Pokémon: 10 Dumbest Gameplay Features Of All Time

By Gareth Cartwright / September 30, 2016

When Pokémon Sun & Moon launch in November, they're set to bring a boatload of new and returning features to the popular series. Virtual Pokémon pet sims, super training systems and even a Pokémon Snap-style mini-game are all coming to the next 3DS instalments, reminding us all just why the franchise has been so successful for twenty years.

However, not all features in the main games have been quite so impressive. In fact, for every handful of great aspects in its history, there's one which quite simply defies all logical inclusion. They are, quite simply, dumb or uninspired additions to the games.

While it's true that none of these poor features are unforgivable, in many cases they can be held accountable for particular entries in the series being considered imperfect. Whether completely at odds with the overall style of the game or just retrospectively altering a solid formula, these are the features that the Pokémon franchise could certainly do without.

Here are ten of the dumbest gameplay features in Pokémon history.

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10. The Safari Zone

The idea of the Safari Zone sounds like a pretty normal concept for a Pokémon game at first, and most players will probably have revelled in the thrill of their first visit. Upon closer inspection, however, this mode completely undermines the adventure of the game around it.

With a selection of Pokémon being farmed into a bordered zoo, players simply wander in and hurl Poké Balls at them until they're so bored they allow themselves to be caught. The whole experience takes the mystery and adventure away from the Trainer's journey around fascinating regions, and makes the idea of training and battling completely irrelevant. The Safari Zone is so tame that entering it feels like starting Skyrim - but knocking the difficulty right down to its lowest setting. There's just no challenge left.

You could, of course, argue that all creatures in the game are technically enclosed since they're bound by the confines of a video game, but let's not get so meta...