Please note that this glitch only exists in the Japanese versions of the game, or is otherwise a glitch from a Pokémon game which was only released in Japan. |
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The Broken escalator glitch is a glitch only existing in older revisions of the Japanese versions of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It was named as such because its most prominent effect (pushing the player into the void) happens when the player takes the escalator to the second floor of any Pokémon Center.
The glitch was officially acknowledged by Nintendo along with the Elite Four door glitch, and a repair program was distributed to DS stations to fix save files with the player character in the void (due to either glitch). The glitch itself was addressed in revision 6 and the English versions.
In 2019, it was discovered by RETIRE that this glitch is in fact a variation of the Union Room wrong-warping glitch (see the relevant section for an explanation), the latter still existing in the current versions. As such, on affected versions, this glitch can be used for void exploration.
Description
The official description of this glitch『ポケットモンスター ダイヤモンド・パール』における「壁の中から戻れなくなる」件に関するお知らせ [Announcement regarding "being stuck in a wall and unable to return" in Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl] roughly translates as follows:
"After entering the Union Room from the 2nd floor of the Pokémon League, if you go up to the 2nd floor of the Pokémon Center, you may enter the wall (i.e. the void) and become unable to return."
Other bug reportsDocumentation of the bug on a Japanese site specifically mention that this glitch happens when the player turns off the game in the Union Room, and that when the player loads the save file they find themselves not in front of the Union Room, but at some other place where they have saved before. Only after this wrong warp will the "broken escalator" part of this glitch happen.
This glitch is potentially more dangerous than the Elite Four door glitch, both because it can more easily happen in normal gameplay, and because even if the player does not save in the void, the "broken escalator" phenomenon will persist.
Recovery
Nintendo has published an official method of recoveryレポート前の場合の修復方法 [Method of recovery before saving the game] for when the player didn't save in the void, but still has a broken save file that would trigger this glitch if they take the escalator.
If the player is currently stuck in the void, turn the game off and then back on again to escape to the location of the last save. The player should go to the Contest Hall in Hearthome City. The player should speak with the leftmost attendant, however he or she does not need to participate in a Super Contest. After saving the game and restarting, the next escalator will operate as normal.
References
REDIRECT Template:Misc Gen 4