>>55321563>Only degenerates play Pokemon for the gameplay, because Game Freak sure as hell doesn't care if you do. The only way to get the most mileage out of the the mainline sereis is to play like a denegerate.>You HAVE to play like a degenerate to get anything out of Pokemon these days if you're playing for the gameplay.Anon, your brain is poisoned by the fact you've been playing these games for 20 years. Millions of people buy games, play them through, enjoy the experience, and then move on. Or hell, tons of people just play the main story, do some raid events, do post-game stuff or complete the pokedex etc.
Solo challenges took off because the community is huge and long standing and inevitably people like you and me want challenging runs, but they are by no means a necessary element for the average person to simply enjoy playing the game.
Your logic specifically relies on you having been waist deep in the franchise your entire life and being a no-lifer who is constantly playing, and doesn't apply for the average person.
Speaking for myself I haven't done a nuzlocke in two or three years and I've still gotten 200 hours out of Pokemon Violet just playing the way the devs intended by doing all the major content, taking part in raids etc.
I generally agree with what you're saying about Palworld (besides the loop being "better", it's just more palatable for the survival crafting crowd), but what you're describing about the gameplay is very much a subjective you problem.
