10 Insane Video Game Mechanics You Won't Believe Are Real

7. Inkay And Malomar - Pokémon X And Y

Pokemon Malomar
Game Freak

Now with 25 years of history under its belt, the Pokédex has transformed from 151 critters to a head spinning 898. Once upon a time it was easy to memorise every last one and what their gimmick was, now it’s a lot trickier.

In order to keep things fresh, the means to evolve Pokémon has also greatly ballooned. Once it was just a case of getting to the right level, trading or using the right elemental stones; now we have levelling in the right area, trading with another specific Pokémon and losing a very precise amount of hit points in a match just to name a few.

Pokémon X and Y introduced Inkay, a Dark/Psychic type squid of sorts that may take the cake when it comes to the most bizarre evolution method: turning the 3DS upside down.

How exactly players were meant to discover this outside of the strategy guide is definitely a question that needs to be asked. Inkay is described as the “revolving” Pokémon and its special ability is “Topsy-Turvy” so of course that naturally means turning the console upside down. How obvious!

This gimmick even continued onto the mobile game Pokémon Go in exactly the same fashion so let’s hope your phone has an internal gyroscope…

Contributor

Coming from a content creation background that now spans over two decades, Psy cut her teeth on personal video production and community radio. Originally joining the team as a writer and presenter, she added video editing duties to her responsibilities over time and became the longest-standing editor of the irreverent gaming show Tues Your Own Adventure. Psy has worked on many previews and reviews, long-form editorials (either her own, or supporting as an editor), as a frequent quizmaster and more. Praised for the two-pronged attack of her hard work ethic and light-hearted editing style, Psy is otherwise known as a font of retro video game knowledge which has caused her to rack up many gaming quiz wins. Outside of WhatCulture, Psy runs First Aid Spray Podcast - a long-running channel that focuses on Resident Evil in all of it's forms. You can follow her on BlueSky at http://psywhite.bsky.social and Instagram at http://instagram.com/therealpsywhite