#case in point: pokemon HG/SS

[booznye]

Actually the peak of videogame design and engineering is giving you the option to have a tiny little guy follow you around.

[warden-melli]

Pokémon Legends Arceus theory:

While the identity of the protagonist(s) in legends Arceus bare a striking resemblance to Dawn and Lucas from the Diamond and Pearl games, it is never confirmed in game that these characters are actually one in the same. Most players assume that you play as an older version of Dawn or Lucas. One who has been selected by Arceus, and brought to the past to carry out its bidding, but there’s some clues that indicate that this may not be the case. While there are alternative theories to who the protagonist may truly be (including them actually being Dawn or Lucas’s child, and not them themselves), I propose one of my own

At the start of the game, this is some of the first dialogue we encounter

The way that it is worded implies that the character being spoken to wouldn’t already be familiar with what a pokemon is, or the Pokémon world. We know that the player character in PLA is around 15 years old. Older than Dawn and Lucas in their DPP appearances, so it’s out of the question that they wouldn’t already know what a pokemon was. They lived and grew up in that world, and we know that they have had many adventures with pokemon by their sides, so it truly doesn’t make sense for Arceus to explain the concept of a Pokémon to seasoned Pokémon veterans such as Dawn or Lucas

The text also explicitly states that the character will “soon find themselves” in a strange world that is inhabited by creatures called pokemon. This seems to indicate that whatever world this character existed in prior to the Pokémon world, didn’t have any creatures called Pokémon at all

There’s also the matter of the players mobile phone. We get to see it briefly in the opening scene, before Arceus transforms it into the iconic Arc Phone.

And it looks suspiciously like a real world, modern smart phone. Now this could be Dawn or Lucas’s phone from the future, but the problem with this is that phones in the Pokémon world do not look like this, with the Rotom Phone being the standard

These phones have a distinctly different shape and properties to the one the player first arrives with. It’s only after Arceus transforms the phone that it more resembles the look of the other phones seen in the series

This points to the character, whoever they may be, not coming from the Pokémon world or it’s future, but from somewhere else entirely. But where?

In HG/SS there was an (extremely creepy) event, in which you witness Arceus creating a new Dialga, Palkia or Giratina (based on the players choice). Interestingly, this event takes places at the Sinjoh ruins, and includes Sinnoh’s champion Cynthia, which is a neat little connection from this event to PLA in and of itself, but it’s the actual cutscene that’s relevant to this theory, more specifically the visuals. They show the real world. This is just a tiny selection of the multiple real world images presented as part of the cutscene

This is the real world in a Pokémon game. This shows that is very possible for Arceus to reach across time, space, dimension and even beyond. Into distant realities. That the Pokémon world has worlds beyond it, and that Arceus can see and reflect them all

This theory argues that this is where Arceus abducted the player character from, and instead of being that worlds Dawn/Lucas from the future, they’re instead a different Dawn/Lucas from an alternate dimension. Ours.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This can’t be true. They have to come from the Pokémon world, because the characters are wearing clothes that reference other pokemon locations, and the phone case has an image of a pokeball. The wording is a clear 4th wall break to set up the plot of the game, and Arceus is obviously talking to the player, not the literal character themselves… and you could be right, but I believe I have an explanation

It’s merch. Pokemon does exist in our world, just not as real creatures that physically exist. It’s very possible that the clothing the player is wearing (and their phone case) are simply pokemon merchandise, and they’re huge pokemon fans. While their battle prowess could be explained by future Dawn/Lucas having mastered their skills over the events of DPP, it could also be that the alternate reality Dawn/Lucas gained those same skills simply by playing the video game version(s) of DPP. It’s important to note that the shirts shown in game have no obvious connection to the Sinnoh based Dawn/Lucas, but the designs would be familiar to anyone who has played the other games in the Pokémon series (having appeared in XY and Sword and Shield)

Okay, assuming this was the case, wouldn’t this mean that the character would already be familiar with pokemon, even just as a franchise? Didn’t the dialogue imply that they wouldn’t know what a Pokémon is at all?

True. While it’s a certainty that a future Dawn/Lucas would already know what a Pokémon/the Pokémon world is, it’s also true that In this exact scenario, it’s very likely that of course the character would know what a Pokémon is. But in the context of them being real life creatures, in a strange new world?

Not exactly…

(This is just a silly little theory, please don’t take it too seriously lol. There’s plenty more arguments that could be made for and against it, but it’s interesting to think about anyways and just for fun. I kinda like the air of mystery and unanswered questions that the Pokémon world has, and it’s tons of fun to overthink/over analyse the games)

[thedetectiveofinaba]

Pokemon AU Headcanons, part 5/??: Naoto’s Technology Key Item Gears

Naoto got a smartphone device (the one used in BW/BW2) from her aunt when she was fifteen years old as a graduation gift so she could have video chats with her mother’s side relatives at Unova more often. Her Unovean relatives are more updated with the newest technology and encouraged her to try other ways than traditional cell phone.

