What did Pokemon do?

Pokemon took the combat formula from traditional turn-based RPGs and turned it inside-out.

In traditional RPGs you have a few characters who learn more and more attacks and spells.

In Pokemon you capture more and more characters (pokemon) who can only have four moves each.

Instead of choosing from a big list of attacks and spells, you choose from a list of Pokemon and then a small list of moves.

I’m interested in the shift from “few characters, many moves” to “many characters, few moves each” as a design move that could be useful to apply to interfaces.

Many traditional RPGs (I’ve been playing Chrono Trigger) are recognized as some of the best videogames ever made, but they don’t rival pokemon in popularity.

How much can you put that difference down to the shift in combat? There are definitely some other, related aspects:

• Capturing means regular battles are now opportunities to create more characters. Regular battles are the grindiest aspects of RPGs so this seems like a big deal.
• Evolution mechanics tap into people’s interest in digital pets.