Regional forms were first introduced to the world of Pokemon with the Generation 7 games, Pokemon Sun and Moon, which gave 18 different Pokemon their own unique looks in the gorgeous Alola region. Fans went on to see plenty more new Pokemon given their own regional variants and forms in future titles as well, including Galarian forms in Pokemon Sword and Shield, Hisuian forms in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and, of course, Paldean forms in the latest Pokemon Scarlet and Violet games. Besides simply giving them new looks depending on the region they live in, regional variant Pokemon are also given different types to the ones that fans might be familiar with. For example, Sandshrew is typically known to be a Ground-type Pokemon, but Sandshrew’s Alolan form is Ice and Steel-type instead.
RELATED: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Player Finds Hidden Sandwich Shop
Although regional variant Pokemon have generally been very well-received by fans, some of the latest Pokemon games have demonstrated that obtaining regional variants that live in faraway regions can prove challenging. One fan on Reddit known as sdrey has formed their own idea of how obtaining these exclusive Pokemon could be made easier in future titles with the help of certain snacks found throughout the diverse Pokemon world. They suggest that these local specialties, foods which come exclusively from specific regions in the world, could be given to Pokemon to encourage their evolution into certain regional forms. Alternatively, these items could be also be given to Pokemon to allow them to breed regional variants of their species instead.
Though players can get hold of region-specific Pokemon in the newer games, they can typically only obtain them from certain NPCs or by transferring them through Pokemon Home. This makes it perhaps more challenging than is necessary for players to add their favorite region-exclusive Pokemon to their team during a playthrough, and makes it downright impossible for them to evolve, say, a Pikachu caught in the Galar region into an Alolan Raichu.
While a lot of like-minded fans are on board with this player’s suggestion since it would certainly make it easier for players to farm for shiny regional Pokemon or those with a certain nature, others aren’t so keen on the concept due to it conflicting with established lore to some extent. Either way, it’s not unheard of for helpful fan suggestions like this to find their way into games eventually, and would definitely provide a neat quality-of-life feature that would help many players.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available on Nintendo Switch.
MORE: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s New, Never-Before-Seen Type Combos Explained
