>>54798178Sequence breaking in FFXII makes it one of the greatest RPGs of all time. The sheer amount of freedom that opens up after the Tomb of Raithwall is staggering. And the entire point of RPGs, especially JRPGs, is power fantasy. It's like an 80s action movie where the hero has to train before confronting the villain. You must grind so your reward is kicking ass. It baffles me people want "challenge" or "strategy" in a genre that's specifically about gaining unfair advantage and fulfilling the void in lonely loser's lives. If Pokemon was meant to be about strategy, there would be no stats or levels and just pure type matchups on a chessboard or something. So by sequence breaking and becoming strong, you are only making the RPG more fulfilling.
As for the rewards of sequence breaking, Pokemon has a problem with a lack of weapons and armor like traditional RPGs, so treasure isn't worth it. Rare Candy and Max Ethers or whatever aren't a big deal. Even a new evolutionary stone isn't amazing. What would make sequence breaking exciting is opening a larger pool of Pokemon to catch and potentially finding new HMs early, which opens it up even further. It adds a layer of non-linearity. On top of power fantasy, you need immersion, immersion needs exploration, and proper exploration needs obstacles. Pokemon games without HMs are neutered and barely qualify as RPGs, only mere barbie hello kitty dress-up tea party picnic simulators. Pokemon ought to have over a dozen or more HMs that add hundreds of new paths to optional caves and forests and deserts and hidden villages. And HMs should be usable without gym badges. Badges should serve as progress towards the league only.
This way, sequence breaking and finding a new HM, which opens up a path halfway across the map to ANOTHER HM, etc, would lead to unprecedented levels of freedom and soul.
