Revisiting Kanto: Why Pokemon's First Region Is Its Most Special

thegamer.com:

Kanto is one of the most fascinating settings in gaming. I know it’s actually a real place, but I’m specifically talking about Pokemon’s version of Kanto, or even more specifically, the version presented in Red & Blue. When I think of the vast open worlds I’ve spent the most time in - something I’ve been doing a lot recently thanks to the different philosophies of Horizon and Elden Ring - I realise that none of them hit me like Kanto.

That’s why, over the coming weeks, I’m going to be revisiting Kanto town by town and digging into them deeply, writing about who (and what) I find there as I try to explore exactly why this place is so magical. There’s more to it than raw nostalgia, as other games I loved from my childhood don’t have that same hold on me. I see the flaws in their settings, even if they transport me back to the CRT in my old bedroom.

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Obviously, Kanto is not the immersive open world that Red Dead Redemption 2’s Old West is. It doesn’t react to your presence, it doesn’t swell with hidden stories, it doesn’t really do anything. It’s just a loose framework for what is now a very reliable formula where you wander through some towns, collect some badges, and catch more Pokemon, but it feels oddly like home. It’s the first video game world I knew - truly knew - as if I lived in it. Every building, every route, every corner. Not the encounter rates or the trainer meta or the most effective speedrun routes, but the people and feeling of the town. Its essence. Its honest to god vibes. I don’t know it as well as I used to, and I want to get that feeling back.

I’m sure everyone feels this way about their most formative games, but I think Pokemon Red & Blue does it