Your Favorite (and least favorite) Routes in Pokémon

[bdt2002]

We talk a lot in this forum about how the main series Pokémon games have a long, long list of many things, including items, Abilities, locations, and of course, how many individual Pokémon there are at this point. Something I feel deserves to be added to that list would have to be how many specific locations show up across each of the regions, more specifically areas known as Routes. From the original Pokémon games all the way up to Pokémon Sword & Shield's base game content, Routes were a staple part of Pokémon's main series regions for many years. After all, this is what fans think of first when asked "where can I actually find Pokémon in the overworld?"

Just like how there are so many Pokémon, though, it's honestly surprising to me just how many numbered Routes there are in the main series Pokémon games. We're looking at 48 Routes across Kanto and Johto, 34 Routes in Hoenn, 30 Routes in Sinnoh if you count the six in the Battle Zone section of the region, 23 Routes across the two Unova installments, 22 Routes in Kalos, 17 Routes in Alola, and 10 Routes in the base game sections of Galar. In total, that adds up to an absolutely staggering 183 different numbered Routes we've seen in the main series games, and that's not counting any non-numbered areas that could also be considered as a Route or as a focal point within a larger Route. For context, that's enough numbered routes to where you could fill 151 of these with a single, individual Gen 1 Pokémon and still have 32 whole Routes left over. Suffice to say, with a number that significant, some Routes are bound to be better than others, and that's what I've been looking forward to creating a discussion thread about.

I would imagine most of you understand the drill with these kinds of discussion threads by now, so I'm not going to waste your time and instead I'll start this discussion off with one of my favorite Routes across the main series.

• Route 47: Johto (HGSS)

(Not my artwork)

SoulSilver was one of the first games I played in the main series alongside Pearl and White, although I can't remember the order in which I first played each of them. Nonetheless, the new cliffside Route leading towards the reworked Safari Zone completely mesmerized me as a kid. There really hadn't been any Routes quite like it before or since, from the visuals pushing the Gen 4 engine to its absolute limits to the incredible music and everything in between. My only real complaint is that on subsequent playthroughs, the Route itself can feel a bit on the shorter side; nonetheless, this one's a severely underrated classic in my eyes. Things only get better when you realize there's more to this Route than meets the eye, as there's plenty of rare Pokémon to find in the caves along the cliffside and some extra exploration accessible atop the waterfalls.

 

[Esserise]

Favorite is Route 23 in Unova. It’s so vast, with lots of verticality and maze-like puzzles, nice scenery, and a triumphant piece of music behind it.

Least favorite, well… it feels like cheating to say something like Route 7 in Kanto, which is just a tiny pocket of land between Saffron and Celadon. So, to pick one that I can say I have more substantial reasons for disliking, I would have to say Route 10 in Galar. The stark, snowbound atmosphere enforced by the accompanying music is a neat choice, but that’s all it has going for it — it’s otherwise a pretty straight line with a few Trainers here and there, which is quite pathetic for what’s supposed to be the daunting final stretch of your journey on the way Wyndon, where the League awaits. It’s just really, really underwhelming.

 

[R_N]

Galar Route 9 is great. It's a nice meaty route with a distinct theme, there's generally enough room to avoid the Pokemon, at the same time there's enough interesting Pokemon to make as "obstacles". You've got the static spawn Grapplocts that chase you down, the huge Wailmer, the Mantine that can show up. Plenty of little side pockets to dip into, trainers to run into or avoid.
Genuinely good route design!


