As one of the most recent trailers for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has shown, there's a lot for Pokémon fans to be excited about, such as ree roaming, picnics with your partners, brand-new Pokémon, and even a means to let the Pokémon battle on their own. There are plenty of new things to be intrigued by whether you're a long-time fan or a newer one.
Surprisingly, though, there are also plenty of older things to excited about. For a franchise that's known for rarely looking back when it comes to mechanics (much to the frustration of fans), there are a lot of familiar gimmicks in the 14-minute-long "Jump into a Paldean Journey" video. From the looks of it, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is bringing back old mechanics -- and that's a good thing.
One issue long-time Pokémon fans run into is the fact that most "gimmicks" are exclusive to one generation. Things like Z-moves rarely make it into the next game. While this helps cement the identity of each generation, knowing that the next batch of games will likely remove it makes it hard to get attached to any gimmick. There have been some exceptions; Mega Evolutions and contests lasted two generations, and regional variants have made an appearance in every single generation since their debut. Still, for the most part, these kinds of mechanics haven't been reused despite their popularity.
This is nothing new. Even the day/night cycle introduced in Generation II skipped Gen III, and Gen IX is bringing back breakable TMs even though reusable ones have been around since Gen V. Regardless, fans have been very vocal about Game Freak's habit of introducing new mechanics without ever improving upon the existing ones. The term "gimmick" best describes these mechanics because they're often a one-and-done deal, and fans have often complained that good mechanics often don't make it to the next game.
Scarlet and Violet appears to finally break this trend. A version of Pokémon Refresh from the Gen VII games is making a comeback, as are raid battles from Gen VIII. Legends: Arceus' Alpha Pokémon might not be named as such, but Titan Pokémon certainly bear a striking resemblance to them. Team Star has an aesthetic similar to Pokémon Coliseum or Team Skull, and the overworld wild Pokémon that have been such a welcome mechanic since Let's Go is once again present. So many older, favored mechanics are now no longer relegated to their game of origin but are coming back with these new games.
Fans have long voiced their desires for Game Freak to focus on polishing older features over constantly introducing new ones, and now it seems that the developers are finally listening. There are new gimmicks such as Terastallizing, but these are also being balanced out by older mechanics that are being polished. Instead of multiple different ride Pokémon, there's going to be one Legendary ride Pokémon. Instead of grinding against multiple opponents, battles are automated and much smoother. Instead of merely observing Pokémon, trainers can once again interact with them, and the mechanics of the picnics strongly resemble that of camping in Gen VIII. Pokémon has been having issues with retaining its older fanbase, but the knowledge that the new games are focusing once again on old mechanics may very well be what renews the fandom's goodwill.