Hoenn Safari Zone

[Stratelier]

What do you think it will be like in ORAS?

Remember, the RS Safari Zone had four areas but Emerald expanded it with two additional areas postgame.

Whereas XY has no official Safari zone, but has the Friend Safari in the postgame instead.

Personally, I'm thinking they'll keep the main Safari Zone areas but with the possibility of adding a Friend Safari section in the postgame. FS is too cool to leave out and showcases Pokemon from a lot of regions.

But what if ORAS's Friend Safari Pokemon are different from XY? Like having hidden ability Hoenn / Johto/Unova (maybe?) starters, for one -- we know they've yet to officially release two of those sets with HA (despite featuring them with HAs in battle facilities)....

So what do you think?

 

[Johnny Boy]

I think keeping the original safari zone and just simply adding a friend safari section post game is the most plausible option. That and I simply miss catching mons in safari balls.

 

[ReadsALotOfBooks]

Yeep, I agree with @Johnny Boy;

 

[Ivysaur]

I don't think they'll replace the Safari Zone with Friend Safari. They've been pretty adamant about retaining most of the features of the originals so far, even the ones that have been phased and/or condensed in recent games (PokeMarts, two bikes, Contest Halls in Emerald). Likewise, they function differently enough to justify putting the Friend Safari somewhere else (which I do really hope they bring back).

 

[Team Gaara]

I think they'll keep the Safari Zone from Hoenn, whether it be the RS Version or the Emerald Version~ Regardless, I doubt they'll replace it with the Friend Safari. They could possibly add a Friend Safari post-game to include some Pokemon from Sinnoh, Unova, or Kalos if they really feel like they need to. But, in all honesty, I don't see the point of there being a Friend Safari in Hoenn.

 

[DoctorWhy]

Agreed. The Safari Zone will probably return, similar to how it was in RSE. The upgrades given to it in Emerald could easily return, I don't see Wynaut. Although, I also think it's possible they add new stuff too. As far as the Friend Safari goes, if it's included at all it'll probably be a separate thing in the post-game.

 

[IlluminationTheory]

I sort of figured the impression the old-style Safari Zones had been phased out because they were... a bit rubbish?

That's unfair of me. The challenge added a sense of achievement - Scyther, Kangaskhan, and to a lesser extent Tauros, Pinsir and Chansey were all hugely coveted in my playground, and I do miss that. But it's a luck-based mission, and we've not had a straight-up RB-style safari since... the Great Marsh, I guess? I like the idea, and I've got fond memories of the safari zone - but I don't expect it'll be coming back quite the same.

We have lost the exclusivity of those special, coveted pokemon, unobtainable by normal means, but it was part of an era without breeding or global trading, when the only way to get those pokemon was to catch them or find a friend who'd caught them. Something good has been lost in the name of progress, but I don't think the bait/throw/ball/run format is the thing to mourn, and Game Freak seem to have been moving away from it, too.

Then again, could be wrong! If there's ever a time to reinstate it, it's now. But I'm expecting changes.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I think they should combine the original Safari Zone with the Friend Safari. Here's how it would work:

-Like with the Bug Catching Contest in Johto, you can pick one Pokemon to take into the Safari Zone and weaken the Pokemon to catch it.
-No step limit. You only exit the Safari Zone either by running out of the Safari Balls, if your Pokemon faints, or if you choose to exit.
-All Pokemon found in the Safari Zone have a chance of having their Hidden Abilities (this is the reason why you take Pokemon into the Safari Zone now, so you can determine their ability).
-Post game, the Extension Area opens up and fills up with Pokemon based on your Friend List.

 

[Osprey]

Bolt the Cat's got the best idea imo. I do have semi-fond memories of the safari zone, like catching my first Houndour in there. However, I also remember just how FRUSTRATING the safari zone was way back then. Step limits suck. No battles to weaken targets suck. Fleeing Pokemon suck. Love the idea, Bolt. Although I bet those sticks-in-the-mud back at GF will make the place's mechanics just like the originals...

 

[IlluminationTheory]

Bolt the Cat's got the best idea imo. I do have semi-fond memories of the safari zone, like catching my first Houndour in there. However, I also remember just how FRUSTRATING the safari zone was way back then. Step limits suck. No battles to weaken targets suck. Fleeing Pokemon suck. Love the idea, Bolt. Although I bet those sticks-in-the-mud back at GF will make the place's mechanics just like the originals...

Yes! Bolt's proposals are perfect. Wonderful, and plausible, and I'd rejoice if it came true.

And you never know! Game Freak don't seem to have much love for the old-school Safari Zone. With all the different types of safari they've added since we last threw mud at a Carnivine, I'd be surprised if they stuck completely to the original format.

