Finale Fireworker
Member
I've got one. And it's one that might be hard to wrap your head around for series veterans that no the path exactly based on years of experience, but it's something that dawned on me during a recent replay.
The Safari Zone in Pokémon R/B/Y is stacked against a novice player in such a way that you would be forced to repeat it over and over again to progress the story.
Deep in the Safari Zone is an area that contains two plot-sensitive items. One appears like all other items, an ambiguous sphere that requires the player's examination to identify. The other is in a house in the area. Both are needed to proceed.
The problem is that the player only has 500 steps to reach these items. If the player doesn't already know the exact path, they will run out of steps and never know if they were any closer to the items. This necessitates playing the same area over and over again. Worse, this set up punishes the player for any exploration or Pokémon hunting.
I remember, as a kid, being so OVER the Safari Zone. What was once a bastion of rare and exotic Pokémon and possibilities was an excessive drag through repetitive stabs in the dark.
It's funny to think how, since then, the Safari Zone only takes one attempt. But as a novice, it was a painful episode that wouldn't end.
The Safari Zone in Pokémon R/B/Y is stacked against a novice player in such a way that you would be forced to repeat it over and over again to progress the story.
Deep in the Safari Zone is an area that contains two plot-sensitive items. One appears like all other items, an ambiguous sphere that requires the player's examination to identify. The other is in a house in the area. Both are needed to proceed.
The problem is that the player only has 500 steps to reach these items. If the player doesn't already know the exact path, they will run out of steps and never know if they were any closer to the items. This necessitates playing the same area over and over again. Worse, this set up punishes the player for any exploration or Pokémon hunting.
I remember, as a kid, being so OVER the Safari Zone. What was once a bastion of rare and exotic Pokémon and possibilities was an excessive drag through repetitive stabs in the dark.
It's funny to think how, since then, the Safari Zone only takes one attempt. But as a novice, it was a painful episode that wouldn't end.