The Wi-Fi Plaza in Pokemon Platinum is self-explanatory: a party plaza that requires Wi-Fi to use. My first time I played Pokémon Platinum I didn’t even know there was a hidden plaza in the Pokémon centers. Once I visited the plaza, every day I chatted with other people around the world. The Wi-Fi Plaza is so old that I remember trying to put my city as my country because I didn’t know the difference. The Wi-Fi Plaza is not only nostalgic for me but for many Pokémon players. On an added note, the Festival Plaza in Sun and Moon is not as creative to me, for it lacks tap toys, surveys, and Pokémon floats.
The Charizard floats hardly tease the amount of coolness in the Wi-Fi plaza. Hanging out with other Pokémon lovers, seeing their favorite types of food or games, and learning what kind of trainer they want to be is addicting. The simplicity of getting to know somebody in the Wi-Fi Plaza and adding them to your friends list is incredible.
The Festival Plaza in Pokémon Sun and Moon is fun, but friend codes are required and people stay permanently, which means space to meet and keep people in the plaza is limited. Interacting with trainers is much easier in the Wi-Fi Plaza due to friend codes not being needed.
Swalot Plop and Mime Jr. Top were the best mini-games followed by the plaza surveys and tap toys. I think the creativity was stronger in this plaza due to the sound effects from the tap toys and the departure of Pokémon floats. It’s cool how you can earn prizes in the Festival Plaza in Sun and Moon, but there’s less interaction with people.
The surveys and tap toys allowed people online at that moment to talk to each other and interact. This isn’t to say that the Global Trade Station or other recent implementations haven’t been valuable, but the Wi-Fi Plaza could easily be recreated to provide nostalgia and unification for Pokémon lovers.
