13 Things Nobody Wants To Admit About Pokémon

Many video games utilise power-ups, either to create a sense of gradual progression, or to regulate player movements. In Metroidvania games for instance, power-ups are often used as a means to obstruct players, preventing them from advancing until they have acquired whatever upgrade the game has specified. This is also very much the case with Pokémon, which uses HMs (Hidden Machines) as a form of power-up, and as a means to structure the experience.

It makes sense, and it’s perhaps the most organic way to regulate a game. In Pokémon however, HMs are utterly useless. They have a function, and that function must be performed before the player can advance, but then you’re stuck with them. Once taught, HMs can’t be forgotten, which means your chosen Pokémon has to carry them around for the rest of the game, permanently restricted to a mere three serviceable moves.

HMs are just baggage. There must be a better way to restrict players than by continuously lumping them with ineffectual abilities, like ‘Rock Smash’, ‘Strength’, and ‘Flash’. I mean, what good are they in the heat of battle?