Before that she had the the combination item of cell phone, radio and map (introduced in Crystal/HG & SS) and she used it for the longest time. She still has it as a back-up method if the smartphone breaks and she has to take it for repairs at Unova. 

When Naoto was in Sinnoh during the the Team Galactic bust-out mission she heard about the Poketch and possible additional apps you could get to it and bought herself one from Jublife City with the paycheck she had at hand. It’s customly colored for her: instead of fully blue it’s half blue and half red.

Her favorite apps in it is the chart which points out the type advantages and disadvantages off-battle in case she needs to check specifics, the notepad and the map since she gets lost a lot in new environments. 

She’s in the middleway of being completely modern and not comfortable with any technology and doesn’t buy the newest product right away just because it’s new and fancy. 

Despite hearing comments how she’s “too old traditioned” she keeps on using it since it’s the best one she’s ever had and enough for her needs. She’s not looking for huge luxury in her usage items: all she needs is a long durable life and not having to complain how useless the item she has is.

Her foreign items always manage to confuse locals and she needs to explain what a Poketch is.

She always recharges the batteries during the night and is careful not to let the energy to drop to fully zero.

[themattress]

Yeah, the guy’s design is great, but the character himself has me worried.

The “friendly rival” characters of Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova were just fine, because they had some interesting factor to them and the rivalry aspect with you: Wally’s illness and recovery (plus his unexpectedly bittersweet new path as a trainer in ORAS), Brendan/May’s (possibly unintentional) annoying traits toward you, Barry’s childish arrogance and subsequent disillusionment, Cheren’s obsession with defeating you in order to be strong, Bianca’s self-discovery that rivalry just isn’t for her, and Hugh’s volatile temper relating to fighting Team Plasma and recovering his sister’s Pokemon. And hey, we still got new content for our “jerk rival” characters of Gary and Kamon in FR/LG and HG/SS, plus a “villainous” rival with N. 

But with Kalos, Alola, Let’s GO! and now Galar, we’ve been given more friendly rivals which, beyond being the point where people are sick of them, have mostly lacked any sort of interesting substance. Four friendly rivals in Kalos (Trevor, Tierno, Shauna and Calum/Serena), and all of them pathetically lame. Hau in the initial S/M games was not serviced well by the writing and came off as a nicer and blander version of Barry, while a potentially good jerk rival, Gladion, was barely utilized. Trace in LG! outright replaced Gary in the rival role of the story and was as inoffensive as humanly possibly, a stark contrast to Gary’s famous obnoxiousness. And now we have the good prince Hop, who seems like he’ll just be a retread of Hau. Aside from Hau in US/UM, which fixed things considerably, a huge shared problem here is that I have absolutely no desire to fight any of these guys, and they barely seem to have much of a desire to fight you beyond “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”  There is no drive to the rivalries, and if that’s the case then can they even be called rivalries at all? 

Enough with this bullshit, Gamefreak. We want an asshole!

we get to go on a date with him just like Hau

[sir-adrien-swagreste]

So over the past few weeks, I’ve been playing a Self Made Pokemon Nuzlocke I call “The Gym Challenge Nuzlocke” on Pokemon Crystal. The name is a reference to Pokémon Sword and Shield as it was those games I first used this run on. One thing I got to say is I chose the wrong Generation to play this on.

Normal Nuzlocke Rules such as Death and first encounters with Evo Dupes being an exception unless what you caught died before evolving. In that case you must catch it.

The Gym Challenge Changes start here:

Once you enter the Gym, you cannot leave until Victory or Death.

The Team you use in the Gym Challenge aren’t to be used at all (including HM moments) until you arrive at The Pokémon League (you still need survivors to get you there so don’t waste them at the Final Gym).

Note: Choose your team carefully. A good choice in the first Gym might leave you without a good one for a later Gym.

Once you make it to The League, all Pokemon are usable again and the game continues the regular Nuzlocke Flow. Level Caps are enforced so then you aren’t over leveled.

Exclusive Gen Rules

For Gen 2 and HG/SS, due to it having a Kanto Region with Gyms you will have to basically Redo the Gym Challenge again with Pokemon you catch in Kanto and what few areas you didn’t go to in Johto prior to beating the game.

Note: You might want to save a few captures. I had to go back for a (with great luck) Syther because I ran out of Cut users.

Once you get 16 Badges, you must use your Kanto Team and challenge the League with your Team and it’s Levels AS IS. The reason is due to your team likely being above The Leagues level at this point. At this point, the battles are a formality.

Lastly, you now have to fight The Champion of Champions, Red. Level Level: 70. In your Team, you must use at least one Pokemon from your Two Champion Runs (if they still live) and then sort from the rest of the surviving captures.

I started this run about a month or so ago and right now I have 9 Badges with 124 Hours of Game Time. This is here to tell those who attempt this how much dedication you will have to put into it.