Pokemon Violet First Thoughts vol. 5

Okay, so I honestly didn't expect the lake to be the Endgame Area. Tried to go there first, but level 50 was a big step up from the high 30s where my team was at. Turns out you're supposed to do the mountain first! I also went back to the Psychic gym in the South, which is disappointingly the only example of Moorish architecture in the game.

In fact, hardly anything about this game seems representative of Spain. Yeah there's the Sagrada Familia, (transplanted from Barcelona to Madrid) and the Four Towers (transplanted from Madrid to Valencia) but that's about it for famous landmarks. There's no Alhambra, no Alcazars, no Mezquita... but maybe Gamefreak didn't want to risk stepping on any toes by including ersatz versions of these Islamic buildings? although they used the Sagrada Familia, a Catholic cathedral, without any qualms.

See, I've traveled through Spain, and Paldea just looks like Galar 90% of the time. Which, to be fair, just looked like Kanto 90% of the time. It's nothing new, that Pokemon games are only loosely based on their region. And honestly, I'm fine with that. It's important that we get a forest, a desert, a lake, a mountain, a beach, and some grasslands in every game. They could base the game on Kansas, and still be obligated to shoehorn in the ecological diversity necessary to house a proper region of Pokemon.

But at the same time, I'm kinda disappointed that they didn't take advantage of some of the cool things Spain has - the aforementioned Alhambra of Granada, a wonder of Moorish architecture with beautiful gardens. The Alcazars of Segovia, Seville, or Toledo, classic medieval fortresses. The Mezquita of Cordoba, a mosque so big they built a cathedral inside the mosque; the minarets are so large that horses could be rode up the spiral stairs. And the ruins that dot the Paldean countryside are a poor comparison to the Roman ruins found at Italica or Cartagena, which feature full amphitheaters. 

And then the Iconic Spanish Food of this game: sandwiches. That was the best they could come up with. Skipped right over paella, tapas, and empanadas - all of which could be customized for your little cooking mini-game - and went with a bocadillo. My guess is that they originally wanted to do tacos, but then somebody pointed out that those are Mexican, not Spanish, and then they said "ok how about enchiladas", and found out those are Mexican too, and they realized that nobody knew what actual freaking Spaniards eat, so they panicked and went with "sandwiches".

See, this is the same studio who thought Malasadas were THE standout food of Hawai'i. Yeah, forget about saimin, moco loco, kalua pig, poke bowls, spam musubi... I'm surprised they didn't go for the plate lunch, because it resembles a bento box (at least philosophically). Meanwhile, curry was chosen for England, because Japan also loves curry! Nevermind that English curry is just imported Indian curry, and a different style than Japanese curry. They saw one food item they recognized and clutched on to it for dear life. I would have gone with one of the UK's many savory pastries - a pork pie, Cornish pasty, beef wellington, etc. Fish and chips, or a spin on the Proper English Breakfast, might have worked as well.

The point is (now that I've made myself hungry), Gamefreak sends a few people to a foreign country to take pictures and try the food, and they report back with a half-baked understanding, upon which they cram those typical environmental features that they have to put in every game. Someone comes up with a few cheeky Pokemon that reference the region. They give the buildings a light dusting of regional flair. And that's about it. It just stings more when it's some place you're familiar with, I suppose.

Of course, I was only a visitor. Any native Spaniards are more than welcome to sound off about how well Gamefreak butchered/paid tribute to your homeland.