Favourite dungeons of each region

[Camille]

Since the poll about your least favourite dungeons in the series already exists, I think it fits to create the polar opposite of it. Are there any dungeons (i. e. caves, forests, buildings with mazes, etc) that you really like, and why do you like them? Post your thoughts here!

 

[Esserise]

Kanto - I’m tempted to say Mt. Moon just for the classic experience, though I don’t think I’ve fully thought about this one before. Maybe Cinnabar Mansion? I think it’s really cool how you get to read the old journal entries and piece together the Mewtwo backstory on your own, and how that manifests in the ruined state of the place. It’s a great example of worldbuilding through map design in addition to written information.

Johto - Oh man, so many good ones. Union Cave is always a favorite, since it fills the role of “this game’s Mt. Moon” without feeling like a direct rehash, and offers some really cool backtracking bonuses in the form of Lapras and the path to the hidden section of the Ruins of Alph with Smeargle and Natu. I’ve always liked the Ice Path a lot, and the Whirl Islands are a good multifaceted dungeon that play host, of course, to Lugia, and any association with Lugia instantly makes something 10 times cooler. I’m less a fan of Ho-Oh, but I do love the Tin Tower, with its unique hopping puzzles and its amazing music. I think I’m going to cast my vote for Union Cave though. It’s just so comfortable.

Hoenn - The Abandoned Ship (or Sea Mauville, I guess, but I prefer the ship). It’s such a memorable, unique setting, with some incredible atmospheric music, and it is a 100% completely optional backtracking bonus, which is my favorite kind of dungeon. I give it bonus points too, for how they give you just a quick glimpse of it early in the game when you first sail from Dewford to Slateport. It manages to feel slightly ominous while also piquing your interest at the same time.

Sinnoh - I suppose Mt. Coronet is like the God of Pokémon Dungeons, yeah? I do like it, especially for its music, although I think for Sinnoh I prefer the Old Chateau. It’s very spooky, and again, has that “totally optional” quality that I love in dungeons, and it gives you a reward for seeking it out in the form of Rotom.

Unova - What do I even say here, I love them all. But if I had to pick the absolute best of the best, I think it would come down to Chargestone Cave, Dragonspiral Tower, or Reversal Mountain. I love Chargestone’s gimmick, and the area looks very beautiful to me on a visual level. I love the Pokémon options, and I love how the music gets deeper and slower as you go further in. Dragonspiral Tower has one of my favorite pieces of music in the entire series, borrows the Tin Tower’s neat hopping puzzle aspect, and makes for a very tense climactic setting within the storyline. Plus, I really dig the imagery of this huge, ancient tower looming quietly over the gentle, rural town of Icirrus. And then Reversal Mountain has the fun version-exclusive design and background music (White 2’s rendition is another of my all-time favorites), and is just a really solid dungeon overall, as something that they probably could have gotten away with not even adding. But they went that extra mile (What say you now, Wela Volcano Park?), and I greatly appreciate that. Plus, the town and the route leading up to it are short but awesome, feeling very arid and unlike your traditional desert areas, with its own sort of identity and culture. And they even had the audacity to thrown in an optional Old Cheateu-esque spooky house right next to all this, just for good measure. Yeah, I think I’m going to go with Reversal Mountain on this one, but again, I think all of Unova’s dungeons are pretty great.

Kalos - Really difficult choice between Reflection Cave, Glittering Cave, and Terminus Cave. I like Reflection Cave for the mirror gimmick, which looks pretty and was actually used fairly well as a mechanic in a couple of spots, and it has a few difficult Trainers as well as a lot of neat Pokémon available. Glittering Cave is the only thing in the game worth using the 3D on, and has a uniquely claustrophic atmosphere, even if the forced encounters do get somewhat annoying. I like Terminus Cave because its totally optional, has a good dungeon map design, and rewards you with a pretty cool-looking Legendary at the end if you go back to it after becoming the Champion. Hmm... let’s go with Reflection Cave, docking points from the other two for the aforementioned forced encounters and for the fact that the reward for Terminus Cave is something you have to remember to come back to rather than being allowed to play with immediately.

Alola - Kek. Like I even have a choice besides Vast Poni Canyon. I guess Haina Desert is a thing, but that’s just the stupid Turnback Cave mechanic rearing its ugly head again.

 

[Boss1708]

Kanto: Mt. Moon. It's the classic. It is the official measurement for all future cave dungeons.

Johto : Bell Tower. The best one for me, in terms of nostalgia and design.

Hoenn: Abandoned Ship (or Sea Mauville). I love how unique it is, and how rewarding the hidden keys feel.

