Pokémon Legends: ZA’s Open World Is So Big, Players Are Still Searching for the Fun (And Their Will to Keep Playing)
JOHANNESBURG — As players eagerly boot up Pokémon Legends: ZA , they are greeted with a breathtakingly massive, seemingly endless open world. Some would call it ambitious. Others, after wandering for six straight hours without encountering anything but an occasional Pidgey, would call it a bold experiment in anti-entertainment.
"I mean, it's big —I'll give them that," said Mark Tully, a veteran Pokémon fan who hasn't seen another living soul, human or Pokémon, since leaving the first town. "The open world is so expansive, I feel like I’m starring in my own episode of Survivor: Pokémon Edition . Except there’s no Jeff Probst, no food, and honestly, no game."
Game Freak, the developers behind the latest Pokémon installment, promised an immersive, living world filled with adventure. What they neglected to mention, however, was that much of this adventure consists of walking across vast, empty fields, contemplating one's life choices while despera...