect and help the people who treat and protect Alola with respect, those who don't show respect to Alola will feel their wrath (the Mega Mart was being built on sacred land which is why Tapu Bulu was enraged, the Mega Mart itself wasn't the problem as shown with the actual one existing perfectly fine in Akala).

Can't really expand my thoughts much further without going into speculation territory.
 
3. Adding in the HMs to the TM list won't be a problem, but we do have an issue with some TMs in Sun & Moon having been HMs. Fly is TM076, Surf is TM094, and Waterfall is TM098. Easiest thing to do is swap them with another move, so which moves would those be? I would like to think TMs are chosen with certain balances in mind so it can't just be any move. Like they could bring back Struggle Bug and Secret Power for TM076 and TM094, but I doubt they'll be bringing back Power-Up Punch as that move was considered a bit broken, especially when used by Mega Kangashan. Of course the replaced Dig with Leech Life so they could always bring back Dig since it'll have its use back in the remakes.
Keep them as TMs as they are in Sun/Moon, but add the badge number restriction. They'll work exactly the same as HMs, not counting the fact they can be forgotten at any time.
 

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Keep them as TMs as they are in Sun/Moon, but add the badge number restriction. They'll work exactly the same as HMs, not counting the fact they can be forgotten at any time.
While for older players we would know, from a game developer perspective you want to make sure a new younger player would know. Leaving Fly, Surf, and Waterfall the way they are just makes them seem like normal TMs, hiding that they are tools to be used on the overworld for possible progression (especially if they keep in the HM roadblocks). Making them into separate HMs helps showing neweer younger players these are different from normal TMs and just in general makes it easy to find as they'll be at the bottom of the TM/HM list.

Also we need to add in the other HMs.
 
While for older players we would know, from a game developer perspective you want to make sure a new younger player would know. Leaving Fly, Surf, and Waterfall the way they are just makes them seem like normal TMs, hiding that they are tools to be used on the overworld for possible progression (especially if they keep in the HM roadblocks). Making them into separate HMs helps showing neweer younger players these are different from normal TMs and just in general makes it easy to find as they'll be at the bottom of the TM/HM list.

Also we need to add in the other HMs.
Ah, right, I forgot that Cut and Strength are not even TMs in Sun/Moon. (And that Flash and Rock Smash lost their TM status there, and Rock Climb and Defog were only TMs/HMs in Gen IV)
 

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