What is the logic behind needing the National Dex to evolve Gen 1 Pokemon into Gen 2 Pokemon in FR/LG?

Question

In FRLG, if you max out a Golbat or Chansey's happiness (example), they will try to evolve. However, they can't... because you don't have the National Dex. What sense does that make?!? Why do you need the National Dex to evolve Pokemon? The Pokemon professors didn't need Pokedexes to discover new Pokemon! Pokemon should be able to undergo evolution without the need of a Pokedex. So why do you need the National Dex to evolve certain Pokemon?

Comments

There isn't really any logic behind it. They just wanted to block those Pokemon from being obtained before you had a Pokedex you could register them in.

Answer 1

There are several possibilities for game freaks weird division that I'm going to list.

1. It's maybe because the remakes wanted to look like the originals as much as possible, going as far as making the character not turn when they are engaged in a battle.

2. It would also be weird to a have a kanto dex with more than 151/150 Pokemon in it so it would make sense that you can't evolve you Golbat until post-game.

3. This one is speculation, but its possible that they did this so that new players who only played frlg feel surprised when their Golbat evolves and they find more Pokemon, thus making the post-game more fun for them.

4. Game freak logic.

The source for number 3 is experience.

Comments

Thanks. This helps a lot.

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they could have just let it evolve but not have the evolution form be in the pokedex