Game Freak continues to work on growing the Pokemon series, telling new stories set in different regions, each with new mechanics and Pokemon for players to catch and adore. It's possible, however, that some of the best inspiration for future Pokemon titles could come from a game that Game Freak has already released.
Despite its continued growth and success, fans of the Pokemon franchise have been in a bit of a divide in recent years. While new Pokemon generations continue to successfully bring in new fans of the series, there are others who feel that the mainline Pokemon entries aren't evolving at the pace, or direction, that they should. Ironically enough, Game Freak has already developed a game that solves many of the elements those unsatisfied fans take issue with.
In 1997, Game Freak released Bushi Seiryuuden: Futari no Yuusha ("Warriors of the Blue Dragon") exclusively in Japan for the Super Famicom. While the game makes no direct reference to the Pokemon series, Bushi Seiryuuden does give similar vibes to Game Freak's monster catching series thanks to its character designs and later Pokemon titles even feature a few elements first found in the now obscure Super Famicom game.
Different Goals
In Bushi Seiryuuden, players take control of a young boy who just reached the age to be considered a warrior for his village. After a large bird monster attacks the warrior's home and kidnaps his sister, the warrior sets out on a journey around the world with his small dragon companion in order to save her. Aside from being about a child who travels the world with a small monster, there isn't really anything about Bushi Seiryuuden's story that's similar to a typical Pokemon plot, but that's exactly why it's so refreshing.
The world of Pokemon becomes more vast with every entry, introducing characters from all walks of life. After so many games, there's no reason players can't be allowed to have a goal other than beating the region's Pokemon League. Likewise, there doesn't always need to be an evil organization waiting to be thwarted by a child. The side games have almost always done this, but at this point, mainline Pokemon games could actually benefit from smaller, more personal stories that involve the player's character more directly. Pokemon Legends: Arceus might be the first step towards this narrative style for mainline games, telling the story of creating Sinnoh's first regional Pokedex.
The Silent Protagonist
Like Pokemon, Bushi Seiryuuden's hero is a silent, nameable avatar. The difference between them, though, is that Bushi Seiryuuden gives players a sense of how the world views their silent avatar through their interactions. The warrior's sister makes references to his habit of daydreaming while his mentor compliments his diligence towards combat training and natural talent. Considering how many Pokemon rivals are meant to be childhood friends, it would probably help players feel a little more immersed in the world if characters didn't almost always speak to them as if they're meeting for the first time before jumping straight to story exposition.
Bushi Seiryuuden manages to keep dialogue interesting throughout its journey as well by having the warrior's dragon companion often speak in their place. While this obviously isn't something Pokemon could or even should carry over directly, there is still something that can be taken away from it. From start to finish, players carry anywhere between one and six Pokemon as they travel through all sorts of different terrain and face all kinds of obstacles.
It might be great if at any time, players could get a read on their Pokemon's reaction towards the various environments and possibly even story situations. Pokemon games have always gone on to talk about the bonds and trust that players form with their Pokemon which act as their strength, so it would be great to see a Pokemon entry that actually portrays that element using the player's own Pokemon.
Exploration
One of the more common complaints from some fans about the more recent Pokemon titles are their increasingly linear designs. Fewer roads exist for players to take, and a lot of the time, road blocks will be present to force players in the direction the game wants them to go. While the reality is that the Pokemon series has always been mostly linear, there were fewer noticeable road blocks and the ones that existed were pretty clever. Players will likely always remember having to wake up a sleeping Snorlax, but a lot of later titles have NPCs just standing around for no reason other than stopping the player until the game was ready for them to progress.
Road blocks do exist in Bushi Seiryuuden as well, but problems keeping the players from progressing have an impact on other characters in the world as well. When a bridge is blocked off, characters will explain that the trade route between villages have been cut off and that it could spell doom for its inhabitants. Not only does this help to realize the world, but it ending with a boss battle of its own makes it a bigger part of the player's adventure, similar to what players regularly encounter in other JRPGs like Dragon Quest.
Bushi Seiryuuden's world is smaller than that of a lot of Pokemon games, but it creates the illusion of being larger than it is by letting players explore a little more freely. From the very beginning, players are free to wander wherever they'd like, not having the game tell them where to go. This can lead to a few frustrations of its own with players becoming lost for not following some of the laid out story sequences, but a balance between the two styles of exploration could make for the ultimate Pokemon adventure.
Difficulty
Pokemon will likely always be an entry-level RPG series, but as its competitive scene shows, there is a ton of room for high-level play. Unfortunately, players can only really experience this if they were to play against other players as Pokemon does little to encourage players to battle in the most efficient way possible.
In Bushi Seiryuuden, battles come with a turn limit which is determined by enemy's strength. Players can go over the appointed limit, but every turn after will eat away at the player's HP. This probably wouldn't translate too well into a Pokemon battle, but what would work is what happens if enemies are defeated before reaching the turn limit. Depending on how quickly players can finish the battle, enemies drop better rewards and players earn bonus experience. It's a neat way to encourage players to try out new strategies that will earn them the fastest win possible, something that could help new Pokemon players before they enter the online world.
Bushi Seiryuuden is a game that tried many new things. While many of its elements worked exclusively for the unique type of game that it is, a lot of its features could be applied elsewhere. The Pokemon series is still going strong and will likely continue to for the foreseeable future, but if the series is going to continue to try new things like with Pokemon Legends: Arceus, paying Bushi Seiryuuden a revisit certainly couldn't hurt.