But honestly, what can even be considered “comfortably different” from Pokemon? If you make funny little animals, they’ll probably resemble at least one of the 1025 Pokemon currently in existence.
I know it’s kind of an unpopular thread, but geez, those are widely considered some of the greatest games. It seems like you’re a bit older than I was when I played most of those, and I wonder if my youth made me enjoy those games more than they deserved.