What Pokémon Does Well

I know that the Pokémon games still have this bad "it's a game for middle schoolers" stigma attached to it. (Not that the fanbase cares a whole lot...)

However, a lot of people don't realise that it has some truly excellent design choices! Even if you might not notice this at first glance,  there's a whole lot to learn from the series. So here we go~

1. The NPCs tell you how the game works. Many people say that this makes them somewhat boring to talk to, but c'mon! Having someone explain you how certain game mechanics work is muuuch more interesting than the regular "Today's a nice day!" "What shall I cook today?" the NPCs in other RPGs spout ad infinifum.
2. (as of Gen V) Pokécenters and shops share an interior. While this may result in having smaller towns overall, it definitely saves the trouble of healing up and then finding a place to stock up on supplies. Some older games like Final Fantasy V do this too (not all the time in the latter's case)
3. The dungeons (and gyms) have puzzles AND variety. Goes without comment,  game where this completely failed: Final Fantasy IV. It has zero puzzles, and almost every dungeon is a cave.
4. You can save everywhere! The most-glorious anti-frustration feature ever.
5. Flying. After a certain point in the game, you can revisit each and every town you've been to before on a literal fly. Saves a lot of trouble. To a lesser extent,  escape ropes let you warp out of every dungeon immediately.
6. Once new items become available,  they can be bought in ANY shop. Very good when you need that potion that restores 500 HP but are currently in the beginning areas for some reason.
7. May/Haruka has the best character design ever. Period.

I hope this list will help at least some people design their games well.

Au revoir!