Pokémon Scarlet & Purple players explain why the game feels “lifeless”

Pokémon Scarlet & Purple players have recently taken to social media to discuss why the game world can sometimes feel so lifeless.

It’s fair to say that Pokémon Scarlet & Purple have divided the community. While the games absolutely have their advantages (like a fast-paced competitive scene and fun Teracrystal Raids), there are also some criticisms to be made.

Pokémon fans have never been shy about criticizing Pokémon games, and Scarlet & Violet hasn’t been excluded from that. Players recently took to r/pokemon to discuss why the open world in Scarlet and Purple can sometimes feel “lifeless.”

Pokémon Scarlet & Purple players criticize ’empty’ game world

This debate began with this post – although it has continued since the release of Scarlet & Violet to some extent. A Pokémon player shared his thoughts in the original post, questioning why there were no meaningful side quests or NPCs to find in the world of Scarlet & Violet.

Is the reason that the World of Scarlet/Violet feels so empty because there are no sidequests? byu/Silegna inpokemon

Other players in the replies agreed with the original poster, with one person saying that the lack of NPCs or Pokémon spawns made it difficult for players to feel involved and that “even the area names are bland /uninspired with “Zone One (Southern Province)” .

Another player noted that the world didn’t feel cohesive at all, pointing out that there was “a dissonance between the environmental graphics and, well, everything else”and that there was a “good reason”why. people complained so frequently about the graphics in these games.

Quite a few responses mentioned how strange it was to not be able to enter so many buildings in the games. There have always been closed or inaccessible areas in Pokémon games, but never to the extent of Scarlet & Violet.

One person even joked that “I actually got stuck in Larry’s Arena Challenge because I didn’t realize the restaurant had an interior.”

Some players disagreed with the original poster, however, with one person arguing that adding additional side quests “would have felt more like filler than enriching the world.”Others have mentioned how previous games, like Pokémon Legends: Arceus, didn’t offer great side quests.

All things considered, many Pokémon Scarlet & Purple players clearly have a problem with the way the games present an open world. One player summed up the majority of the arguments in the responses, saying: “They failed at the one thing that justifies creating an open world… there is literally nothing in it worth pursuing.”»