>>54522959People say newer gens don't have soul but I think Gen 7 legitimately did. I didn't love everything about its aesthetics, but it felt like people actually made the game instead of a factory. It's possible I was simply less cynical but I felt some actual joy exploring Alola and it's non-conventional 'gym' setup was novel.
I like that everything was extremely flavored to the region's lore, from traversal on friendly Pokemon working in harmony with the islanders, down to the shiny hunting mechanics reinforcing the idea of helping each other out (even though I hate SoS chains more than any other type of hunting mechanic). It was just all very cohesively designed - I believe someone had a vision for Alola and it was at least somewhat realized.
It also had some characters that, while maybe not 'compelling' were fun and experienced growth and that was kind of a step up. I still like Gen 5's plot more, but it's hard to say N 'grew' as a character so much as he was disillusioned by the end of it. I hope one day we see where his story went though. I think GF have the capacity to write a good story if they give it time to actually gestate.
