It's the Little Things!

[Lunar]

We all love the main features of the Pokemon games, the creatures, the regions, mechanics and much more! But what smaller things have you noticed in the games that make you love them even more?

For me, it's the subtle worldbuilding throughout the series. Seeing various characters appearing in different places, like Jasmine in Sinnoh, or Cynthia in Unova, it makes the world feel alive, and that these characters aren't just stuck standing in their gyms/areas for eternity. Definitely helps the world come alive for me more, which is important in RPGs!

 

[Roni]

To connect with the "feeling more alive" idea, NPCs in cities who have random walk cycles. It's been around since the beginning and I always loved how it gave them so much more life/personality compared to other RPGs where the NPCs just... stand all day.

 

[RadEmpoleon]

I really loved the seasons in the gen 5 games. They didn't affect the games too much, but it really made the games feel more "alive" since it would be more likely to be snowing in winter or raining in spring. The music also changed slightly, and the scenery would change just a bit. They're subtle but nice.

 

[Lunar]

I really loved the seasons in the gen 5 games. They didn't affect the games too much, but it really made the games feel more "alive" since it would be more likely to be snowing in winter or raining in spring. The music also changed slightly, and the scenery would change just a bit. They're subtle but nice.

This! I'm about to start another playthrough of White after I finish Platinum tonight and this is a standout feature for me, seeing the environments and Pokemon change according to the season is a detail that actually goes a long way. Stuff like this all add up to make the games feel really alive!

 

[Sheep]

seasons, and Pokemon that are exclusive to time of day! kid me enjoyed the motivation to play during different times to catch certain things.

and as of more recently, I love how we can see what balls trainers caught their mons in. adds more personality to the games. 👍

 

[Sydian]

i was just yesterday thinking about how i like the inclusion of NPC trainers using different kinds of pokeballs for their team. it's nice to see heal balls or dive balls instead of the standard pokeball. it tells you that the trainer was a little more strategic about how they caught their pokemon or maybe they just have a certain ball that they like. it's a small thing, but brings a little more life and color. even the in-game trade pokemon that have awful nicknames, it's still nice to see. unless it's pokemon stadium bc those are just terribad.

 

[Hoenn Res]

I love the roleplay. In diamond I authentically feel like a city girl making her way through jubilife.

 

[Figure]

I really loved the seasons in the gen 5 games. They didn't affect the games too much, but it really made the games feel more "alive" since it would be more likely to be snowing in winter or raining in spring. The music also changed slightly, and the scenery would change just a bit. They're subtle but nice.

This is a great one, Animal Crossing does it as well and it is really nice for immersion. One that I like for a playthrough is that all Pokemon of a species aren't the same. Different natures, IVs, Evs, Movesets depending on level, and abilities make each Pokemon feel unique and when I am playing a nuzlocke and I catch a Mon with a shit nature it makes it more rewarding when it does well giving a feeling akin to being proud of my pixels. :)

 

[Sheep]

This is a great one, Animal Crossing does it as well and it is really nice for immersion. One that I like for a playthrough is that all Pokemon of a species aren't the same. Different natures, IVs, Evs, Movesets depending on level, and abilities make each Pokemon feel unique and when I am playing a nuzlocke and I catch a Mon with a shit nature it makes it more rewarding when it does well giving a feeling akin to being proud of my pixels. :)

The individuality is really nice yeah! Back when I was a kid and natures didn't exist yet, I didn't realize that the same Pokemon species could be different since it wasn't obvious just looking at their summary page. But now with natures and characteristics listed it's a lot easier for kids to differentiate, and everyone can more easily create personas for their mons. I have a notepad file with my OC's Pokemon and their individual natures lol. Now if only we could get even more focus and attention on the creatures of this game and get a well done follow system.... the Isle of Armor/Crown Tundra one just isn't great, and I don't imagine they'd bring that back permanently for later games...

 

[Figure]

The individuality is really nice yeah! Back when I was a kid and natures didn't exist yet, I didn't realize that the same Pokemon species could be different since it wasn't obvious just looking at their summary page. But now with natures and characteristics listed it's a lot easier for kids to differentiate, and everyone can more easily create personas for their mons. I have a notepad file with my OC's Pokemon and their individual natures lol. Now if only we could get even more focus and attention on the creatures of this game and get a well done follow system.... the Isle of Armor/Crown Tundra one just isn't great, and I don't imagine they'd bring that back permanently for later games...

Oh for sure! I remember getting Sapphire and thinking it was so cool that Pokemon had natures (even if I didn't know what they meant) and a quick little description of their personality. I agree with the follow mechanic, some Pokemon are too slow so they get teleported to you and the cutting in and out isn't very good either.