The iconic lead-up to any Elite Four and Champion, the Victory Road across variousPokemongames and generations certainly lives up to the name and challenge of the end game. While not every game has a location specifically named Victory Road, the title still maintains the legacy even inScarlet and Violet.
With so many iterations, both as the route named as such and the final location of a mission, some Victory Roads stand taller than others. Whether from a lack of challenge or atmosphere or often both, a proper Victory Road feels like the final challenge before the final bosses ofPokemon. Among eight roads found throughout several regions, the best easily clear the worst.
While the Victory Road in Paldea is more synonymous with one of the paths players can take to progress the story, the general focus on the challenges of defeating the gym leaders and facing the Elite Four still makes the lead-up to the Pokemon League essentially a victory lap for Victory Road. Despite all the focus on such a legendary title within the franchise, this newest Victory Road is one of the more lackluster routes seen.
With all the excitement and focus onthe open world and varying terrains withinScarlet and Violet, the practically bare-bones Victory Road is almost shocking. A simple, somewhat curving grassy route that is perhaps as short as the first route in the game, the Paldean Victory Road is clearly missing some much-needed details and challenges.
The first Victory Road, and also seen in several unique variations, the Kanto path to the Elite Four captures the simple but effective essence of a final environment before the boss gauntlet. Most recently redone inLet’s Go Pikachu and Eevee,the crossover between the mainlinePokemongames andPokemon Go,the Victory Road isn’t as exciting as more recent options, but it certainly sets the bar for what a Victory Road should be.
Featuring some puzzles and twisting paths, the Victory Road captures the essence of an endgame build-up for the upcoming boss fights, along with offering rare Pokemon and even a Legendary hiding within the cave. While not as detailed as later iterations, the Kanto version of this penultimate route still offers a worthy challenge for players.
Exactly in line with how many fans feel about theDiamond and Pearlremakes, the most recent iteration of Sinnoh’s Victory Road inBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlis just a translation of the original, without any modern touches or improvements.
While this iteration of this final route is identical to when it originally appeared, it still offers a fair number of puzzles and challenges for even the most prepared players,although with too many HMsand without too many rare Pokemon to entice players to search around besides for the exit. With extra rooms for post-game exploration, the Victory Road in Sinnoh marks a new era for what a Victory Road can be.
Since the upcomingPokemon Legends: Z-Awon’t featureanything outside of Lumiose City,the appearance of Kalos' Victory Road remains exclusive to the 3DS games. While the Generation 6 games are certainly not known for their difficulty, the layering and environmental variety found withinXY’sVictory Road coupled with several puzzles makes this final route stand out easily among the rest.
Featuring towering cliffs, flooded caves, rocks for players to jump over and run between, and more ruins to explore, the climb to the heights of the Kalos region truly captures the challenge and mystique worthy of this boss build-up.
A Cinematic Remake
Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
xperience an epic journey through a world filled with Pokémon in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Pokémon fans first enjoyed Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire when it launched in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. A whole new generation of Pokémon fans will experience the dramatic story line that unfolds in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.
A properly updated Road in the remakes toPokemon Ruby and Sapphire, the Hoenn Victory Road captures a charming aesthetic alongside the variety of environments and challenges found within. With deep cave sections and plenty of famous water areas, though not too much, this path next to the Pokemon League is one of the most iconic and classic routes in the series.
Sporting a surprisingly cinematic battle against rival Wally at the end of this massive cave, and several locations making full use ofOmega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’sDexNav, this most recent iteration of Hoenn’s Victory Road perfectly combines the new with the old, with some flair to boot.
The Summit Of The Region
Pokemon Sun and Moon
The Sun and Moon, the winner of Ludum Dare 29, is a platformer with a unique mechanic: you can dive into the ground. Momentum is conserved but gravity is reversed, letting you fling yourself high into the air or deep beneath the surface. The goal is always straightforward - collect the three orbs in the level and jump into the wormhole - but spikes, endless drops and impossible heights make this more and more difficult.Dive into the ground - This unique mechanic preserves your momentum, letting you use the level itself to overcome a huge range of challenges.Conquer over 150 levels - Run, jump and dive your way through levels spanning from easy to brutally difficult. You’ll need to both master the controls as well as think outside the box.Non-linear level unlock system - Explore the game in whatever order best suits you.Achieve Time Goals - Three tiers of medals provide an additional challenge for even the easiest levels.Minimalistic graphics - Straight-to-the-point graphics help you focus on the gameplay.
One of the most interesting Victory Roads throughoutPokemongames, the Alolan Victory Road is the most recently built route compared to far more ancient paths in previous and future games. As the Alolan Pokemon League has only just been implemented in the reason within the game’s story, there’s plenty of unique spins to the usually foreboding treks.
With the mountain featuring the Road being the tallest in the region, plenty of caves and snowy routes snake in and out of the entire area, offering some of the onlyIce types in the entire game.The height and atmosphere of Victory Road are easily felt thanks to frequent elevators and cliffside views into foggy depths below.
2BW Victory Road
Pokemon Black and White
New Legendary Pokémon, new heroes, a surprising new region, plus new ways for players to have fun and communicate locally are just a few of the innovative and exciting gameplay features offered by Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, exclusively for the Nintendo DS family of portable systems.Redefining the Pokémon series, Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version offer fans and newcomers alike a completely new adventure to discover and enjoy - and for the first time ever in the series, the two games feature their own individual areas to explore. Set in the Unova region, which is located far away from the Kanto and Johto regions Pokémon fans will be familiar with, both games also feature all-new action-packed locations, such as the bustling urban environment of Castelia City.In Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version the player is tasked with completing two quests. One is to complete the Unova Pokédex by finding and catching every Pokémon in the region – however, in order to fully complete the Unova Pokédex, players will need to trade Pokémon between both versions. The other is to become the Pokémon League Champion by battling with wild Pokémon and other Trainers in the region. Players will train their Pokémon with the ultimate goal of taking on the Elite Four and the Unova Champion!
Perhaps the epitome of what a Victory Road inPokemonlooks and operates like, the Victory Road inBlack and White’sUnova features rocky cliffs, caves with plenty of battles, and an array of rare and powerful Pokemon. With the entire puzzle challenge aspect of this Victory Road being showcased right as players walk up to it, this route is both simplistic and wonderfully detailed.
While scaling the cliffs is often the bane of many player’s trip to the Pokemon League, the overall challenge present in this rocky route perfectly summarizes the tone of the Unova games, especially withpseudo-legendary Pokemon lurking in the dark.
1BW2 Victory Road
The sequel toBlack and White, the creatively titledBlack 2 and White 2’supdated Victory Road combines the strong elements from the first iteration with the additional intriguing details and lore of the evolving story found in both sets of games.
With two iconic parts of this Road, few other variants hardly compare. Since the initial version found inBWwas destroyed in a landslide, and the ruins of N’s Castle from the climax of the original can be found within the depths of the cave section of the Road, this Unovan Victory Road is easily the champion of them all.
