Pokemon Gen 10 could surpass previous gimmicks with a twist on Classic feature

Pokémon Gen 10 is on many fans' radar, although it's difficult to say anything exactly about the games at the moment. The most likely “surprise” from Gen 10 is that it could break PokémonThe three-year development cycle and release in 2026 rather than next year will coincide with the series' 30th anniversary on the all but confirmed Nintendo Switch 2. Still, Gen 10 carries the weight of the world on its shoulders after receiving mediocre reception Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Because of the performance, it has to be big in every way. One such aspect is its gimmick, which with a relatively simple change could completely change the game and break a series-long tradition.

Pokémon Games have broken many traditions so far, even some of the most unthinkable, such as: Pokémon Legends: Arceus Changing how tall grass works. That's a good thing for a nearly 30-year-old series that needs to feel refreshing with new titles, and it's most likely something Gen 10 will pursue as well. Mega Evolutions were arguably the most popular gimmick of the entire series and they're coming back Pokemon Legends: ZAwhich means Gen 10 needs something new yet equally groundbreaking – a fifth train slot.

Why Pokemon Gen 10 would be wise to break a 30-year tradition with moves

Adding a fifth slot for Pokémon moves could be an incredible gimmick

It's hard to imagine Pokémon Games that add a fifth move slot after the series consistently used four moves in each of its mainline games, even the most daring and varied ones Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Still, Gen 10 could use this surprise factor to lay the foundation for its gimmick, allowing players to teach all or perhaps some of their creatures a fifth move. To make things even more interesting, perhaps these 5th slot moves could all come from the same list of techniques and have some unique features.

While a movement-related gimmick in the form of Z-Moves was added not too long ago, these techniques were used by creatures and worked similarly to Mega Evolutions in Gen 6, in the sense that Pokémon had animations and effects exclusive to them. Unlocking a fifth slot for moves would in itself be a dramatic change to the pace of combat and strategic team building in the games, but there might be some value in making these attacks (or even protection techniques) cohesive either thematically or in terms of being more interesting. For example, a move available to Grass-type Pokémon might allow them to deal Water-type damage to Fire creatures instead.

A fifth slot for Pokémon moves would open up endless gameplay possibilities

These moves in the fifth slot could either be reserved for special occasions, such as story battles against rivals and Gym Leaders or raid battles, or they could be available at any time. Another option would be to make these moves accessible by defeating and/or catching Pokémon from raids, unlocking the moves either through breeding or similar means (e.g Pokémon Scarlet and Violet'S Mirror Herb) or simply make the movements available to creatures that share these types or themes. These could be sound-based moves for Pokemon like the Jigglypuff series, including Screaming Tail, or perhaps stealth moves for Mons like Kecleon and Sceptile.

The sky's the limit when it comes to a movement-based gimmick, and involving players in the methods they use to get new moves for their creatures, perhaps even rare or event-exclusive moves, could be a fun way to keep up with this 30-year tradition breaking four train slots. The fifth slot wouldn't exactly be groundbreaking for competition if it were properly balanced and had restrictions, for example Pokémon Measures such as “Protect” and “Detect” are implemented to not only make it easier to form good teams. Regardless of what form this takes, it seems like an interesting idea that Game Freak would test out as a full-fledged gimmick after the many concepts that have been introduced in modern games and are looking to push the envelope Pokémon Games can.