No matter how long you’ve been playingPokemonfor, there are certain aspects that are always annoying. From the hundreds of Pokemon available within each game to the hundreds of moves they can use, random encounters, catch rates, and any number of RNG-dependent facets, it’s no wonder that things can get frustrating from time to time.
If your Pokemon has ever hit itself in Confusion three times in a row, or you’ve let a Legendary Pokemon Struggle itself to death, know you’re not alone. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most frustrating and annoying parts of Pokemon games that continue to agitate us, even after over 20 years of playing them.
8One-Hit KOs
One-Hit KOs have always been sort of a gimmick in the games. This refers to the moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, and Sheer Cold, all of which have very low accuracy but will always one-shot the opponent if they hit.
These moves' accuracy starts at 30 percent, and increases by one percent for each level the user has over the target, and will fail every time if the user is a lower level than the target. In a normal playthrough, you don’t typically see these moves, but every so often, there’s an NPC that will use it on you, and despite being roughly the same level, it just so happens to hit.
7Forgetting Poke Balls
Forgetting to bring Poke Balls is a mistake that can happen to just about anyone, regardless of whether they’re a new player or a veteran. When it does happen (and it will), it’s equally annoying that you could be so forgetful, but also that the game would even let you do that to yourself.
This is especially true when going up against Legendary Pokemon. Maybe you got too focused on your catcher Pokemon, setting them up with False Swipe and so on, and forgot all about the actual catching part of the battle. Or maybe you just assumed you already had a bunch of Balls and neglected to buy more. It’s happened to everyone, but that doesn’t make it any less infuriating.
6Finding Roaming Legendaries
Roaming Pokemon are ones that essentially roam around the world, and can be randomly encountered in any tile of grass. Take all the annoyances of catching Legendary Pokemon normally, like low catch rates and their strong attacks, and compound them with the fact that these Pokemon will always flee on the first turn of the battle, not to mention that they’re hard to even find in the first place.
Luckily, there are strategies for dealing with Roaming Legendaries in each game they appear in, like tracking them with the in-game map or using Mean Look to prevent them from fleeing, but it’s a whole extra step that makes the process even more frustrating. If you fail to catch it, like if it accidentally gets knocked out or you run out of balls, have fun doing it all over again!
5Getting Through Victory Road
In general, Pokemon games are pretty easy; they are designed to be played by children, after all. Victory Road, in the games that have it, isn’t necessarily harder than any other part of the game, but it is usually the longest stretch between Pokemon Centers, and usually includes some of the more annoying Trainers and random encounters (so many Golbats) in the respective regions.
When you’re three-fourths of the way through Victory Road and your party is almost entirely wiped out, it’s annoying to have to decide between pressing your luck and potentially losing, or having to run all the way back from the Pokemon Center. If you forgot to bring an Escape Rope, the option to press forward becomes even more enticing, but all the more risky.
4Metronome
The move Metronome has only two possibilities, depending on who is using it. If you’re using it, it’s Explosion or Self-Destruct, and if the opponent uses it, it’s whatever move would be the most beneficial in the current situation.
Of course, the actual effect of Metronome is that it randomly chooses a move from all available options, so it’s bound to lead to rage-inducing scenarios sooner or later. It’s just weird that things like this never seem to go your way.
3The Safari Zone
The Safari Zone is a lawless place made only for the most unhinged of society. While there hasn’t been a new Safari Zone since the Sinnoh games, its impact can be seen in the generational trauma exhibited by veteran Pokemon players. Just say the words ‘Safari Zone’ to anyone who has had the misfortune of experiencing it, and you might have to take them to the hospital.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Safari Zone is a location where you’re able to catch a variety of Pokemon, often including species that are unavailable in other locations in the game. However, the catch is that you don’t get to bring your own Pokemon inside, and instead have to catch them on your own. You have three options during a normal battle: throw mud, throw bait, or throw a ball.
The kicker is that any Pokemon in the Safari Zone can just run away at any time, with some Pokemon fleeing the first chance they get. Now imagine finding a random shiny (or worse, hunting for one) and it flees after breaking out of the first ball you throw.
2Repeating Nurse Joy’s Dialogue
There’s quite a bit of monotony in Pokemon games. Whether you’re training up underleveled Pokemon, biking back and forth hatching eggs, or replaying Game Corner games for coins, the games can get pretty grindy.
Even with that in mind, there’s nothing quite so taxing on the psyche as spamming A through the Pokemon Center Lady’s dialogue, then accidentally agreeing to heal your team a second time. If you’ve ever done that, then spammed A through the second healing animation, only to lock yourself into a third round, you have our deepest condolences.
1Status Effect Spam
There’s nothing more frustrating in Pokemon games than being repeatedly hit with debilitating status effects like Sleep, Paralysis, Frozen, or Confusion. There’s just something so annoying about waiting for your Pokemon to finally wake up while the opponent gets free hits in, sometimes stretching into three or four turns of sitting around.
It’s even worse when status effects like Paralysis and Confusion are combined, as then you have to pass two checks in order to just take your turn. Seeing the ‘It hurt itself in its confusion’ message pop up brings unbridled rage not found anywhere else in the franchise.
