Summary

• Gen 10 Pokémon games could benefit from a simple change.
• Scarlet and Violet already added the change, but it is blocked behind a paywall.
• Gen 10 should be released after the arrival of the new Nintendo console.

There is one major change in Pokémon Gen 5 remakes before Gen 10 arrives.

Nevertheless, Scarlet and Violet kicked off a new trend in the series that could carry over to the next Generation. There is, however, a lot of space for improvement beyond optimizing the games’ technical performance. One of the most notable changes is that the Gen 9 games are open-world. So far, it is uncertain if this will be the case with the Pokémon Gen 10 games, but if they do feature an open-world structure like Scarlet and Violet, there could be a simple change that would drastically improve the experience of players. This would be a big step, but one that could make exploration more enjoyable.

Related: Which Pokémon Can't Be Transferred From Pokémon HOME After SV Update

Flying Freely Could Improve Pokémon’s Gen 10 Games

Unlike the base version of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the Gen 10 games could improve their potential open-world map and overall structure by implementing free flight since release. This feature does not necessarily need to be unlocked at the beginning of the campaign, but having it as an endgame bonus since launch could incentivize and make exploration a lot more pleasant. The flight systems in Gen 9 games and Legends: Arceus were very limited and mostly consisted of gliding rather than actual flight. This could be one of the features that sets Gen 10 games apart from all of its predecessors.

Indigo Disk DLC For Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Unlocks Flight

It does seem like developer Game Freak is intent on exploring free flight in future Pokémon games, as this system has been somewhat implemented with the release of the Pokémon Indigo Disk DLC for Scarlet and Violet. In special Trials featured in the Terarium in Blueberry Academy – a Unova-based sister school to Naranja and Uva Academies from the base games, respectively – players can feed their Koraidon or Miraidon a supplement, which then allows the Legendary creatures to take flight. This actually permits the player to move their mount companion upwards while flying, rather than just gliding on a continuous descent.

The issue with flight in the Gen 9 games is that this mechanic is locked behind a massive DLC paywall.

To obtain Koraidon or Miraidon’s flight system in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, players have to own The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC pack and make their way through the campaigns of the additional paid content until they reach the system that unlocks the flight. This excludes a large pool of players from a system that could even be considered a quality-of-life improvement, as it would make navigating much easier. There would be no problem if flight was treated like a rare endgame reward, but having it locked behind a paywall is something that can be fixed in Gen 10.

How Free Flight Could Improve Pokémon Gen 10 Games

If given access to free flight in the endgame, Trainers in Gen 10 Pokémon games could explore the world map with a lot more ease and versatility. If flight is unlocked too early, this could disrupt the structure of the campaign, which tends to be linear – even if split into three different narratives, like in Scarlet and Violet. By having the ability to fly freely, players can navigate through locations without too much effort, which, in turn, helps with a lot of tasks in the game. One of the most notable ones is locating Pokémon to then progress through Pokédex completion.

Koraidon and Miraidon’s abilities in Scarlet and Violet unlock progressively through the campaign and it is great, but there is, in fact, space for improvement. If players are able to fly freely in the game, they do not need to carefully climb mountains they have already explored through the campaign all over again, for instance. Instead, they can teleport to the nearest checkpoint and then use their mount’s innate flight ability to search the nooks and crannies around the area. This would be a significant change to how the Gen 10 Pokémon games would be structured, but overall, flight would give more of an endgame feeling to it.

Concerns With Free Flight In Pokémon Gen 10 Games

The main concern with a free-flight mechanic in future games is how technically realistic it is. Though it has been shown to be possible via the Indigo Disk DLC, it is not perfect. Scarlet and Violet are plagued with graphic and performance issues that, even after patches with hotfixes, can disrupt the gameplay experience. At best, these drops in framerate and slow rendering break immersion. Free flight can be complicated, as it would require areas of the map to be loaded a lot faster than what is currently locked by gliding. There is a glimmer of hope, however, as Pokémon Gen 10 games have an advantage over Scarlet and Violet.

The prediction is that the next Generation in the series will only start in late 2025, and this may be great news for the technical aspect of the new titles, as the long-rumored new Nintendo Switch console may be released by then. If a new and improved piece of hardware is, in fact, released before or during 2025, this could allow the new Pokémon games to be larger and less struck by technical difficulties. The various bugs, glitches, and performance issues that accompanied Scarlet and Violet’s release plagued the game’s reputation, which has a very appealing and involving structure to it.

Rumors indicate that the new Nintendo consoles will arrive at some point in 2024, which gives Game Freak plenty of time to structure Gen 10 around an allegedly more potent hardware. Hopefully, the new titles will have a better performance than Scarlet and Violet offered. It would also be great if this technical improvement in the Pokémon Gen 10 games was accompanied by a free-flight mechanic in the open-world map.