Sinnoh: Old Chateau. It is the only Sinnoh dungeon I like a lot, and Rotom is a big factor for that.

Unova: Cold Storage. The most fun place to explore in BW. PWT is the coolest place in Unova, but they should've placed it elsewhere.

Kalos: Glittering Cave. It has a cool idea behind it, an awkward camera angle, and a nice reward in fossil hunting.

Alola: don't know, don't care. Probably Vast Pony Canyon.

 

[Esserise]

Unova: Cold Storage. The most fun place to explore in BW. PWT is the coolest place in Unova, but they should've placed it elsewhere.

This answer really intrigues me, because for some reason I don’t think I ever really thought of Cold Storage as a dungeon until just now. Not that I don’t like it, but I’m curious as to what it is about it that makes you rate it so highly.

 

[Boss1708]

This answer really intrigues me, because for some reason I don’t think I ever really thought of Cold Storage as a dungeon until just now. Not that I don’t like it, but I’m curious as to what it is about it that makes you rate it so highly.

I guess the main reason is nostalgia xD

I always liked the Cold Storage because it creates a nice atmosphere in my head... you know, a busy place, with workers going here and there around the place, etc. I always thought it helps to depict the business of Unova as a whole, and complements the general atmosphere of the region. So I find the Cold Storage kinda emblematic for Unova, like Castelia City and the big bridges, but on a smaller scale.

As to why I classified it as a dungeon... maybe it's not. But since it has this ice puzzle inside the room where Team Plasma is... idk. I thought "if the Abandoned Ship is considered a dungeon, without being a cave or a tower, wynaut the Cold Storage?"

 

[Esserise]

I guess the main reason is nostalgia xD

I always liked the Cold Storage because it creates a nice atmosphere in my head... you know, a busy place, with workers going here and there around the place, etc. I always thought it helps to depict the business of Unova as a whole, and complements the general atmosphere of the region. So I find the Cold Storage kinda emblematic for Unova, like Castelia City and the big bridges, but on a smaller scale.

As to why I classified it as a dungeon... maybe it's not. But since it has this ice puzzle inside the room where Team Plasma is... idk. I thought "if the Abandoned Ship is considered a dungeon, without being a cave or a tower, wynaut the Cold Storage?"

Looking at it now, I would definitely say it counts as a dungeon. I guess for some reason it just wasn’t on my radar until I saw it mentioned in that context.

But anyway, I really like that reasoning! It falls right in line with something I really like about the Unova region as a whole, which is how alive and interconnected it feels thanks to numerous little references to other areas and characters. Like, I’ve always loved how there’s an NPC in Pinwheel Forest who mentions something about how trees from the forest are cut down and sent off to Driftveil, and then out to the rest of the world, or the kid NPC in Accumula who mentions Elesa way ahead of her actual appearance, or how the gate terminal billboards have advertisements for things like Shopping Mall Nine and the Day Care. I could think of a bunch of examples like those, and I’m sure the other regions have stuff like that too, but I always felt it was done best in Unova. And I think you are right, the Cold Storage just adds yet another touch of character to the city.

 

[Boss1708]

Looking at it now, I would definitely say it counts as a dungeon. I guess for some reason it just wasn’t on my radar until I saw it mentioned in that context.

But anyway, I really like that reasoning! It falls right in line with something I really like about the Unova region as a whole, which is how alive and interconnected it feels thanks to numerous little references to other areas and characters. Like, I’ve always loved how there’s an NPC in Pinwheel Forest who mentions something about how trees from the forest are cut down and sent off to Driftveil, and then out to the rest of the world, or the kid NPC in Accumula who mentions Elesa way ahead of her actual appearance, or how the gate terminal billboards have advertisements for things like Shopping Mall Nine and the Day Care. I could think of a bunch of examples like those, and I’m sure the other regions have stuff like that too, but I always felt it was done best in Unova. And I think you are right, the Cold Storage just adds yet another touch of character to the city.

Yes, Unova is definitely the best in terms of putting little world building references around the entire region.

Actually, it seems I don't remember that NPC in Pinwheel Forest, so I will go and check him out. And yes, the Billboards are a favourite of mine too.

I also want to add those guys near Mistralton City, taking care of providing fresh vegetables for the people of Unova and transporting it via Air Cargo.

 

[Dieter]

Kanto: Pokemon Tower, for sure. Counts as a dungeon right? Ok, the only encounters are Gastly, Haunter, and Cubone (and I guess you could count Ghost Marowak), but I adore the atmosphere, the Channelers, the little healing spot provided. If we ever make a return to Kanto in a sequal, I hope we'll get access to more rooms in the House of Memories (as the tower was turned into a radio tower).

