Despite being perhaps too faithful remakes of Pokémon’s Generation IV duo of games, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl still have some features that weren’t present in the original games, such as allowing Pokémon to follow you in the overworld. In the case of this particular feature, some players have taken issue with its implementation, criticizing the animations and pace at which these Pokémon move.
Reddit user UrFriendlySpider-Man shared a video on Tuesday showing their player character walking alongside an Ekans. In the video, the Snake Pokémon not only struggles to keep up with the Reddit user, but it notably doesn’t move as a snake would. Rather than slither, it simply seems to slide across the ground while its body is still coiled up. The Pokémon’s movement style led to many on r/Pokémon to jokingly refer to Ekans as “Roomba,” in reference to the automated vacuum cleaner.
Another video by Reddit user KankerLul035 showcased a similar situation, except with Milotic instead of Ekans. Here, the Pokémon appears to follow the player by floating through the air while its body remains static; like Ekans, it struggles to keep pace with its trainer.
Some Reddit users expressed disappointment towards these Pokémon’s animations. “[Milotic] is literally my favorite pokemon, it makes me so sad that it’s like this. I am right there with you on the disappointment train,” wrote UnalignedSpider.
Interestingly enough, certain Pokémon in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl do have incredibly expressive, speedy walking animations, such as Golem, who curls up into a rock ball to roll behind the player.
Some users on r/Pokémon have posited that the lackluster, static animations mainly apply to serpentine-bodied Pokémon. It remains to be seen if any of the affected Pokémon’s animations will be updated to be more expressive in future patches.
