Pokemon Emerald fans praise decades-old detail that saves players money

Pokemon Emerald players praise a small detail from the game that saves the player some money if they’re low on cash while also preventing a softlock.

Money makes the world go round, which is just as true in Pokemon as in real life. In Pokemon, the player needs Pokemon Dollars to buy everything from healing items to new Poke Balls, which are vital for any trainer’s journey to become a Champion.

There are also rare instances where money is needed to progress through the story, such as with the Safari Zone in Pokemon Red & Blue, as cash is required to enter, and you need to go inside to get the Gold Teeth and the Surf HM. Unfortunately, if you have no money, then you’ve softlocked the game.

Game Freak learned its lesson and started implementing solutions to prevent softlocks, with Pokemon Yellow allowing you to enter the Safari Zone, even if you have no money. A similar situation occurred in the Gen 3 games, as the player needs to pay to enter the Oceanic Museum to fight Team Aqua/Magma.

The Pokemon Company / Game Freak

Pokemon Emerald lets the player into the Museum, even if they can’t afford the entry fee

A user on the PokemonEmerald Reddit page has created a thread detailing the Oceanic Museum’s entry cost situation. Usually, the entry fee is fifty Pokemon Dollars, but if you don’t have the cash, the game will let you go inside for free.

“The attention to detail to prevent soft locks in this game is amazing,” one user writes, while another says, “I swear I learn something new every day in this game. So much attention to detail not seen since Gen 5.”

Other users pointed out how unlikely it is to be stuck without fifty Pokemon Dollars at this point in the game, as you earn cash from every trainer and can easily sell any items you find on the overworld. Usually, players never run out of money in the Pokemon games, and it’s easy to get more when needed.

It bears mentioning that the Pokemon games are intended for kids, who are likelier to spend all their in-game cash without having any money saved for later. The Oceanic Museum entry fee was likely built with this thought in mind so children couldn’t accidentally softlock themselves.

It’s highly unlikely that most players would ever see the Oceanic Museum scene, but it’s good that it was included for the handful of people who needed it. Pokemon players shouldn’t be penalized for spending all their cash on Ultra Balls and Hyper Potions only to be told they need money for a museum trip.