>>34678261You could make the setting the source of adversity and force the player to overcome challenges established by circumstance rather than people with ill intent.
For example, you could make the player a researcher in the employ of a professor. The professor needs you to go explore various areas and witness specific things, perhaps even capture unique or rare pokemon for him to study, or observe them in their natural habitat via a photography based mini game.
To reach these research subjects, you may have to convince local trainers to help you. They might have information on where to look or be able to clear a path over obstacles for you if you aid them in some way. Or you may have to contend with powerful pokemon guarding the area. Dutiful protectors of sorts who might have unique stats, movesets, buffs, and/or the ability to call in other strong pokemon for assistance in battle.
Other research subjects might be guarded by long dungeons filled with traps or puzzles, requiring the player to bring supplies to sustain them and use their heads and their pokemon's abilities to open the path.
If they wanted to get really crazy, the development team could provide non-linear maps with side areas containing branching paths to explore and rewards like resources, rare pokemon, or even secret objectives linked to legendary or otherwise special pokemon.
Ah, but who are we kidding? This is GF we're talking about. Kanto re-remakes when?
