New Pokemon games need to remember Gyms are more than boss fights

Gyms are meant to be a test of strength in Pokemon games, and new entries to the series need to remember they’re more than just boss fights.

Since the beginning of the Pokemon franchise, Gyms have acted as a test of strength for Trainers looking to progress with their journey. Some are easy to beat while others require a fair amount of prep. On top of this, the format has drastically changed over the years.

If you were asked who your favorite Gym Leader was, who would you pick? Chances are, there’ll probably be a fond memory tied to your choice – perhaps it’s one from your first-ever game or a Gym Leader who had a tricky puzzle to overcome.

The best Gym Leaders in existence are arguably those with memorable puzzles and Gym concepts. If you played Diamond and Pearl/Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, for example, it’s likely that you remember Candice’s sliding ice puzzle but not her team or the number of Trainers in her Gym.

ILCA / The Pokemon Company

Candice’s sliding puzzle from Pokemon BDSP.

A good Gym gives players just enough of a challenge to hinder them, but keeps things light and fun, too. While it is important for Gym Leaders to have an interesting team, the puzzle and concept are arguably the most crucial aspect.

This is something that the next Pokemon games should certainly include. It’s unknown at the time of writing whether Legends Z-A will have anything similar to Gyms (Legends Arceus didn’t really) but Generation 10 will roll around eventually and this game will almost certainly have Gyms.

It’s crucial for the Pokemon team to create intriguing puzzles for players to solve in Gyms, or else they run the risk of making the game too repetitive. Pokemon is repetitive anyway – although dedicated players would likely prefer the term ‘meditative’ instead – so Gyms with good puzzles act as a breather in between dialogue and leveling up Pokemon.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet moved in the right direction. Larry’s Normal-type Gym, for example, offered a unique challenge in the form of a riddle. Even the Grass-type Gym offered something different with the strange task of playing hide-and-seek with some glitchy Sunfloras, too.

Game Freak

Brassius’s Sudowoodo from the Gym.

Neither of these Gyms were particularly overwhelming in terms of difficulty, but they did present something different for players to sink their teeth into. The puzzles were arguably a lot more memorable than the fights, too.

If the Pokemon team wants Generation 10 to be memorable for its Gym battles and main progression, it needs to make sure that the Gyms each have a unique style, aesthetic, and most importantly, puzzle. There are a lot of Gym Leaders in the franchise already, after all, and this is how they can stand out from the crowd.

Pokemon fans echoed this idea, coming up with their own Gym ideas on Reddit. Some offered light-hearted takes, like a fashion-themed challenge for a Fairy Gym or haunted statues for a Ghost Gym, and others theorized about tough challenges to throw at players for the final Gym in the game.

It’s unclear whether Z-A will have Gyms or not. If it follows in the footsteps of Legends Arceus, it’s unlikely that we’ll see traditional Gyms. We may get to see boss fights against Pokemon in a style to Noble Pokemon or even something along the lines of the Team Star bases in Scarlet and Violet.

It’ll be exciting to see what the new entries in the Pokemon franchise bring to the table. The open-world idea in Scarlet and Violet was interesting but imperfect, but it did demonstrate a willingness to try new things. Pokemon Legends Z-A and the inevitable Gen 10 offer the chance to try something brand new.