Well. My last article took its sweet time, a lot. This one though arrives a mere week later. The contrast is significant, and that goes for content too. Why the quick succession? Because I want to continue playing and have enough content for an interim result. Oho, such words from the smurf who has been complaining for months about how terrible this underground pokemon fan game is in large parts and what pain it is to continue playing it? There was a lot of criticism and don't worry, there will be a lot of that again this time. This article will once again be filled with passionate hatred, frustration, and tangible criticism of many aspects of Pokemon Reborn.
But not exclusively. Because I can’t really hate Reborn.
As I already mentioned in previous articles and by now finally asserted, the gaming experience of this fan hack is divided into two completely different pieces, between which there is a sky-wide gap.
On the one hand there’s the difficulty, the gameplay, the unfair and frustrating fights, the mean challenges, the far, far too frequent complicated gimmick puzzles, the writing, the stupid logic, the lack of orientation, the feeling that you have to suffer through each and every battle and route.
On the other hand we have the interesting world, the well-written characters, the lovable and adorable relationships between them, the lively humor, the dark atmosphere, the pretty graphics, the serious topics, the sometimes exciting plot, the urge to follow the story no matter what.
It’s those two aspects of Reborn that, in my opinion, do not harmonize with each other, stand in each other's way and prevent this game from being much more successful and well-known than it is in its current state. But while the negative half has shaped me so far, as the plot progresses, the positive one comes more and more into the light and painfully makes it clear to me that I also can't really hate Reborn. I like it too much in many aspects, especially when compared to official Pokemon games.
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Ohh, it's such a shame. Reborn could be just a story-focused RPG or even a visual novel, or at least a Pokemon, which, in terms of it’s difficulty or at least accessibility, comes closer to GAME FREAKS old releases (emerald, black & white, ...), but still maintains its current world and characters. It could be such a wonderful, recommendable, adult fangame. Actually, you don't even need the whole Pokemon aspect. But as it is, it remains a niche, it stays ambivalent and, above all, it is divided into two pieces. At least I can say that in spite of all the anger that I have recently felt again, I’m in another motivation-loop in which I can simply - not - stop - playing. I really had to force myself to stop last night. I'm just writing this now so I can keep playing.
The world, the characters and the slowly, finally evolving plot are captivating me right now as a narrative, and above all the involvement of extremely serious, bitter topics with which I can identify myself have let my heart beaten a bit faster for Reborn lately. I am glad that I can play it. I hate it and I curse it, and in many moments I want to throw a concrete Pokeball at the developers heads, but I'm also glad I didn't stop.
Wholesome-depressing
My last article ended right before the tenth gym leader Radomus, who would award me with the eighth badge. My current status is twelve defeated gym leaders and ten badges. I just arrived in Calcenon City. My slave army has grown considerably.
It was a very story-heavy time, which was just as bipolar as the game itself: on the one hand I had diverse, incredibly sweet and heartwarming character constellations and dialogues, on the other hand depressing and unpleasant storylines opened up, which I found to exciting but still hurt me. I love some characters, can feel with many of them and, most importantly, feel something when I watch the little Pixeldwarfs on my screen. That's a lot. Well done, Reborn.
I don't want to look like the last hillbilly who is excited about such simple things - it's not that hard to write lovable and serious characters, most people in Reborn are simple stereotypes. How these are used here however, filled with thoughtful relationships and charming dialogues, is the magic of storytelling. No official Pokemon even comes close to that. No, not even black & white.
I will talk about details and much more in the chronological PRO & CONTRA-lists, which I will quickly type down to be able to continue.
I NEED MY WHOLESOME DEPRESSING !!
A word of warning: If you find my repeating rants of certain aspects of the game tiring, you may grind your teeth again. Please keep in mind that this is not (yet) a review but a collection of my real-time impressions. That's exactly how I repeat my praise for things like great dialogues.
PRO & CONTRA:
+ - The most unrealistic part in a Pokemon game yet: All characters use Adrien's xexierbullshit completely correctly without much experience with it.
(I don't have the slightest thing against any group of people, only these x-words are tyring and annoying to me.)
+ It was only a matter of time before the reborn gates opened again. Still appreciate that it happens so early.
- I'm supposed to follow Adrien into the city and again I have absolutely no idea where to go. I know I'm kicking a dead horse here, but would a simple quest log really be that difficult? After a while of searching I had to google. I wouldn't have thought of the place.
+ I really appreciate this whole twisting of time with Adrien. I don't care about logic and all these things, I just found the twist and the dialogues very interesting and I would like to alwys have Radomus' brains with me. Great little subplot!
