>>49432842stop falseflagging
>>49432759YouTube argument that has no weight. Almost every Unova route sidetracks to an optional location. Routes from Gens 1-5 overwhelmingly have more than two entrances/exists, so they aren't just glorified hallways. Gens 6-8 tend to do this much more with their route design, with routes ONLY acting as filler and not a gateway for the to create new areas to branch off.
>but "player agency" really being gym badges in another order, which has no benefitThat's not exploration. That’s THE SAME PLACES in a different order. Calling that exploration encourages the devs to make the bare minimum + a handful of connecting routes without fleshing out backtracks, sidetracks, and optional exploration, of which Unova had a lot. Granted, gens prior to Unova also had these, but ever since fags spacked out about Unova not being explorable despite it having a plethora of explorable locations, it's clear GameFreak no longer cares and simplifies map design ever since.
