The open world of the game

[Greninjaman]

Do you guys think we will be able to go ANYWHERE from the get go like in Breath of the Wild or will there be restrictions at first that lift as we complete the story?

 

[nickdt]

Do you guys think we will be able to go ANYWHERE from the get go like in Breath of the Wild or will there be restrictions at first that lift as we complete the story?

I think there will be some restrictions, mainly due to level scaling and the like.

 

[Greninjaman]

I think there will be some restrictions, mainly due to level scaling and the like.

True. There may also be roadblocks.

 

[MizuTaipu]

I really hope we're able to climb rocks and trees and stuff. I think using a makeshift boat to cross the sea to the Battle Zone island would be so cool!

 

[Bolt Strike]

Being able to go anywhere you want (or just about anywhere) is a key component of what makes an open world game. Sometimes they do block you off a little bit (such as BotW restricting you to the Great Plateau at first before opening you up to the full region) and that could happen here, but for the most part we should be able to go almost anywhere in Sinnoh we want. How they handle level disparity is an interesting question though.

 

[swiftgallade46]

Yeah I would like very few restrictions if possible. I like the way SwSh handled it with Shiny and capture locking the high-level encounters.

 

[EmpoleonProd]

I think there will be some restrictions, mainly due to level scaling and the like.

Not necessarily, the wild area scaled levels based on your progression through the story in SwSh, I could see the same being done here. In other words, I think you will be able to go almost anywhere off the rip and Pokemon will scale accordingly.

 

[TheTsarOfSarcasm]

Not necessarily, the wild area scaled levels based on your progression through the story in SwSh, I could see the same being done here. In other words, I think you will be able to go almost anywhere off the rip and Pokemon will scale accordingly.

i think this is the best option, with rarer, more powerful pokemon not spawning until you grow in power (based on your starter's level perhaps, or pokedex completion)

 

[Almonds]

While I do like the exploration aspect, I'd definitely appreciate some pointers and a list of things to do outside the main story.

 

[Cute Charm]

I really hope we're able to climb rocks and trees and stuff. I think using a makeshift boat to cross the sea to the Battle Zone island would be so cool!

There are pokemon for that, though.

If not pokemon, then there's probably a ferry for that. It's not exactly a prehistoric setting.

 

[SerenaToAlola]

Did they actually say it's open world? I mean even if it is, I'm not exactly excited yet, I mean from that picture of Lucas looking out onto the scenery, it's really just grass and more grass with nothing particularly interesting.

 

[Ambrose7]

I really hope we're able to climb rocks and trees and stuff. I think using a makeshift boat to cross the sea to the Battle Zone island would be so cool!

One of the leaked images showed climbing if I'm not mistaken. Though I wonder why it was in all silhouettes.

 

[TheElderKing]

One of the leaked images showed climbing if I'm not mistaken. Though I wonder why it was in all silhouettes.

I think those leaked images are per of a presentation for the investors, where they wanted to show a generic look of those mechanics, because they didn’t implement ‘real’ Pokémon yet that could be used for those.

 

[SUP3RN0VA]

I'd say there will be some restrictions at the beginning, but I'm hoping most of the areas in the game are available to explore after some kind of 'tutorial' is done.

Similar to how BotW was handled. At first you were restricted to just the Great Plateau which effectively served as a tutorial, and then the entire game opened up afterwards. If it's handled like this, I'd be happy.

 

[Greninjaman]

I'd say there will be some restrictions at the beginning, but I'm hoping most of the areas in the game are available to explore after some kind of 'tutorial' is done.

Similar to how BotW was handled. At first you were restricted to just the Great Plateau which effectively served as a tutorial, and then the entire game opened up afterwards. If it's handled like this, I'd be happy.

Yeah. Perhaps the village will serve as that tutorial before you set out into to get a breath of the wild.

 

[techitisJ]

I do think we might be restricted to a smaller area at first, but then after that we can go wherever we want, and Pokemon levels will (most of the time) scale accordingly. This would probably be the smartest way to go about it. I think the exception to this would be some random Pokemon bosses scattered throughout the region that are much higher level. But, if they play it smart there will always be a way around these bosses (though defeating them could earn you some handsome rewards).

One thing I am curious about with the open world is what kind of stuff we'll see out there, and if will it have any impact on the story or lead to smaller stories. BOTW does a lot of storytelling with the elements of its world. While much of it doesn't lead to actual story (or what people consider story with clarified answers), there is a lot you can infer about the world by looking at the smaller areas. I would like to see some of this from these games for sure. That is my only concern, that this world is mainly empty. Of course secrets can come in all sorts of kinds, whether it's landmarked, cool Pokemon, or interesting items.

 

[Bolt Strike]

I do think we might be restricted to a smaller area at first, but then after that we can go wherever we want, and Pokemon levels will (most of the time) scale accordingly. This would probably be the smartest way to go about it. I think the exception to this would be some random Pokemon bosses scattered throughout the region that are much higher level. But, if they play it smart there will always be a way around these bosses (though defeating them could earn you some handsome rewards).

One thing I am curious about with the open world is what kind of stuff we'll see out there, and if will it have any impact on the story or lead to smaller stories. BOTW does a lot of storytelling with the elements of its world. While much of it doesn't lead to actual story (or what people consider story with clarified answers), there is a lot you can infer about the world by looking at the smaller areas. I would like to see some of this from these games for sure. That is my only concern, that this world is mainly empty. Of course secrets can come in all sorts of kinds, whether it's landmarked, cool Pokemon, or interesting items.

I would like to see a healthy amount of sidequests. That's something I think Pokemon's been lacking for a while. Having sidequests spread out that allow you to encounter new Pokemon, stronger boss Pokemon that might take more skill or effort to catch, and smaller stories that add to the lore would really go a long way to fleshing out the gameplay and that's an important element open world games need to keep them from feeling like giant swaths of nothingness. It's not just enough to have these giant open fields, we need a good reason to explore them.

 

[Phosphene]

Okay, so one of my biggest fears for this game is that it'll be an empty overworld populated only by N64 trees and Bidoof. The trailer's didn't show much outside of just rocks, plants, and open fields, which while pretty don't have much in the way of content; the only structures shown were a bridge and some torches by the Chimchar. I mean, just look at some of these screenshots:

Spoiler

Outside of capturing wild Pokémon, what am I supposed to do here? I'm hoping there'll be encampments of other NPCs and such in the area that I can fight or quest for, however, the official website states:

But this story unfolds in a long-gone era, before ideas such as being a Pokémon Trainer or having a Pokémon League even existed.

Which makes me a little worried.

I briefly mentioned on the general discussion thread the possibilities of a crafting system, and I really hope there is one as that might help flesh out these areas with potential crafting ingredients. This would also mean there's potentially more to Pokémon than just being exp farms and 'dex fodder because the devs could tie them to crafting ingredients.

 

[Cute Charm]

The concept of being a trainer exists (catching pokemon, battling), it's just officially pokemon trainers don't exist yet.

Who's to say there isn't some random guy out there near Lake Valor who's just a humble fisherman that has 6 Magikarp who's like "Well, I was going to eat these...but who cares, I'm using them now because you made me lose my catch!"

 

[Joker901]

We have some leaked pictures with the trainer climbing mountains, riding pokemon and flying (somehow), so while I think there's no way Sinnoh is as big as BOTW, I assume it will be big enough for the first open world pokemon game. Sinnoh has many different environvents and possibilities to offer.
Mt. Coronet is clearly the Hyrule Castle that you can see from everywhere in BOTW, just imagine the exploration going in and out of Mt. Coronet to the top with climbing being a thing. Can't wait!