It's hard to pick a least favorite, less in a "there's so many bad ones!" sense and more there's rarely a route where it goes lower than "it's whatever" but I guess by technicality it's Kalos Route 1. AKA literally just a short road from Vaniville to Aquacorde with nothing on it. Like literally nothing going on here and I don't know why they didn't just have it be a gate house. There's not even, like, an event that happens here

For a more "proper" route I guess Galar Route 8. On paper this route should be great: it's got a distinct aesthetic, interesting Pokemon, multilevel stuff and some fun twists & turns through it, then it opens up into the icy part of the north. There's some secret Crustle "obstacles" and Falinks patrols. It's also got that secretly tough double battle with the steel/sandstorm team
In practice it shows SWSH's biggest weaknesses:
1. There's a ton of ladders so you are constantly forced to look at how the game completely pauses the game's actors while you climb, including mid-animation, because the game's got Problems.
2. You can tell that roaming Pokemon outside the Wild Area were a later addition because this route was not designed around it at all (aside from Falinks, which was probably always marked to show up here in the way it does). Everything is very cramped, Pokemon blend in and many of them have aggressive AI making it annoying if not impossible to dodge and just walk around.
These two issues (performance and pokemon) crop up on other routes too, but none of them are as bad as it is here.

 

[InUtero456]

I really like that one like fall area from XY, after that fairy type gym. Idk, even though those games aren't really that good, I grew up with them.

The worst one in the series is that route before the final city in SWSH. IT'S JUST BATTLES, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT COOL ATMOSPHERE THE OTHER VICTORY ROAD'S HAVE. It's seriously just like, "snow area, with 5 boring fights back to back". And like, okay, I get the other Victory Road's are just caves with pretty easy fights, so it's nice that they tried to change it up. But it's still boring and lame and I don't like it cuz it's bad.

 

[Ironmage]

Since I started with Emerald, I have a lot of nostalgia for Hoenn, and that seems to be concentrated in a couple routes around Mt. Chimney. Both 111 and 113 have more unique environments and their own respective cool background music, and 113 gets an extra shoutout for having Skarmory. But from a pure nostalgia factor, I actually think it goes to 115 instead. I remember the optional area to the side as a great place for Secret Bases, having good room layouts, plenty of options, and not-too-stringent HM requirements.

In terms of Route's I'm not a huge fan of, I found the pokemon-riding Routes in Kalos to be frustratingly slow at times. But I'm also out here pining for D-pad movement and less focus on openness, so any Route's better than the alternative for now.

 

[khlaylav]

If I could light Kalos Route 13 on fire, I would, and I'd cackle at the ashes. Between the blowing winds and the dust cloud encounters (2 of which always seem to have Arena Trap) it's just the worst. Also, the EXP from the mons there aren't great, so if you need to level for Ramos or Clemont, you've gotta backtrack.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

Least favourite routes

Kanto - Route 14

Honestly a lot of Kanto's routes blend into one another for me, and this is the prime example. Route 13 has the fence-maze that makes it memorable, while Route 15 is more distinctive and gets the slopes added to it in HGSS, but this just... doesn't have anything particularly interesting on it, bar the grassy patch behind the cut tree. It's just very so-so; there's not much to say about it. At least Route 7 has the excuse of being tiny.

Unova - Route 19

There's nothing technically wrong with this route, but it's just a massive letdown after seeing the view from Aspertia City's lookout, which is then revealed to be just a fancy backdrop. Instead route 19 is just your bog-standard first route, albeit with a hidden cliff area. But there's precious little else to say about it.

Favourite routes

Johto - Route 44

This is a funny one, as it's such a tiny little route and could really have just been a glorified front door for the Ice Path. But it packs so much in for its space - the big lake in the middle with its island containing several rare Pokemon, a bunch of fishermen, and various trainers loitering around. I wrote about the BGM of some of Johto's routes in the dedicated GSC thread, but I absolutely love the backing track here: it's a really stirring, adventurous track, and makes me feel I'm heading into the wilds. Plus a lot of the trainers on this route stand out in my mind - there's the Pokemaniac who says "if a Pokemon is shiny, it's more valuable. What? You mean that's not true?!", the Cooltrainer who says that he's thinking of challenging Morty again, and Bird Keeper Vance who can be rebattled and sometimes gives you Carbos.

Kanto - Route 2

Always liked this one because it's the original "there's more here" route - the first time you access it, it's straightforward, but the inaccessible spaces off to the side clue you in that you'll be coming back eventually. And when you do, the right-hand side is a tidy little enclosed area - the hidden house is cute and I've always liked the idea of living there, tucked away on the side of Viridian Forest in peace and quiet. It's ironic that the guy in the Sevii Islands buys it since people in the Seviis always complain about it being too quiet there, you think he'd have bought a house in a more bustling area.

