5th Gen Seasons

[Synerjee]

Seasons is a mechanic introduced in the fifth generation that has been brought back in the sixth. The seasons follow that of the real world: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, but instead of each season lasting approximately three sequential months, the seasons in Unova changes each month, going through a full cycle three times a year. Certain places and items may be inaccessible due to changes in the environment, such as leaves in Route 20 during Autumn and snow in Icirrus City during Winter. Changes in music, such as more bells during Winter and a more upbeat rhythm during Summer, can also be heard. Besides that, the types of wild Pokemon that can be encountered also vary significantly from season to season.

Which season, Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter, is your favourite? Elaborate!

 

[Hikamaru]

Just a pointer but seasons were in both 5th Gen games, not just B2/W2.

But aside from that, my fave season has to be the Spring because well, it's a very pretty season thanks to all its flowers and it's also the season my birthday in real life falls in (well, according to the southern hemisphere where I reside or else it's autumn) but in the games it's in the summer hahahahaha. The differences in the music between seasons is also a nice little touch I have to say. Pretty sad it never carried over to 6th Gen, but when I replay a Unova game I always want to view the beauty the seasons gave to Unova.

 

[Wobbu]

I liked the seasons. The changes were minor, but enough to make a difference. The only problem was that I finished the games in less than a month, so I only got to experience one season. Summer is my favorite because all of the summer themed music was the best imo (Route 11 and Undella Town tho). In terms of aesthetics, Spring is my favorite brighter green colors. I would have preferred more snow during Winter, though. Most places only received a paler shade of colors rather than actual snow D: I also would have liked more acknowledgement of the seasons from the NPCs, kind of like how Undella Town was with summer. It would be cool if Icirrus City had a festival during the winter time, and if Castelia had summer concerts, stuff like that.

 

[Typhlosionn]

Winter! I always loved the city being filled with snow, or maybe a hailstorm.

And maybe Autumn, because of the leaves. I remember the route in BW2 filled with orange leaves everywhere and I liked it.

 

[Hiatus]

Seasons were one thing that had made these games so special, at least in my eyes. We've got them in real world, so adding them into the game as well raises the amount of things in which you could relate. More you could connect, I feel, the better of an experience you would wind up having. Not many of us might actually think of it, but this is how it works for most of us players, I believe.

Of all seasons that they had introduced, my most favorite would likely have to be winter. You've got snow here and there, which does help brighten the mood, in a way. Also, it somehow helps give me a cool, laid-back feeling, which I love. Winter's also my favorite in real world, as I'm more fond of cold weather than hot (or warm), and that could possibly explain as to why I feel this way.

Though, one thing that disappointed me their changes, which, as mentioned in one of the above posts, were minor. If they had been a little more drastic, I feel it would've been better.

 

[Sheep]

Fall because it's as beautiful in-game as it is irl. <3 Winter as well, but again, this is just taking aesthetics into account and nothing else.

Though I agree with Wobbu. I went through the game within a week or so; seeing all the seasons was not something I had the opportunity to experience. But at the same time they were hardly enough to make a difference towards anything and there is almost nothing season-specific that'd push people to keep playing and try them out. I was really hoping more would be done with them.

 

[Pendraflare]

I think my favorite season in-game would be spring, because the music that plays in this season at certain routes throughout the game would have to be my favorite of the seasonal tracks. That and you get to battle Cynthia every day in Undella Town :P Second is probably Winter, I like the white background that the grass has in the battle scenes then, and how there are certain areas you can only access during winter, but at the same time it locks you out of other areas. Fun though.

 

[Starry Windy]

My favorite season is Summer, because for me, it's when the city and routes in Unova started to be lively, and the vibrant colors of Summer reflects it a lot too. It's also the only season when Undella Town started to get lively, too.

 

[Nakala Pri]

I'd definitely have to go with Spring. :P The colours are really pleasant and you don't have to put up with snow piles blocking your way or anything like that. I really liked the cherry blossom leaves in Route 4, that was pretty wicked.

And the battle scenes are really pretty, but Summer is actually nice too... so I'm a bit torn. :P

I think autumn was a bit yucky because of the grass colours. xD

 

[mikey]

This is one of the few things I liked about the Unova games. My favorite would be Winter, because you can use the snow to go to other areas previously unavailable in the other seasons. It's a nice touch.

 

[Meng Jiaxin]

Autumn! My birthday's in August, plus I love running through the fallen leaves (and out pops a Pokemon ranger!)

 

[Sun]

Fall and Winter are the most special seasons in BW and its sequels as well.
Just look at the those red leaves on Route 20 during Fall, as well as the frozen puddles in Icirrus City and Twist Mountain's Winter layout! :)

Deerling and Sawsbuck are cool as well. But there should be legendary Pokémon that is/are directly connected to the seasons!

 

[Sopheria]

Oh look, it's snowing~

Fifth gen is, as of this writing, the only generation to have season changes as a gameplay mechanic. The seasons change several factors, most noticeably the color of Deerling and Sawsbuck, and the encounter rates of several Pokemon vary from season to season. You also get a nice little sound at the beginning of the sound track of each route, which differs depending on the season.

So what are your thoughts on the seasons mechanic? Did you enjoy it? What are some of your favorite aspects of it?

 

[blue]

I really enjoyed having seasons introduced, it was something totally new to the franchise. I loved how so many areas changed appearance in relation to the changing seasons. It would have been great to see it back for Gen VI, but there's always next generation I suppose.

 

[Hikamaru]

Deerling and Sawsbuck are cool as well. But there should be legendary Pokémon that is/are directly connected to the seasons!

I can understand you here. While Deerling and Sawsbuck were a great Pokemon to showcase the seasons gimmick, it would have been more awesome to have had a Legendary quartet that represented each season. But I'm still okay with the deer.

 

[Winter]

It's such a minor feature that's easily overlooked by a majority of the player base but I love such attention to detail. Those slight changes in music and aesthetic really makes playing through the region realistic and fascinating. I love Autumn; the overworld scenery is beautifully luscious and those colours are just orgasmic to the eye. I also like how some locations are season-affected such as Icirrus City.

 

[Bounsweet]

Well, despite my actual favorite season being autumn, in these games I thought that spring was the prettiest. Summer I think was the most boring, and it was interesting to see how winter affected some of the more northern cities as well. Overall, it was a really neat feature to use entirely different color palettes for everything, but I don't really think it was something as essential as the nighttime system.

 

[tokyodrift]

I loved the fact that they included seasons, and it's sad how it's really overlooked by the player base. My personal favorite would have to have been Spring. I think the region was gorgeous during that time frame. I do wish they did more with the Deerling line though.

 

[Hikamaru]

The fact some locations were made accessible or blocked off during certain seasons (such as Twist Mountain in winter) and also certain events being available based on the season served much of an incentive to return to previous areas so you can complete what you missed earlier. It was annoying but at least was something unique with the mechanic.