Pokémon players want new game plus but another key feature must come first

If you’ve ever beaten a Pokémon game and completed the Pokédex, you might’ve felt hesitant about ever restarting your game because you’d essentially lose all of your hard work along with all the Pokémon you caught unless you safely stored them in Pokémon HOME. If that thought ever crossed your mind, you’re not alone—that’s why many fans are asking for a New Game + mode along with another handy feature to make it all possible.

New Game + is a common mode in games that a player can access once they beat the whole game. It allows them to restart the game from the beginning while keeping certain items or perks from their initial playthrough, meaning they won’t be starting off completely empty-handed.

If the Pokémon games had a New Game + mode, you likely wouldn’t feel as bad about restarting your game to relive the adventure. In fact, it would even encourage multiple playthroughs, according to an Aug. 20 Reddit thread.

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For this to happen, the Pokémon games would, unfortunately, need multiple save slots—something that hasn’t changed in nine generations of the franchise. Still, players are dreaming up what a Pokémon New Game + mode would entail if we ever do get more than one save slot.

In a hypothetical New Game + mode, fans would want to see rare items like the Shiny Charm carry over since it’s usually only obtained after completing the Pokédex. That way, it wouldn’t feel like a waste to have spent all that time hunting down every Pokémon in the game.

Likewise, it would be nice to reuse the Pokémon you previously caught, especially if you grew attached to them. To keep it balanced and challenging in a New Game +, those Pokémon could have their levels reduced while retaining the rest of their traits such as Nature, EVs, and IVs. Maybe this could be your chance to beat all the gyms and become the champion with those Shiny Pokémon you caught in the postgame your first time around.

To top it off, some players are asking for a higher difficulty option within the New Game + mode, similar to Black 2 and White 2’s Challenge Mode. For players who feel like the battles are too easy, a harder New Game + mode could be exactly what they need to satisfy their craving for closer battles and smarter AI.

Of course, all of this will have to wait until we get additional save slots in future games, and for now, it remains unclear if and when that’ll happen.

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