>>56184978Sinnoh’s map isn’t very cohesive and tends to dead-end you more often than not. Most egregious example is probably going to Celestic Town, which in theory should connect back to Eterna City when you get there except there’s a strength block in the way for some reason. Would have been the perfect opportunity for the player to loop around, go back through the ironworks and the water area in ravaged path etc. with newfound surf on the way back to Jubilife, picking up flamethrower and water pulse on the way. Instead they stick a random boulder in your way for no reason telling the player to fly back. The climax of Platinum is also pretty bad for this reason, dumping you off close enough to the eighth gym at Giratina’s lake but then telling you to go all the way back to Sandgem to talk to Rowan. Going to Snowpoint? Dead end. Go fly back to Veilstone, etc.
It was very disappointing to me coming off of Hoenn, which loops around a lot and offers alternative pathways- and incentives- with new stuff when your objective is revisiting an older area. When you get surf for the first time you’re right by Briney’s place for example, which encourages you to visit the shipwreck you had seen much earlier in the game, ending with picking up ice beam. When you get to Mauville afterwards, Wattson is waiting to ask you to enter New Mauville- and you’re rewarded with thunderbolt. Progression still feels organic when you’re visiting entirely optional areas. I do think Emerald fucked a bit with the progression that Ruby/Sapphire set up, though, in the same way Platinum shot itself in the foot a couple times.