Hoenn - Route 119

This is the route that really shows off what the GBA can do - it's huge, there are other routes that aren't even half the size of this one. And the various segments of it are delightful: there's the Mimic Circle, the low bluffs full of Pokemon rangers, the little waterfall in the middle, the grassy banks of the river hiding all sorts of stuff, the hidden area above the highest waterfall, and countless little spots for Secret Bases. My favourite is the tree at the head of the waterfall right in the centre of the route. And, of course, it's where Feebas is found so that gives it a lot of appeal. The river here is almost certainly the same one that bisects Route 118 so I've always wished we could follow it all the way down.

 

[Hugin]

Hoenn has a lot of good routes TBH. 112 is the first true Desert in the series and feels like a distinct environment in a way previous mountainsides and the like didn't, but there's also 121 encircling Mt Pyre, the crater-strewn 114...I personally really enjoyed 132/133/134, the one-way current puzzle route, but I can see an argument for a lot of them.

And then there's the water routes. "6/10 too much water" is a meme, but at the same time, a full half of the routes are water. And while there's interesting ones there(103 is fun from an overworld navigation perspective, the Abandoned Ship is great, I've mentioned 121), there's also plenty of very generic straight line or open water routes where every enemy is a Swimmer, wild mons are from 3 species, and the geography is entirely bland. Diving livens them up, but tbh 105-109 and 124-131 are collectively basically a single really large and really bland route with occasional spots of greatness. Last place goes to Route 129, which has no reason to exist at all. No items anywhere in the original, no interesting trainers, it's only used as a transit to other places in remakes and even those places aren't interesting.

 

[Just A Seaking]

I'm going to do my favorite and least favorite route from each gen, because that sounds fun

Kanto:

Best route: Route 12

The Snorlax encounter is one of the more memorable parts of RBY to me, and while there's also a Snorlax in Celadon City, this route also so happens to have a Super Rod to pick up, making it well worth it to take this route instead. The boardwalk path is also pretty aesthetically pleasing and makes it more distinct than most Kanto routes, which tend to have a lot of grass and dirt paths. While the following Routes 13 and 14 are pretty ugly, I also love the huge endurance gauntlet that these three routes set up; while the trainers themselves are unremarkable, it makes for an interesting battle of attrition that we don't see all that often.

Worst route: Route 23

I don't think it's fair to call this a route, but the game does, so.... it sucks. The badge check is really dull and drawn out, there's no interesting wild encounters in the tall grass, and what the hell is up with that arrangement of white cones by the League? It's not really a maze, it doesn't seem to make an actual pattern, it's just an ugly collection of objects to take up space. Hate it, and I hate this route. Kanto has lots of drawn out and ugly routes that I'm willing to forgive because of the hardware, but this is not one of them - it's huge and yet still feels like padding.

Johto

Best route: Routes 45 and 46

This is where the route design really begins to pick up! I have a lot of nostalgia for Route 29, but I really do love how scaling down the cliffs of Blackthorn brings you right back to your hometown - and to the League, which was in your backyard the whole time! It's a great revelation and brings into perspective just how far you've come from your humble beginnings. While it's undermined a bit by how low level the encounters are, I like how Skarmory can be found here - it's a perfect fit aesthetically, and it gives you a rare Dragon resist if you need something for Clair. Ordinarily I think having no way to backtrack sucks, but you should have Fly by this point so I think it really adds something to the feel of the route. Good stuff all around!

Special shout-out to Route 48 as well - the music here is *gorgeous*, and the cliff face makes for a striking setting. Unfortunately, despite being new to HGSS, it does absolutely nothing to remedy GSC's bad 'mon distribution, so it loses a lot of points from me for that alone.

Worst route: Route 33

idk man, does this count as a route? It's a cave exit, and it has some grass. What is there to say?

