Pokemon design isn’t patented, they are secured by copyright. As long as they do not copy a Pokemon design directly, they are safe. Being inspired is not a copyright infringement. Patents usually are about hardware and other mechanical solutions, in example a certain dialog system. And it needs to be patented and all patents are open to see, I think.
While I agree, its still his opinion if Nintendo did anything of value. BTW I played Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom this year on Yuzu. And I’m proud of it. Great games, although with big problems. I would add Super Mario Maker 2 and Super Mario Wonder to the list, and maybe Bayonetta 3, Lugi’s Mansion 3, Splatoon 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and probably a few more.