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Pokémon is the most stagnant, unambitious, and complacent game series in the history of the entire industry.
Everyone likes to shit on Call of Duty, and Fifa for "releasing the same game every year" but Pokémon has been doing it for twenty years.
Pokémon games have had the same battle system since day 1. One vs one rock paper scissors battles with teams of six. Players can give their Pokemon an item, swap out their Pokemon, or perform an attack. Items and swaps happen first, then the faster pokemon attacks before the slower Pokemon. Rinse and repeat for 20 years.
Pokemon is the only turn based RPG that can get away with not telling a story. Pokemon doesn't have a story. It has a series of events that occur, such as meeting a seasick captain, or defeating five Pokemon trainers on a bridge, or helping a bike salesman. Each game goes the same. A kid comes of age, completes the local Pokemon challenge, defeats one of many villainous organizations who all somehow share the same naming scheme, defeats the champion, then can wander around freely and breed Pokemon. They could try to tell a story about a kid who's little sister goes missing, or a legendary Pokemon appearing in his dream, or anything, but no. 8 badges, team badguy, elite 4.
Pokemon introduces a new gimmick each generation, but they do everything in their power to use it as little as possible, and abandon it the next generation. Gen 2 added a day/night cycle to let you catch owls at night, Gen 3 added 2v2 battles that were used in maybe 1% of the battles in the game, Gen 4 added a capture the flag minigame you could play with friends in a tunnel, Gen 5 added 3v3 battles that were used in maybe 0.01% of the battles in the game, Gen 6 added Mega evolution, Gen 7 added Z moves, and Gen 8 is adding... Big Pokemon. Naturally Z moves, 3v3 battles, capture the flag, day/night cycles and Mega evolution are all retired mechanics.