Hoenn

Best route: Routes 118-121

Yes, I know I'm cheating with four routes, but how can I not mention all of them? They're all visually distinctive and stunning, there's just so much to love about them between the pouring rain, tall grass, the Kecleon, the Feebas spots, the Mimic Circle... it's always a highlight of my Hoenn playthroughs going through these routes. They've also all got the river and waterfalls as a throughline, making them all feel really connected. Hoenn in general has stellar (land) routes, but these take the cake.

Worst route: All the water routes

It's been, what, 7 years since that IGN review? Are we ready to move on? The water routes suck, man. They're so bad. I can appreciate the thematic intent behind having roughly 50% of Hoenn be water, but the water routes are just so aggressively bland and same-y. Wingull and Tentacool abound, the same Swimmers with the same Water types everywhere, almost no landmarks so it's impossible to gather your bearings... truly atrocious stuff here. if Routes 118-121 make me love Hoenn, the water routes send it crashing back down.

Not routes per se, but I want to give a dishonorable mention to ORAS caves specifically for having the ugliest wall textures ever. Good god, they look horrid. I think Hoenn in general really suffered from the transition to 3D, but the caves get the worst of it.

Sinnoh

Best route: Route 217

Yes, it is tedious as all get-out to actually get through the route, so I wouldn't blame anyone for hating it. However, I think the feel of the route - trudging through the snow, one step at a time - drastically outweighs the tedium of it all. (Besides, Sinnoh's just a little slow no matter what you do!) I love the house with the Froslass (or at least, I always assumed she was a Froslass) is really memorable, digging up Rock Climb from the snow is memorable, and as with all Gen 4 tracks, the music has this incredible atmosphere to it.

An honorable mention to all the Survival Area routes, but specifically in Platinum. The more tropical atmosphere is really cool, and both DP and BDSP lack that.

Worst route: Route 223

Water routes in Pokemon are bad.

Unova

Best route: Routes 17 and 18

So, uh, about those water routes... I like Unova's one water route! For starters, it's optional, so I don't have to deal with it if I don't feel like it. While I hate the currents gimmick in Hoenn's Route 132, it works out well here since it's not too difficult to backtrack if you want, and it's not all-encompassing. The island of Route 18 also serves as a nice stopgap for all the surfing, and the Larvesta egg is a nice treat (even if I've never been so masochistic as to train it). The P2 Laboratory is also a cool area, though I've always wished the Genesect event here was a bit more in-depth... regardless, it's a nice set of routes!

Overall though, Unova consistently has my personal favorite routes.

Worst route:

Black and White are so scared of giving you options that aren't The Monkey(TM) for Striaton that they refused to let these first routes have anything but Patrat and Lilipup. Purrloin isn't much of an improvement. Otherwise, this route does nothing interesting aesthetically. yawn

Kalos

Best route: Route 12/Fourrage Road

Listen, it was a close call between Route 12 and Route 10/Menhir Trail, but Route 12 wins out because you get to ride a Skiddo. They're both really nice routes with really neat aesthetics, but again - one route has the Skiddo.

Worst route: Route 1

Route 1 has excellent music and utterly wastes it on a 5-second path. I'd be less mad if the music wasn't so charming! Use it more!

Alola

Best route: Route 14

Alola is actually my favorite region, so it feels weird to say it, but: I think Alola tends to have pretty mid route design? While I love the boss trainers, just as routes I find them to be pretty uninteresting: just a way to get to the more interesting locales. It's with that in mind that I say that I really like Route 14, just because of how cool the black sand beach is. While it suffers from an utter dirth of interesting encounters, it makes for a memorable journey up to the Thrifty Megamart, and the lighthouse ruins are really neat as well. Honorable mention to Route 11, since I really like the bamboo forest vibe - but it just doesn't do much with that, at least imo.

Worst route: Route 6/Straight Street

That Straight Street sure is a straight street.

Galar

Best route: Route 8/Steamdrift Way

I think Galar overall has really weak route design, so Route 8 really stands out in my mind as a pleasant surprise. The ruins aesthetic is on point, and I love the Falinks marching in and out of the various holes throughout. While the steamy part of the route ends a bit too short for my liking, it's also a nice little capstone on a pretty solid route.

