It’s easy to rip on the modern Pokémon games for the changes they’ve made to make things more accessible to new fans. Experience points are now shared for your whole party, TMs could be used an infinite number of times, multiple Pokéball types can make catching these critters easy, and other minor details fans tend to obsess over.
The answer to all of this would typically be playing older entries in this franchise, since they don’t have some of these newer QOL features. While that sounds appealing, playing these older games made me realize how handy those features are. Other fans prefer the lengthier and more challenging grind of the older games, but it can sometimes drag things down.
Grinding in the original Pokémon games for the Game Boy can be a frustrating experience. Switching between each Pokémon to make sure they hit the right level is time-consuming. This was fine as a kid in the ‘90s since there wasn’t much to do after finishing your homework, but as an adult, there are better ways to spend your time.
While Gold and Silver made things easier by adding an EXP bar to see how many more battles your partners need, this only alleviates the grind slightly. It would be easy to blame, seeing the same attacks over again, but that can’t be the issue, since other JRPGs do them too.
I do think that EXP Share in modern Pokémon games has ruined how I play games in this series. Evolving your party is pretty easy in Scarlet and Violet, given the number of battles present in these games. The game also encourages players to level up multiple creatures for those Team Star missions, which does come in handy.
Older games from the Game Boy to DS onwards expect you to walk around grass for periods until your party has hit ideal levels. Technically, players could replace them with newer Pokémon that appear in the grass with higher levels, but that doesn’t always feel right. We also know that EXP Share exists in these games, but it only works for one other Pokémon until you switch.
Fans have a tried-and-tested method of putting your weaker critter first and switching to a stronger one, so both get EXP. It’s another method that gets old quickly, but does work wonders. That’s how I got my Pidgeotto in Soul Silver recently.
An outdated aspect you will never see me complain about is the graphics of older Pokémon games. If anything, the 8-bit aesthetic holds up tremendously well, and there’s still a certain charm in seeing older sprites for well-known Pokémon. Chunky Pikachu, you will always have space in my heart.
Despite my complaints about grinding, I’ll keep playing these classic Pokémon games. They have a certain charm and aesthetic that some of the modern titles have failed to recapture. It would be nice to play these games on modern Switch systems, but there are other ways to play these gems.