The Pokémon franchise has enjoyed critical and commercial success for decades, bringing in new fans with each generation and cementing its legacy as one of the most dependable video game series of all time. It feels like a series that will go on forever, one that has now developed numerous spin-offs, including non-mobile entries, and managed to reach the 10th generation of mainline games, a feat only accomplished by AAA titans like Call of Duty. It is a gargantuan series that, importantly, has fans of all ages and backgrounds.

Naturally, with the Gen 10 games on the horizon, fans have begun speculating on how they'll innovate on the base formula that has kept the series alive for so long. From the many alternate Pokémon timelines they could be set in, to the villains that players will have to face, there are a lot of high expectations for the Gen 10 entries. However, if these long-awaited mainline Pokémon games do change something about the core formula, it should first fix its biggest decade-long problem.

Pokémon Has A Problem With Difficulty

It Has Become Too Easy

Pokémon has always suffered, to an extent, with balancing difficulty. However, this problem has become extremely exacerbated in recent years, with titles like X and Y, Sword and Shield, and Scarlet and Violet proving to be far too easy. This wasn't inherently a problem with the earlier entries, as they managed to offer some amount of challenge, but even then, the limited turn-based combat model made breezing through Gyms a fairly easy feat. The main difference between games like Fire Red and Scarlet is the introduction of Pokémon battle gimmicks.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the worst for this, as not only does it continue the recent negative Pokémon trend of telling players which moves will be the most effective before they pick them, but it also allows them to change their type by Terastallizing them. This ostensibly removes any need for creating a balanced team, as it allows players to have upwards of 12 different types within one party, rather than having to balance six. Pokémon are also far more powerful when they're Terastallized, and can become practically immune to attacks they were, just a turn ago, weak to.

Of course, Pokémon's decline in difficulty makes sense, as the series has become more geared toward its younger player base. This has always been Nintendo's aim, as it wants to make its library of titles as approachable and family-friendly as possible. However, this is a huge mistake, as it robs Pokémon of any meaningful gameplay, reducing it to the most basic turn-based affair possible that even mobile games have managed to sur. That's not to say there are no redeeming qualities to Pokémon beyond its battles, but when its core gameplay mechanic basically plays itself, it's hard to get invested.

The Next Mainline Pokémon Game Must Be Harder

It Needs To Make Battles More Challenging

This shift in difficulty has to be fixed in future entries, especially the mainline titles. While it may have initially been welcomed by some fans, it has quickly revealed one of the series' biggest flaws: its lack of innovation. Pokémon's turn-based combat can be complex, especially when those in the competitive scene manage to exploit certain moves. However, for the majority of players, the ability to only have four moves at a time, the redundancy of any moves outside of those that deal damage, and the lack of synergy between attacks means that there is such little complexity in combat.

It also doesn't help that modern Pokémon games include practically every Pokémon from all generations. This allows players to fall back on their default choices that they're overly familiar with, rather than being forced to learn new Pokémon and moves. It also means that players know how to tackle and deal with the majority of Pokémon they'll encounter from the start. While it's great to have so much choice, especially in a creature collecting game, the inclusion of familiar Pokémon removes a lot of the need to learn new habits and patterns.

When battles were difficult, it was easy to overlook this, as players would be forced to use moves they may not otherwise have considered, especially those that cause status effects or debuff the enemy. However, especially in Scarlet and Violet, the absence of difficulty means players simply need to prioritize dealing damage and Terastallizing in order to overcome each battle, even if they are underleveled or underprepared. It is one of Scarlet and Violet's greatest flaws and something that has been a growing issue with Pokémon since the 3DS era.

If Pokémon doesn't want to fundamentally change its core formula - although it is the perfect time to establish new Pokémon trends with the launch of Legends: Z-A - then it needs to start ramping up its difficulty in order to prevent battles from feeling even more stale. It risks losing a huge portion of its audience who are already tired of its easy gameplay or have grown up and no longer find it challenging enough. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways that Pokémon can implement difficulty that wouldn't conflict with its more family-friendly approach and would ensure it remains approachable.

Pokémon Can Increase Difficulty Without Alienating Children

It Can Add Difficulty Modes Or Accessibility Options

The most simple way of implementing difficulty in future Pokémon games would be to make it an optional mode. Pokémon has never had difficulty modes before, but it would greatly benefit from having them. The harder modes could remove the ability to see which moves are most effective, increase the health and difficulty of enemy Pokémon, and give trainers and Gym leaders more Pokémon to battle the player with. It could also increase the difficulty of catching certain Pokémon, cause Pokémon to be permanently removed from the player's party if they faint too much, and make healing items less effective.

For those who are familiar with Pokémon's hardest challenge runs, a lot of that will sound familiar. Players have been implementing self-imposed rules through Nuzlockes and more, in order to increase the difficulty. Were Game Freak to add these officially into the game as optional modes, or take inspiration from them to create less extreme versions, then players seeking that additional level of challenge would have the option. Alternatively, accessibility options could be added that players could toggle on and off to add extra challenges for themselves.

This would allow players to tailor the experience to suit their needs, rather than be faced with potentially unbalanced levels of difficulty. It would also ensure that those who prefer easier games could keep playing through the traditional Pokémon experience with all the conveniences toggled on. Of course, Pokémon should be a game for all players, and it shouldn't be set to hard mode by default. However, it would be great for Game Freak to finally understand that lots of people, both young and old, want to play Pokémon, and many of them need more challenge to have fun.