Pokémon Switch Wishlist: 7 Features Fans Demand

In the anime, Misty was a bubbly young girl with an affinity for cute water types, an endearing crush on Ash and a hair trigger temper. In the games, she was a pixelated sprite.

While it’s improved recently, the games still lack real standout characters. Jessie & James, Officer Jenny and Brock all went the same way as Misty, having their personalities crushed by a car compacter so they’d fit into 8-bit.

While the game shouldn’t follow Ash necessarily, the player will need to experience the types of story Ash does on his merry, age-defying travels if it’s to be successful. Ash encounters so many Pokémon that he doesn’t even try to catch. While that’s not the best strategy when your motto is ‘Gotta catch ‘em all!’, it does give his narrative a variety seldom seen in the handhelds.

The majority of stories in the core series see you exploring a cave, getting to the end and catching a rare Pokémon. Or exploring a forest, getting to the end and catching a rare Pokémon. Or exploring a power plant and... yeah.

RPGs live and die by their narratives. With so many great stories in the spin-offs, the RPG has to deliver.