>>19642937See, I never really felt an island-like atmosphere in the first ones.
But, first and foremost, best exploration.
It doesn't feel like a bunch of segmented routes, it feels like a freaking island-continent you're wandering around and finding little nooks and crannies in.
Which it has. A lot of them.
And that's part of what made secret bases so cool other than the customization.
The music is a little heavy on the brass section, but it never really gets you down, it just gives this sort of "romance of the sea" vibe.
The sidequests were by far some of the best in pokemon, and weren't just sort of tossed in your lap with a little note that said "press this button to win"
Yet at the same time, everything you needed to know to solve the Regi puzzles, or get to Rayquaza, or get a Shell Bell, heck, getting inside Sootopolis was one that stumped me for a while, it was all there provided for you in game. You didn't have to look anything up. Just think and feel ah-has. Kind of like-playing Portal.
Your rival wasn't obnoxious, neither from being perky and huggy, nor from being an absolute snot.
(S)he was just an actual freaking childhood rival. and plausibly has a crush on you if you read it that way. May stammered a lot when she first meets you, and Brendan sure seems to want to show off and be nice to you. But it's also not hammered down your throat. You want a waifu, here's a waifu. Not in the mood? She's just a really friendly tomboy next door.
It's also the only one where you have any sense of who you are and where you come from. You're a kid that moved from johto, who's father is a gym leader. And when you face him, you feel like you want to show him just how good you've gotten, and overcoming him feels.. satisfying.