Worst route: Route 6

Route 6 stings, because I want to love it. The cliff face with the carved-out Diglett is really cool, and it has Cara Liss, who sure does make the best and most ethical fossils in the series, but I'm just let down by its execution. Everyone freezing when you go down the ladders would be a nitpick if you didn't spend so much of the route climbing ladders, and it just overall feels like a really lackluster execution on a concept that I really like. Most of Galar's routes range from bad to forgettable, but this one frustrates me the most.

 

[bdt2002]

Coming back to this thread sooner than expected since I felt like doing a deeper, albeit brief dive into more Routes, and because your posts reminded me that I only did a "Good Route" in the OP and no "Bad Routes" to balance things out. So here's a poorly put together bullet point list of both categories to enjoy.

• Good Routes
  • Kalos Route 19
    • Easily the best Route in the region for me and it's not even close; the music is my favorite of all the Route themes in XY, it's a fairly large Route that still manages to not overstay its welcome, it has plenty to do with some rival battles and a couple of optional sections, and in typical XY fashion the wild Pokémon encounters here are honestly pretty solid. If the entrance to Terminus Cave was on Route 19 for whatever reason instead of Route 18 it would be even better, because apparently I got my Routes mixed up as I was typing this. Finally, I want to mention this is one of the Routes where it can naturally rain, and from what I remember is one of only two of said routes where the Goomy family actually spawns, meaning you may actually be better off waiting to find a Sliggoo here than to try and find a Goomy in a Route where it will be much weaker than everything else around it.
  • Sinnoh Route 224
    • In retrospect, it's great that those extra parts of Sinnoh's Victory Road exist, because if they didn't this would probably be one of the most underwhelming and forgettable Victory Roads in the main series. While the Route itself is far from one of my favorites, there's still decent encounters and a few things to do. More importantly, it manages to make its way onto my list due to how it helps to build on an existing location in a way no other Route had tried before or since. This Route also gets extra brownie points for being home to the region's Shaymin event, too, even if the so-called Seabreak Path is a little too long for my liking for just being one straight path.
  • Honorable Mentions
    • There are two honorable mentions I want to make for areas that aren't listed as Routes but function very similarly to them in all but name. Alola's "Vast Poni Canyon" was an instant classic for many fans upon release for its music, dynamic area design, and things to do, much like Kalos Route 19 in my opinion. Meanwhile, Mt. Silver Cave (not sure why they changed the name though) received a huge glow-up in HGSS compared to the originals with an optional battle with Moltres and the added snowy mountain theme previously seen with Sinnoh's Mt. Coronet.
• Bad Routes
  • Unova Route 2
    • It seems generally agreed upon the Unova is either the frontrunner or in the running for "Best Routes Overall" from any single region, and as a result I thought it would be a fun challenge to try and find truly bad Unova Routes, specifically looking for the worst Unova Route. After looking at all 23 of them, I feel comfortable saying Route 2 is probably the worst of the bunch, particularly in the original Black & White games. I understand why earlygame Routes are supposed to feel more simple compared to later Routes, but by Unova standards this Route does virtually nothing to stand out, only adding one new encounter (Purrloin) compared to the already underwhelming main portion of Route 1 while also hurting from being the best spot to train against wild Pokémon for the first Gym, which is a problem given Gen 5's chances to EXP mechanics. Even in subsequent visits and in the sequels, the only reason you would come back here is for one use of Cut, one use of Strength, and because you need to in the sequels to keep progressing south. Truly the "Mario Circuit" of Unova Routes if you ask me. If I had to give a runner-up I'd probably say Unova Route 19 for many of the same reasons QuentinQuonce mentioned although I personally have some nostalgia for it since I found my first random Shiny there.
  • Sinnoh Route 217
    • I'm sorry, Just A Seaking but with all due respect, I'm going to have to disagree with your takes on this Route, because I personally hate it. I understand what the developers were going for here, and I still want to respect your opinions the points you made. Maybe we just have different tastes and that's completely fine; that being said, if Unova Route 2 is bad for being bland and not adding anything of note, Sinnoh Route 217 might as well be the equivalent of "that one ice/snow level in any game ever that purposely feels like a slog to get through". Even the freaking map description says to prepare for the worst, whether that be for the deep snow or the blizzard-like conditions that caused it. If it wasn't for the Glaceon Ice Rock and a very obscure chat you can have with Maylene here that I... actually didn't know was a thing until now, this Route would add literally nothing enjoyable for me. (Edit: I do like that Froslass theory though, I've always believed that too.)
  • Literally Any Galar Route
    • Routes were arguably already on their way out with Alola's shift away from the classic overworld tile system, but even though a select few of Galar's Routes are admittedly aren't horrible, there are also a few that are pretty bad that have already been mentioned in this thread. The problem is, even the Routes that are just "okay" tend to get overshadowed by Galar's intentional emphasis on the Wild Area and the DLC expansions. This is less of an issue with the Routes themselves as it is with changes in overall game design, because let's be real. Outside of reviving the Galarian fossil Pokémon or an extremely specific Pokémon that might only spawn in one location, what reason would players have to ever come back to any of these Routes for subsequent visits?

