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Kalos stands out the most. Aesthetically, the landmarks and building design all matches the France setting and everything still feels…colorful? Unlike Paldea where everything is muddy and washed out even if the performance wasn’t bad.
Most areas have some puzzle or gimmicks to define them, like the reflections mirror cave or the lost woods in Snowbelle City. Route design is closer to how the games used to be made.
None of the towns after Gen 6 had as much detail as Lumiose City did the first time, and now it’s getting a spinoff game at a realistic scale with Legends gameplay.
Mega Stones were the best gimmick, and is also coming back after all the others flopped. The Stones replacing hold items were a good way to limit a Pokémon’s usage, and it gave you a reason to explore the map since they were like hidden artifacts.
Honestly, Kalos > Alola >>> Galar > Paldea. Art direction, map design, performance, battle gimmicks… I think they’ve gotten weaker, especially with Z coming soon.
