Poke Ride is basically the replacements of HMs. Remember when you had to bring specific “HM Slaves” just to traverse the world of Pokemon? Poke Ride puts an end to that. With a push of a button the player can call a Tauros to smash rocks or a Sharpedo to surf the waters.
Another good thing is that you don’t need to sacrifice that one slot on your Pokemon team just for a utility Pokemon. If you are a long time Pokemon Fan then you know how big of a deal this is - say goodbye to your Zigzagoons and Bidoofs!
HM Moves were a staple to the Pokemon series. It’s a set of moves that can be taught similar to TMs with two major features:
1. You can use them outside of battle to progress and travel: smashing rocks, cutting twigs, and surfing across water.
2. You can’t replace or delete them without the help of a Move Deleter.
HM moves have a love-hate relationship with the fans. Some fans say that they are needed because they are “staples” while others demand change saying that they are unnecessary features only present to for artificial difficulty.
The main drawback of HM moves is that you need to sacrifice a slot of your precious 4 slot movepool just to cram in a move, that aside from surf and fly, you will rarely use in battle. This puts trainers in a position they will either have to sacrifice one slot for a HM dedicated Pokemon (thus the Bidoof/Zigzagoon memes) or sacrifice a few move slots across your whole party.
Rideable Pokemon does not require a party slot. They are on a separate menu along with other rideable Pokemon. You don’t need to catch a Charizard to ride one or a Sharpedo to surf the waters. Also, while HM moves are included into the HM and TM category, Poke Ride moves are on a different category.
You can now progress through the whole game without the need of sacrificing a move slot or a party slot! For some HM slaves were a part of the adventure, but it seems that changes now.