 

[KalosianPorygon]

Good Route:

Kanto Route 17 (AKA the Cycling Road) is one of those pictures you can hear just by seeing its layout. Cycling down a long slope + beating up Bikers + the iconic Bicycle tune = pure joy. Only negative is that LGPE doesn't have the Bicycle item.

Bad Route:

Kanto Route 7, because size matters to me. A lot.

 

[SwampySwampert]

If I could light Kalos Route 13 on fire, I would, and I'd cackle at the ashes. Between the blowing winds and the dust cloud encounters (2 of which always seem to have Arena Trap) it's just the worst. Also, the EXP from the mons there aren't great, so if you need to level for Ramos or Clemont, you've gotta backtrack.

Getting a Trapinch in that route and then immediately losing it to another Arena Trap mon is a Nuzlocke canon event.

 

[bdt2002]

Getting a Trapinch in that route and then immediately losing it to another Arena Trap mon is a Nuzlocke canon event.

Turns out the real reason Mega Flygon doesn’t exist was because they knew Nuzlocke players would be upset that they couldn’t use one because their Trapinch died to another freaking Trapinch

I knew it all along

 

[Coronis]

Good Route:
View attachment 562206Kanto Route 17 (AKA the Cycling Road) is one of those pictures you can hear just by seeing its layout. Cycling down a long slope + beating up Bikers + the iconic Bicycle tune = pure joy. Only negative is that LGPE doesn't have the Bicycle item.

Bad Route:
View attachment 562207Kanto Route 7, because size matters to me. A lot.

So as someone who never played LGPE, what did they do with cycling road?

Don’t say that…

 

[Esserise]

So as someone who never played LGPE, what did they do with cycling road?

Nothing special. In LGPE, it’s basically just a normal route. Same layout, but without the “gravity” effect to simulate it being a downhill slope.

 

[Coronis]

Nothing special. In LGPE, it’s basically just a normal route. Same layout, but without the “gravity” effect to simulate it being a downhill slope.

Yuck

 

[woodgoldtwo]

Yuck

It's still really fun to go through with a ride pokemon like rapidash though I've never played the other kanto games so they still might have the better version

 

[R_N]

Cycling Road in LGPE is meant as a "walk with your Pokemon" type area. The trainers all have a Pokemon out with them as you go down the Road and it's definitely meant to let you show off a ride Pokemon if you have one since it's relatively-wide/open.

 

[MoonlightRose]

Kalos Route 1: What is actually the point of this route?

 

[KalosianPorygon]

Kalos Route 1: What is actually the point of this route?

All the wild Pokémon went on strike.
Source: I'm French.

 

[khlaylav]

I wanna give some praise to HeartGold and SoulSilver's expanded Cianwood City. The group of Route 47, Route 48 and Cliff Cave are quite impressive; Route 47 looking out over the water is beautiful and the different levels of caves and waterfalls have a pleasing sense of exploration.

