I’ve been playing Pokémon for 25 years. The immortal words of Professor Oak have always stuck with me: “A world of dreams and adventures with Pokémon awaits! Let’s go!”
Oak was correct; Pokémon Red and Blue offer a wondrous world of adventures. Gold and Silver upped the ante, leaving me wondering how the franchise would keep topping itself and upping the ante
The open world region of Paldea feels like you’re putting a bandaid on a stress fracture. After the shine wears off, you’re left wondering why you’re even playing this game.
If anything, it’s out of obligation; I’ve played Pokémon for two and a half decades, and I’ve already poured dozens of hours into this game. Why stop now?
It often feels like Pokémon preys on this style of thinking, evidenced by the fact that the game sold a whopping 10 million copies in just three days. Why truly change things up when you don’t need to?
Just rearrange the deck chairs and call it a day. Sadly, when that deck is the Titanic, that’s just delaying the inevitable. The more I played through Scarlet and Violet, the more I hated myself.