The Pokémon video games have come a long way since the original release of Pokémon Red & Blue back in 1996. Now in its 25th year of existence, the Pokémon brand has exploded in popularity over the last two decades. The video games in particular have improved a lot during that time, as the more modern Pokémon games are leaps and bounds above the originals in most areas. That being said, there are a couple of features and mechanics which have been added over the years Pokémon Red & Blue are better for not having.
It's important to note that most of the upgrades the newer Pokémon games have made are much needed. Pokémon Red & Blue are archaic games by most standards and do not hold up nearly as well as many fans might . Dividing the Special stat into Special Attack and Special Defense, abolishing the HM system, making TMs permanent items, and making Pokémon visible in the overworld are all important steps forward the Pokémon game franchise that has taken over the years, and the series as a whole is much better for it.
But there is still something to be said for the simplicity of Pokémon Red & Blue, and not every mechanic added to the series over the years has been a winner. The list that follows are all mechanics that longtime fans should be happy that Pokémon Red & Blue don't have.
Pokémon Red & Blue Are Better Without Excessive Tutorials & Hand-Holding
Probably the biggest issue on this list, and the feature new Pokémon games arguably need to change the most - the modern titles insist on holding the player's hand to an almost insulting degree. Pokémon Sun & Moon are most guilty of this, as the entire first island of those games is one long tutorial, insisting on teaching the player every single mechanic they have to offer. They're also the first games in the series to make the Trainer School mandatory, essentially assuming that the player has never played a Pokémon game before. Pokémon Sword & Shield aren't quite as bad in this regard, but they still allow the player little-to-no freedom, constantly shepherding them from one point to another and always marking the area needed to progress the story on the map.
Conversely, Pokémon Red & Blue allowed the player to learn their mechanics in much more natural ways. Outside of a mandatory catching tutorial, the player was allowed to explore and uncover the ins and outs of the games on their own time. Red & Blue also gave the player much more freedom, allowing them to uncover secrets organically and even challenge Pokémon gyms in different orders. Some might argue that Red & Blue didn't guide the player enough, as there are a few points in the experience where the player might have no idea what to do or where to go next - but one could also argue that adds to the sense of adventure, and makes the reward of progressing much greater. Even if they could be refined a bit, Red & Blue have a much better system in place than the obnoxious insistence on holding the player's hand that the new Pokémon games have adopted.
Pokémon Red & Blue Are Better Without Mandatory & Overpowered EXP. Share
The original EXP. Share was a great item that allowed a weaker Pokémon to gain half the experience points from a battle without participating in it, but the EXP. Share in newer games has become hugely overpowered and limits the fun of building a well-rounded Pokémon team. The EXP. Share in the newer games make it so that every Pokémon in a party gains experience even if they never see the field of battle. In the older games, players had to put legitimate effort into using all their Pokémon in order to ensure that the team didn't get too top-heavy, but with the newer EXP. Share players can keep all their Pokémon around the same level despite only using one or two of them in battles. Not only does this make the Pokémon games significantly easier, but it also detaches the player from their team, as often times there's no incentive to use Pokémon other than the starter and maybe one or two others.
This wasn't a hugely egregious feature when it was first introduced, as it also came with an off switch that the player could toggle if they wanted a more traditional experience. In the new Pokémon games, though, that off switch is gone, and the player is forced to use the overpowered EXP. Share at all times. In other words, the traditional Red & Blue experience of building a well-rounded Pokémon team from the ground up is probably lost forever.
Pokémon Red & Blue Are Better Without The New Fishing System
Fishing has always been a shallow mechanic in the Pokémon games, but surprisingly it was better all the way back in 1996 than it is now. In Pokémon Red & Blue players were able to cast their fishing line in any body of water, and then had to quickly press a button as soon the text box popped up that they got a bite. The system hasn't changed much over the years, and Pokémon Sword & Shield features basically the same mechanic, but in a stripped-down format.
Players still have to cast their line and wait for a bite, but now they can only cast their line in designated darker spots of water. The player's character will also pull their line back in if there's no bite, meaning that it has to be cast all over again for another attempt. This seems directly counterintuitive to the patient nature of real-life fishing, and makes the feature feel less engaging than ever before. Fishing is never going to be a huge part of the Pokémon experience, and that's fine, but it's a bit odd that the system has actually gotten worse in the years since its introduction.
Pokémon Red & Blue Are Better Without Different Battle Gimmicks
The battle system in Pokémon Red & Blue is not perfect. In fact, it's actually a disaster for the most part, as the Special stat used to be horribly broken and powerful Psychic-type Pokémon had essentially zero checks in place. However, there is something to be said for the simplicity of the original system, as nowadays it seems each mainline new Pokémon game introduces some new battle gimmick that never sticks.
Pokémon X & Y introduced Mega Evolution, which is actually quite popular and the only new battle mechanic that has probably sured gimmick status. Pokémon Sun & Moon had Z-Moves, though, which are essentially extra powerful moves a Pokémon can use once per battle and are inferior to Mega Evolution in every way, and Pokémon Sword & Shield has Dynamaxing, which lets a Pokémon grow to a monstrous size once per battle.
None of these gimmicks are necessarily bad (except Z-Moves) but they fail to add anything substantial enough to the battle system to justify their existence. If Game Freak continues to grow the concept of Mega Evolution it could eventually feel like a vital part of the Pokémon battle experience, but for now the core mechanics introduced in Pokémon Red & Blue have the kind of staying power that none of these gimmicks do, and the simplicity of those games' battles are still something to be appreciated.