Sevii Islands: Technically part of Kanto, but it's large enough to warrant an honourable mention. I rather like the Lost Cave actually, its remote location, the mini-quest to find Selphy.

Johto: The Whirl Islands, partly cause of Lugia, partly cause of the aesthetic. Bonus points for the added Pokemon in HS/SS with the Hoenn/Sinnoh sound.And the waterfall at the bottom is just really impressive.

Hoenn: I really love Hoenn a lot so I'm definitely biased, but the Abandoned Ship is my favourite, because it has a great aesthetic (slightly spooky), but also uses Dive in its puzzle. I like the routes that allow diving in general, and it was very nice to see the added details in ORAS. Speaking of which, Sea Mauville is pretty cool too, but feels a little les explorable, which I think is a pity. A close second is Meteor Falls, although I prefer its colour scheme in Emerald. It's just a little more subdued. And Sky Pillar looks absolutely fantastic in ORAS.

Sinnoh: Mt Coronet, it's so incredibly expansive, with lots of features, a pretty big selection of wild pokemon. Plus, its influence on the region design and the lore surrounding it are cool. A close second for me is probably Eterna Forest/The Old Chateau. They go hand in hand a little. Eterna Forest's quiet atmosphere, and some of the Psychics and Gardenia warning about the manor set up the exploration of it perfectly. And then there's the little easter eggs in the manor itself. Properly spooky. Plus it houses Rotom.

Unova: I have yet to play BW2, although I got a copy of White 2 a while ago. So I can only really talk about BW's Unova from experience. Pinwheel forest is probably one of the best forests in the games. I really like how it both has a nice, straight road that's easy to follow, and the winding paths on both sides. The fallen tree bridges and tunnels are cool too, and there's quite a lot of nice Pokemon available. Not to mention it's the only forest with an inner and outer area. I also agree on Chargestone and Dragonspiral, but Pinwheel was the first that came to mind. Oh, and I've seen footage of the Strange House, which really appealed to me.

Kalos: The Lost Hotel is pretty fun actually, and located on a nice route (routes?) as well. As you might have noticed, I'm a fan of dungeons that are abandoned and a little spooky. I also love the Punk Guys/Girls, I hope will see them again in Gen 8 too. And the amount of hotels in Kalos makes it kinda fitting not all of them are in use anymore. Reflection cave is pretty neat, with a cool gimmick and some challenging trainers, so an honourable mention. I mean, it's definitely aesthetically pleasing.

Alola: Eh... Yeah. I quite like Alola, even though I'm not too big a fan of tropical aesthetics. But so many of the routes and dungeons just veel like a bunch of empty rooms... I do like the thrifty Megamart though. The abandoned version that is. It's not very large, but especially in USUM the pokemon selection is good, and I like how it uses a very contemporary looking location. Most dungeons with a spooky vibe tend to look old, or even ancient, but not this one. And still, it's properly haunted. I appreciate that

 

[Camille]

Kanto: Seafoam Islands. Unlike Mt. Moon, Rock Tunnel and Victory Road, the cave is actually interesting thanks to its puzzles, and it looks pretty in the remakes. Also it is home to Articuno, who is my favourite Kanto legendary. I wish they didn't add any Trainers to the actual cave in HG/SS, though, since they made it less mysterious.
Cerulean Cave and Pokemon Mansion are pretty good, too, due to their creepy atmosphere.
Sevii Islands: Icefall Cave. Again, it looks pretty, and I like the fact you can find wild Lapras there, albeit rarely.
Johto: Whirl Islands. Actually, I like almost all dungeons in Johto (I'm not keen on Mt. Mortar,though, but even it isn't that boring), but Lugia is my favourite Johto legendary and I like the cave's layout.
I like Mt. Silver in the remakes, too, since it is much larger than it was in the originals.
Hoenn: Meteor Falls. Again, I like all the dungeons in Hoenn (barring Magma/Aqua Hideouts), but it looks beautiful (I really disliked the change in colour in Emerald, though), and you can find Bagon in its deepest part.
Sinnoh: Mt. Coronet. I love its huge size, the fact you have to climb all the way to the summit in the climax, and the fact wild Absol appear there in Platinum. The music on the upper floors is very atmospheric, too.
I like Sinnoh Victory Road, too, but its music is just irksome.
Unova: Victory Road (B2/W2). It is the first Victory Road in the series to include forest areas, and its Pokemon selection is phenomenal.
Kalos: Frost Cavern. It is just pretty to look at, although Reflection Cave is cool, too.
Alola: Vast Poni Canyon. Again, it is very large, and its music is great.