 

[AndyPKMN]

I hope the Safari Zone continues to serve as an area to catch "imported" Pokémon from Kanto and Johto, and perhaps even add Sinnoh or Unova Pokémon to the mix (at least in the postgame).

Personally I would be fine with the mechanics staying similar to the classic Safari Zone mechanics (which weren't quite so annoying in Hoenn compared to Kanto's massive and mazelike Safari Zone), although hopefully they could at least better explain or even improve the ability to attract certain Pokémon with Pokéblocks.

 

[Stratelier]

With all the different types of safari they've added since we last threw mud at a Carnivine, I'd be surprised if they stuck completely to the original format.

Technically you should be throwing Bait at a Carnivine (Great Marsh's mechanics were backwards), but whatever, I'd love to see a Bug-Catching Contest / Friend Safari styled Safari battles again. Several times better than throwing balls at randomly fleeing Pokemon (Chansey, you....) .

 

[Muur]

The Emerald expanded part could be where they put the friend safari

 

[SeanWheeler]

Friend Safari can be put in Four Island if they bring the Sevii Islands. However, I'd want the Safari Zone to be a post-game area. There would be the Emerald extension but also the RS Pokémon being replaced with Kanto Safari Pokémon. The original Hoenn Safari Pokémon can be found in Route 121 while Pikachu is in Petalburg Woods.

 

[szmty]

I miss the Safari Zone. It was frustratingly awesome. I think that the Safari Zone will have the layout from Emerald. If we see the Friend Safari from XY, which is almost guaranteed, I think that it will be in a separate area. Perhaps there could be an entrance to the main Safari Zone, and another to the Friend Safari, which wouldn't open until the post-game.

 

[Neris]

I wish that the Safari Ball wouldn't get transferred via breeding like the ball you used in Dream World.

 

[Stratelier]

I wish that the Safari Ball wouldn't get transferred via breeding like the ball you used in Dream World.

What? But that's one of the coolest features about Gen 6 breeding! And you can certainly pass down Dream Balls in breeding.

 

[Joshawott]

I think the Safari Zone will remain the same, with the Friend Safari added somewhere as a post-National area.

In regards to the Emerald extension though, I do wonder if it will be added in. Looking at the list of Pokémon that it gave Emerald players access to, only one of them is currently unavailable in XY without transferring from a previous generation (Stantler), while only three other evolutions lines are exclusive to the Friend Safari (Sunkern, Aipom and Pineco). Even after the inclusion of Pokémon found normally in Ruby/Sapphire though, the following species will still be unobtainable by any other means (Excluding starters and legendaries):

Spoiler

• Rattata
• Raticate
• Meowth
• Persian
• Porygon
• Misdreavous
• Unown
• Porygon 2
• Stantler
• Kricketot
• Kricketune
• Cherubi
• Cherrim
• Buneary
• Lopunny
• Mismagius
• Glameow
• Purugly
• Finneon
• Lumineon
• Porygon-Z
• Cottonee
• Whimsicott
• Darumaka
• Darmanitan
• Yamask
• Cofagrigus
• Frillish
• Jellicent
• Tynamo
• Eelektrik
• Eeelektross
• Elgyem
• Beheeyem
• Bouffalant

That's 36 species of Pokémon. In Emerald, Meowth was given out as an in-game trade at the Battle Frontier, so that could knock two off the list if Emerald's Battle Frontier is indeed returning. Perhaps we could have the extension return, but the obtainable Pokémon be different to include some from that list? Others, like Yamask and Cofagrigus could be made available in post-game areas from Emerald like the Desert Underpass, but the Safari Zone could be a good location for some of the more "exotic" Pokémon (like those from Sinnoh and Unova).

 

[Piplup]

Unown is especially in need of being available again... you can't breed it so the one and only way to obtain one is to transfer it from FRLG/HGSS/DPt (it wasn't even available in the latest games BW/BW2)
If you wish to collect all forms of Unown but never did it on the GBA/DS titles long ago, it's a total pain in the ass... I know that I, at least, gave up on that and just hopes they find a way to include Unown in ORAS (Sevii Islands or not, Unown needs to be in this game)

 

[Neris]

I wish that the Safari Ball wouldn't get transferred via breeding like the ball you used in Dream World.

What? But that's one of the coolest features about Gen 6 breeding! And you can certainly pass down Dream Balls in breeding.

Really? It didn't with Ditto though. Or I just forgot. But I remember feeling really thankful that it remained as a Pokeball. I kind of just use Pokeballs for everything even with Legendary Pokemons if I could. You could say I'm a little OCD. Sorry for being off topic.