Pokemon Legends: Z-A Fails to Fix a Big Complaint Fans Had From Scarlet & Violet

Pokemon Scarlet & Violet was a bit of a rough game for many fans. Though it had great side characters and a fun story, the game suffered from glitches and terrible performance at launch. The new Switch 2 upgrade fixes some of those problems, but even so, Scarlet & Violet left fans nervous to see what Game Freak would give us next. In many ways, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has exceeded fan expectations. But it does bring over some aspects of its predecessor that some players would prefer to forget.

One big issue with Pokemon Scarlet & Violet was how it tried to give us an open world. That world was indeed vast, but many players found it far too empty of anything worth uncovering. In many ways, Pokemon Legends: Z-A fixes that issue. It’s not fully open-world, with different zones and sectors you step in and out of, and it’s set entirely in one city. But alas, the citizens of Lumiose must have a real litter problem, because the streets are absolutely packed full of random items on the ground. Given that this was a big complaint about Scarlet & Violet, that’s not welcome news for many players.

Lumiose City Has a Bigger Litter Problem Than Paldea Did

Who can forget the sheer number of sparkly items littering the ground in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet? These plentiful glitter spots made it so you were essentially picking up a new item every time you walked a few steps. To many fans, this cheapened the treasure hunting and exploration vibes from earlier Pokemon games. And unfortunately, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company opted not to leave the free and easy item issue behind.

Once upon a time, finding items in Pokemon games really did feel like a treasure hunt. You’d need to spot an elusive Poke Ball on the ground and find a way to get to it, often to be rewarded with a rare and interesting item. But in Lumiose City, this is all but gone. There are some hard-to-reach items hidden up in the scaffolding, but you don’t really feel like you need them. Because like Scarlet & Violet before it, Legends: Z-A showers you with items.

There are plenty of pretty glitter spots and glowing Poke Balls scattered randomly throughout Lumiose City. In fact, these shiny items are so plentiful, you’d be hard-pressed to avoid them if you tried. Many of them are things like Pretty Feathers or Tiny Mushrooms, which you can sell for big sums of money.

Too Many Items in Plain Sight Cheapens the Value of Exploration

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Easy access to money early in the game is great when you’re saving up to live your Dark-type trainer outfit dreams, but it can make things feel a bit cheap. You pretty much never feel like you don’t have enough money in the game, except for the initial sticker shop of checking out a clothing store for the first time. As a result, exploration doesn’t feel as rewarding, because you don’t really need to hunt to find items. Everything you need and more gets automatically picked up as you run through the streets.

I don’t personally mind items being a bit more plentiful, but in Legends: Z-A it does border on ridiculous how often you’re picking things up. Given the smaller size of the map, you’re just constantly running into items wherever you turn. And along with high-value items that help you stock your sachel with potions, there are plenty of Exp. Candies on offer. Many players dislike this mechanic, as well, since it makes it perhaps a bit too easy to quickly level up your team. So, bringing back these plentiful items on the ground is a bit of a lose-lose situation.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s not the biggest complaint gamers have had about a Pokemon game. But all the same, it’s a frustration that would’ve been pretty easy to scale back. Hopefully, Gen 10 will strike a better balance with item value and exploration so we can all enjoy the hard-earned treasures like we used to.

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