The gameplay realization of Pokémon Raids didn’t originate in any mainline game, but instead the wildly-popular mobile title Pokémon Go. The concept itself can be seen in various other forms such as the anime series,or spin offs with multiple Pokémon going up against one larger foe. It would finally reach the mainline titles in the form we know it today with Pokémon Sword and Shield, and ended up becoming one of the most enjoyable end-game aspects of those titles. What’s even better is it would end up expanded upon in the Crown Tundra DLC, which is still an fun experience even now and possibly the most fun and exciting side mode the Pokémon series has ever produced.
While Pokémon is generally known for its more competitive side, the aspect that isn’t often touched on as much is cooperative. The most cooperation is generally seen in double battles with two players on each side, which are not only a joy to play, but also to watch. Raids created a whole new focus on strictly cooperative play as four trainers work together to take down the oversized Pokémon in their path. In most cases this is simply fighting a single Pokémon, but it would end up further added to in Crown Tundra when they added Dynamax Adventures.
Dynamax Adventures are one of the most fun game modes the series has ever seen, especially with an emphasis on careful thinking in its cooperative play. It has four trainers traveling through winding tunnels to reach a legendary Pokémon at the end, with the catch being they can’t bring their own teams, but instead must rely on the random assortment of Pokémon they fight along the way to be their allies. This makes it a tough challenge as players only know one type of each Pokémon they’ll face next with a brief silhouette, with the legendary also only giving one type with no silhouette. It’s the kind of fantastic fun that makes replaying to have different challenges all the more exciting. Not to mention, there’s a decent chance of finding a shiny even without a shiny charm, making it one of the only ways to get many of these legendary Pokémon shiny legitimately.
The issue with this fantastic mode is whether or not it’s likely to continue into the series from here on out. It’s given a story reason for existing due to Dynamax Pokémon being a major feature of sword and shield, but what are the chances it manages to return in the Diamond and Pearl remakes? Based on past history of the series, it has a slim one, but even if it needs to be majorly altered it would be a shame to lose the series' most enjoyable and creative cooperative mode. There’s nothing else like this in the series which makes it feel all the more impactful that it’s so fun. There are tons of easy ways this mode could be altered to fit Sinnoh or any other region or even ditch the Dynamax element entirely in favor of some other aspect in order to make them more temporarily powerful foes. Shadow Pokémon could make a return to cover this or perhaps Pokémon contaminated by one of the other many evil teams throughout the series. Ultimately the most important thing is feeling like a team fighting against dangerous foes and it would be a shame if it was left to one game like so many other enjoyable features the series has dabbled in.
There’s so many things we still don’t know about the upcoming Diamond and Pearl remakes, but one of the biggest things players want to know more about is new additions. Dynamax Raids are the single most enjoyable multiplayer experience the series has ever added, with ridiculous amounts of replayability that keeps people coming back for more whether they just enjoy the hunts or want to shiny hunt to their hearts' content. Many other modes have been experimented with such as contests, battle royale and many others, but the ultimate thing that made these not stand out as much as the goal was still competing against other players instead of bringing everyone together for one key goal to accomplish as a team. Whether with real friends or not, there’s a sense of companionship in Raids that feels like it remains true to the spirit of what Pokémon is and we can only hope it will continue in the series in some shape or form instead of being lost like so many others before it.
