Getting Lost in an Area/Getting Stuck

[Palamon]

Have you ever found yourself lost in a Pokemon game? Or getting stuck because you can't figure out a puzzle?

Honestly, yes. Many times. I remember as a kid, I got stuck in a mission in Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia because I was confused about the Happiny. I also thought I was stuck because there was "unwalkable on grass" in the forest where that mission was.

Got lost/stuck for a few hours in Silph Co because I didn't know where the card key was. I didn't feel like looking up where it is, but I eventually found it, and was able to clear Silph co. in minutes in Blue/Yellow right afterwards struggling in Red Version.

I remember my recent (two years or so ago) playthrough of Leafgreen where I was literally lost in Rock Tunnel for hours because I was too lazy to catch 10 Pokemon to get Flash. I don't know I struggled so much in there, but I wasn't home at the time to look up the layout to getting out of there.

And I'm pretty sure I definitely got lost in that desert in Sun/Moon that's optional to go through since I had no idea where I was supposed to navigate. I had to Google this one to find the Psychichium-Z or whatever it's called. It wasn't worth the trip at all, you're honestly better off not going into this desert.

Today, I also struggled with the Pokemon Mansion because I was stupid and kept trying to figure out the puzzle on the wrong floors. That took about an hour of me being dumb about it to figure it out. Eventually, I just googled which floor the Key was on after being lost in there (an exiting multiple times because the wild Pokemon kept barraging me) and tried figuring it out from there.

Pretty sure I remember struggling with Nessa's gym puzzle a tiny bit, as well as the gym puzzle in Stow on Side. But that wasn't me getting lost, that was me being stuck because I didn't know how to steer the teacup very well. I eventually figured it out, obviously, but this made me never want to replay sword/shield for that very gym puzzle.

I've definitely gotten lost trying to go to Cinnabar Island, too, by going down the Fuscia City route, only to realize later I can just swim south from Pallet Town.

Wayward Cave, too, that cave is completely optional, too. But who wants to even use TMs in Gen IV? No one. Honestly, I don't really want a Garchomp anyway, so I wouldn't want to get lost in there again.

Also, warp panels can go to hell. I can't even count the amount of times those things got me lost in a Pokemon game.

 

[Roni]

I kinda like getting lost in games. Exploring optional areas that were purposefully put there by devs makes me appreciate that they took the extra effort to add stuff like that. Also I love collecting optional loot too; can never go wrong with getting some interesting items and TMs.

The last time I got annoyed at getting lost somewhere I think was in FRLG when I wasn't in a good mood while tryna find my way through Sabrina's gym. Confusing warp panels and a bad temper don't mix well.

 

[Janp]

As a kid, I had a german copy of Sapphire and since I didn't understand that language, I had no idea what to do.

I also sometimes get lost in Gen III-V Victory Roads. They all look almost same and it's annoying to navigate through them, especially when using HM slaves.

 

[Zeostar]

I get lost in hoenn victory road most of the time.

I would enjoy getting lost if it weren't for excessive random encounters, and the fear of running out of repels.

 

[TheClassyHerddIer]

Well i've said this before but. I got stuck in at the eterna gym because I didn't know the trainers were hiding and you had to battle them

 

[BoulderSmolder]

I am convinced Mt. Mortar only exists to make people get lost in it.

 

[Devalue]

Remembers getting stuck in two spots:
- In Gold, after Cianwood Gym. Thought the ice path was unsolvable without a new Hidden Machine, off-limits, or something of that nature.
- In Black's Relic Castle. Biked over the sand pit. Fell in. Must need to be on foot. Skirted the edge while running. Slipped in again. Assumed a key item, new Hidden Machine, or event would remove it later.

 

[ReKoil]

Haina Desert in Alola & Route 20 in Kalos come to mind. Pretty sure there was another area like these too, but can't remember. Pretty much areas like this in general I guess.

Anything involving warp panels. Silph Co. especially was a headache to me when I was younger. Ended up just brute forcing it and randomly hopping into every single one of the dang things 😂

 

[Sydian]

dude some of them victory roads don't play LOL i'll get lost in there. silph co is shockingly easy when you've got a grip on it, but a first time through? lord no lol i think we all got stuck in there.

 

[Sheep]

God yes. My most memorable example being the Ice Path in GSC. As a kid I couldn't get myself past it no matter how hard I tried, so I had to lend my game to a classmate and have him get through it for me, then return it the next day lol.

 

[BoulderSmolder]

This is a ROM hack I played this year but I had an easy time finding everything in Pokemon Gaia... Except for the Coin Case for the Telmurk Game Corner.

I searched every building in Telmurk City. A NPC mentioned he left his Coin Case where he worked, so I searched every warehouse with the item finder. Another NPC said Telmurk has trade with Aerous City, so I searched Aerous City with the Item Finder. And then I assumed it might be in the routes outside Telmurk, so I searched Telmurk Outskirts, the Battle Marsh, and Telmurk Swamp. I eventually gave up and googled the location... And felt deep-rooted embarrassment. It was a NPC standing right outside the Telmurk Department Store.

It says a lot about the skill of the ROM hack's designer Spherical Ice that the only time I got stuck was an optional item not required for progression. The game rewards exploration and backtracking, but still is always clear about where to go next.

In the Pokemon games proper, I remember getting stuck in two places in LeafGreen.

First was the hot tea. In Red and Yellow, you enter Saffron City by giving the thirsty guard a cold drink from the vending machine. So I was very confused when the guard didn't take fresh water in the remake, and even more confused when the solution was hot tea of all things. I get including a key item to prevent players from getting soft locked if they run out of money, but why not still allow the guard to accept the vending machine drinks?

Second was the Sevii Islands Dotted Hole. I managed to work out the door was in Braille and said "Cut", but I didn't think the answer was to use Cut on a door of all things.