Adding in some extra battle features would be amazing. Keep the dialogue fitting to the tone of what Pokemon was. It's a dreamy 90's children anime world, like Sailor Moon, filled with comfy, nostalgic vibes and a dreamlike atmosphere.
Make a nuzlocke mode for battles instead. At the beginning of the game you can start a nuzlocke by choosing the option to do so. Make multiple save files and alternate routes, say, being able to skip getting a starter Pokemon or being able to rush out into the forest that surrounds Pallet Town and go on your own in an open world version of the game. This will add replay value and make the game exciting and fun for multiple playthroughs, especially for nuzlockes. A few new towns and cities would be great as well. Expand Kanto and Johto and make them feel like a real world and go beyond Game Freaks shitty design, and really let the player do whatever they want. Game Freak has trainers with only 2 pokemon, items that you only can ever get one of, linear maps, shitty watered-down RPG battles that focus on RNG and mindgames for the higher levels of play, and a lack of actual RPG roleplaying fuel.
What I'm saying is that for Pokemon to be something amazing, and even "adult" like you said, it should be open. Immerse the player into the game and adapt Pokemon for an adult mind rather than a childs mind. What you suggested earlier wasn't adult; it was early teenager stuff. Adult would be having difficult decisions, a lot of open paths, very advanced gameplay to the point where creativity and intelligence rules the playing field, and overall more indepth and fleshed out than what we have. I very much so appreciate your efforts and the webm you posted looks glorious, so I'm looking forward to it.
A way to interact with your Pokemon would go very nicely with the advanced battles. Advanced battles would potentially go into the depth of what each species is like, giving them more than just 4 moves and a bunch of stats. Look up YouTube videos on how animals fight in the wild, and then apply that to the dreamy, usually lighthearted world of Pokemon to figure out a perfect mixture of "dreamy 90's anime" and "nomadic beastmaster animal taming and nature conquering sim". Joining Team Rocket seems like an excellent idea and having the options to steal things from people, including Pokemon and items, at the cost of having people coming and battling you for being a TR member and having to look out for the cops would make a very fun and interesting gameplay experience. You could potentially have a mechanic where your Pokemon get taken away and you need to find a way to break out of your jail cell and get them back. And what happens if Team Rocket wins? They want power and money, so do they take it from people whenever they want? Do they sneak back off into the inner workings of society and manipulate the general public to maximize profits and shape the world in their image? There are a lot of good things to potentially explore here as a writer, IF you wish to make a more fleshed out world.
If you're looking for gameplay however, a more fleshed out version of Kanto/Johto and exciting new gameplay and battle features would probably be best. Don't overwork yourself and don't try and put in everything people are saying unless it fits your image and you think it's something good, because overall this is your project. I'm speaking as someone who has a lot of experience with vidya and creating things.
Good luck on your ramhacking journey and I wish you the best of luck. Know your limits and take it easy, but also don't be afraid to push yourself a little so you can grow. Thanks for putting the time and effort into making something like this; I respect that kind of passion a shit ton.
