No more Safari Zones

[Muur]

You also had to go to Great Marsh in D/P (but not in Platinum) to get Defog, actually.

Technically you can beat the game without Defog lol. I mean, sure every move will miss for about 27 years but still lol

 

[prog rocker]

You also had to go to Great Marsh in D/P (but not in Platinum) to get Defog, actually.

You also had to go to the Safari Zone to get Surf in Gen I and FireRed/LeafGreen.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I'm on the fence when it comes to Safari Zones. On the one hand, being able to find and catch rare Pokemon with 30 Safari Balls for a measly 500 is great, as that's cheaper than 3 Poke Balls or 1 Great Ball, but on the other hand, step limits and the game boiling down to luck is bad, as you need the blessings of the RNG gods for a good hunt. And if you run into a shiny in such a situation, oh-ho-ho, you'd better hope you're in favor with Lady Luck. At least, as time went on, the Safari Zones lost some of the more scrappy mechanics, like the ball being able to miss, removal of the step limit, and mostly becoming optional (with some exceptions). I would like to see the Safari Zone come back, but with some modifications first.

First, improve the Safari Ball's catch rate. A measly x1.5 catch rate won't work against those extremely rare and hard-to-catch Mons like Chancey or Tauros, as that's the same catch rate as a Great Ball. Increasing the catch rate to at least x2 would be a huge benefit, as that little extra can make all the difference. Secondly, you should be allowed to bring one Mon with you than you can use to help improve your chances. Like bringing a Mon with Sleep Powder or Mean Look to increase the odds of catching your targets. Third, eliminate all common Mons from the game, like Pidgey, Ratatta, and Bibarel, so only the rare and exclusive ones remain, which will improve their encounter rate. Forth, eliminate the option for a wild Mon to run, or at least make the chances of it running much lower, so people aren't pulling out their hair in fury every time the Mon they want runs on the first chance it gets. And finally, allow for customization of the Safari Zone, like in HGSS, so you can pick and choose what areas you want to better narrow down your targets.

If any of these improvements are implemented, then I'd welcome the Safari Zone's return. If they could make the zones at least a little less gimmicky and luck-based, then the Safari Zone would be a better, more enjoyable hunt for everyone.

 

[Camille]

You also had to go to the Safari Zone to get Surf in Gen I and FireRed/LeafGreen.

Actually, my earlier post was a response to the poster who said the same thing as you.
I do think that the Safari Zone should return, but its Pokemon should be shiny-locked. I'd like it to contain Pokemon not found in the regional Dex and be customizable, but without the ridiculous time requirements it had in HG/SS (such as having to wait 100 days to make Gible appear).

 

[prog rocker]

I'd like it to contain Pokemon not found in the regional Dex and be customizable, but without the ridiculous time requirements it had in HG/SS (such as having to wait 100 days to make Gible appear).

That happened? I thought I was misreading a walkthrough when I read about that the first time.

 

[Esserise]

Personally, I’ve got no attachment to Safari Zones. They’re fun for Nuzlockes, I guess. It’s not that I think it’s impossible to do them in an interesting way - I think the Friend Safari was neat, if too limited. But for the most part, all they’ve ever really been is a slightly more annoying way to catch Pokémon that also costs money. Removing that doesn’t feel like much of a loss to me.

 

[CorpseFlower]

I was mulling this post over and came to the conclusion that Pokemon Go, and by extension, Pokemon Let's Go, are essentially Safari Zones in and of themselves. *sigh*

 

[DarkMeow]

In my honest opinion, the traditional Safari Zones were far too reliant on luck rather than skill, which made them very frustrating to play in. Nobody wants to find a shiny and then throw one too many rocks, making it take off in a cloud of dust. Trust me, I know. I've done it before. Twice. Horrible memories. Relying on luck leads to frustration really quickly.

Other than that, though, I'm not entirely sure why they were removed. Sure, they were frustrating, but they were an optional thing. Perhaps Game Freak decided that it wasn't a popular enough feature to spend time on developing in the new games?

 

[colours]

I feel like I'm in the minority that actually kinda liked Safari Zones... sure, Gen 7 did perfectly fine without them, but I think they were a cute little addition if only for theming purposes. I think HGSS' Safari Zone was one of the better ones, if only because you were completely allowed to customize the Safari Zone as much as you want (I believe?) and re-arrange the areas around to your convenience so you can encounter the Pokemon that you want to encounter. That's how Safari Zones should've been in the beginning.

That said, I'm not really bothered whether or not they make any sort of future comeback. They were nice to have, but I've grown used to not having them all the same.

 

[Rocket Zigzagoon]

The Ranch has largely replaced Safari Zone in Gen V and VII games. But works different.

 

[RileyXY1]

The Ranch has largely replaced Safari Zone in Gen V and VII games. But works different.

I think that a more accurate answer would be the Friend Safari in XY. Since they seem to not like the Safari Zone anymore (the Hoenn one was converted into a regular area in ORAS) I think that the Great Marsh will be turned into a normal area when DP gets a remake.