Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players discuss why the world feels “lifeless”
The Pokemon CompanyPokemon Scarlet & Violet are divisive at the best of times. Players took to social media lately to discuss why the in-game world can feel so lifeless.
It’s fair to say that Pokemon Scarlet & Violet have been divisive in the community. While the games absolutely have their perks (like a fast-paced competitive scene and fun Tera Raids), there are some critiques to be made as well.
Pokemon fans have never shied away from criticizing Pokemon games and Scarlet & Violet have not been excluded from this. Players took to r/pokemon recently to debate why the overworld in Scarlet and Violet can feel so “lifeless” at times.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players criticize “empty” in-game world
This debate originated in this post – although it’s been going on since the release of Scarlet & Violet to some extent. A Pokemon player shared their thoughts in the original post, querying why there weren’t any meaningful side quests or NPCs to be found in the Scarlet & Violet world.
Other players in the replies agreed with the original poster, with one person saying that the lack of NPCs or Pokemon spawns made it hard for players to care and that “even the names of the areas are bland/uninspired with the “Area One (South 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 complain about the graphics in these games so frequently.
A good handful of replies mentioned how strange it was being unable to enter so many of the buildings in the games. There have always been gated or inaccessible areas in Pokemon games, but arguably never to the extent that Scarlet & Violet has.
One person even joked that “I actually got stuck on Larry’s gym challenge because I didn’t realize the restaurant had an interior”.
Some players disagreed with OP, though, with one person arguing that adding extra side quests “would have felt more like bloat than fleshing out the world”. Others mentioned how previous games, like Pokemon Legends Arceus, didn’t offer great side quests.
All in all, a lot of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet players clearly take issue with how the games present an open world. One player summed up the majority of the arguments in the replies, saying: “They failed at the one thing that justifies creating an open world…there’s literally nothing in it worth looking for.”