 

[QuentinQuonce]

I wanna give some praise to HeartGold and SoulSilver's expanded Cianwood City. The group of Route 47, Route 48 and Cliff Cave are quite impressive; Route 47 looking out over the water is beautiful and the different levels of caves and waterfalls have a pleasing sense of exploration.

I just wish Route 48 was a bit more interesting, though. Aside from the tiny little path behind the trees, there's nothing remotely interesting about the route. It's just a bridge, a grassy patch, another bridge, and you're done. After how expansive Route 47 was it feels like an afterthought, and there's no reason to ever return there at any point (I don't even think any of the Pokemon found there are unique, except Diglett if you're absolutely desperate to get one without having to fiddle about with the Safari Zone).

They could have had a section of the grassy patch lead down to the river and let you Surf in a section of it, maybe to a small enclosed patch of land on the other side where there'd be an item or a trainer. Or even without any of that I just wish it'd been a bit longer; they could have broken up the grass a bit, or added some trainers to the eastern bank of the river leading to the bridge.

I've said in the past I wish this area had been a forest, and I stick by that.

 

[Kin+ak (✧∇✧)]

My fav is route 20 from emerald. nearby the beautifulest city in the games, nearby the spot for tropius, very beautiful route where you can gET a secret basement and it's Also the force of nostalgy. (it's like gen4 for the community. nothing special, but nostalgy makes it unique).
least favorite is route before Ice gym in dpp. awful! battles, slowness, hail, trainers, Too much.

 

[Kaltau]

Kanto -

Best - Route 12-13. Really it's the whole stretch from Lavender to Fuschia, but these two stick out as unique among routes and it felt like you were really somewhere new, not just exploring new grasslands. (Bonus shoutout to Route 15 in GSC where you can trade for an Aerodactyl here).

Worst - Route 17. I just really hate Cycle Road.

Johto -

Best - Route 32. Some great pokemon diversity, with Johto-specific pokemon in particular (you could field an entire Johto team from here, Crobat, Wooper/Quagsire, Mareep/Ampharos, Aipom, Heracross, plus your starter/Hoppip), before adding in the likes of Ekans/Arbok and Gyarados. It's got it's own Pokemon Center and its between two fun destinations in Ruins of Alph and Union Cave. It's also got a decent amount of variety in terms of geography and I like that a lot.

Worst - Route 45, or why Route 45 sucks because of the Dark Cave. In a game where we get new areas opened in basically every cave (Union Cave, Slowpoke Well, Mt. Mortar) as you get new HMs and we see designed cave areas where it does more than take you from point A to point B (the many entrances and exits in Ruins of Alph, multiple entrances into Mt. Mortar), it just feels like Dark Cave is wasted in the inability to partially access and explore Route 45 before making it to Blackthorn City and Route 45 sucks because of this because at this point I'm just trying to grind out to beat Claire move on to the League. It just doesn't get a whole lot of love for what it could be, instead opting to be victory lap route you can ignore. It's a dramatic letdown after being teased at it's southern terminus with Jigglypuff on Route 46.

Hoenn -

Best - Route 127. Diving for exploration was just such a cool addition. This of course applies to most ocean routes, but 127 is pretty wide open for it.

Worst - Route 117. This one is tough because there are routes I absolutely hate in this game (specifically the trek from Mauville to Fortree to Lilycove), but even at it's worst, RSE absolutely nails environments. Even as I'm through to Fortree and hating it, I feel like I'm exploring the deep woods. Even though I never actually do anything with the fallen ash up by Fallarbor, I really appreciate the attention to detail. But Route 117? It's just bland. Compared to everything else in Hoenn being chocked full of environment, 117 is just a basic route.

Sinnoh -

Best - It's not exactly a "route" but Eterna Forest is the first Pokemon forest I've ever enjoyed exploring. I also like that includes a second destination in the Old Chateau. I always thought that was a missed opportunity for the Ilex Forest and the Celebi Shrine that doesn't do anything outside of events. If I've got to pick a "route", then 213. Running along the beach was just really fun.

Worst - Route 207. Fuck that steep slope. That's all.

.....And I haven't finished anything 5th gen on so I'm gonna call it here.