+ THANKS FOR THE CHOICE TO RETURN TO RADOMUS 'CASTLE. FINALLY.
+ Luna, Gardevoir and Radomus are so incredibly cute together that I want to melt.
+ Radomus as the fourth wall breaker with my mistress amuses me.
+ - The El thing confuses me. Why is he there as a butler? Did Radomus hypnotize him?
+ - Sure Radomus, keep my friend's pendant ... no problem, gladly ... by the way you’re welcome for the help ...
- Hey Radomus, I just fought Cain BEFORE you, accompanied you on a fun little adventure to rescue your Gardevoir, which turned out to be completely pointless because you only pranked everyone, but hey, of course I will do another puzzle before I fight you, no problem Bro!
+ - I like chess and will at least give it a try...
- The annoying gym music in a room that needs concentration is a no-go.
+ I appreciate that you learn something about chess here ... but is that really necessary?
- First room, the game does not recognize my checkmate (see screenshot). So I google to bypass the 'bug'. Great show, Ame.
- Wow, of course that wasn't the only chess puzzle. Why does this game ALWAYS have to overdo it? Immediate google after my first solution already wasn’t scripted in.
- Just the thought of melting my brain four damn times with a chess puzzle before I can fight a gym leader in a damn Pokemon game makes me mad. Thanks to Arceus, there is Youtube.
- Thanks for the poem that tells me how superficial and stupid I am, Luna.
+ - Five attempts against Radomus with different teams and absolutely no hope of success. It's going to be funny ...
- One last time the furious criticism that you have to walk all the way back to Reborn City if you want to change your team or catch new slaves because there are no shortcuts at all. If you want to go back to the gym, you have to fight countless Pokemon again.
+ - I feel really, honestly bad about the cheesy, cheap way I brought Radomus to his knees. But there was absolutely nothing I could do without catching completely new Pokemon. I tried about 15 different high-leveled slaves against him, completely unsuccessfully. Hard one.
+ - Cain saving me from El is a first step towards her rehabilitation. And of course the corrupt, fanatical priest is part of the Reborn Top Four. In this incestuous country, everyone is somehow connected to the government.
- Of course Radomus instructs ME to save his beloved daughter because of plot.
+ The Team Aqua-Quest makes me dominate for the first time in this game because the opponents are 15 levels below me. FINALLY!!!!!!!!
- I had to google where the entrance to 7th Street is because neither the comment from the aqua leader nor the map helped in any way. It turns out I was in the wrong part of the city, Paradot. There is also a 4th Street there. Great design again.
- And today at "Stuff and attacks which literally nobody really needs - The Reborn Black Market!"
+ Taken back. Got a vanillite. <3
Maybe in time I'll free all these poor pokemon from their cages ... to make them my slaves, the worthless tools.
+ I really like the messy design of the black market.
+ - Thanks for deus exing me out of the Arceus prison, Randal..
+ - It's hilarious how the Arceus fanatics throw you into the cell again and again when you get caught after the outbreak and think to themselves "Eh, it will be fine this time!"
+ The sneaking mini-game was really completely okay. Difficult, but not a bit unfair.
I overlooked the library. OK. Mistakes were made.
- Aaaaaaand Cain is the hostage again that messes everything up. Thank you. Classic reborn writing.
- For her annoying, inappropriate sex talk in this situation I want to smash Cain's face in with an aggron.
Gardevoir is my real hero here. Bennett is obviously the even more uncomfortable version of Jamie Lannister, the mixed up dialogue is a bit strange, El gets the pendant of course without any problems and all in all I really like the scene. Apart from the fact that I can't kill and massacre El, who is coming back soon. And Cain, for that matter.
+ - I feel with Cain for the postponed gym fight against Radomus. I'm just happy that it didn't hit me for a change.
- Aaaand back to the castle .... wuuuu ....
- Hey, we already have Luna's key to her cave, but let's place a forced VM stone here, so that the stupid player swine potentially has to go all the way back to REBORN to get his VM slave!!!!!
- Bennett easily manages to secure a place in the Reborn League of the toxic vermin right next to Cain, Fern and Kiki. Keep it up, boy!
+ - In terms of design, Luna's valley is really fine. It looks pretty, is nice and quiet, and there are no annoying characters apart from Jamie Lannister. The downside is that, as expected, you have to go back to the very beginning for the purple crystals. But hey, somehow you have to stretch the playtime, right? Oh, and the music is terrible.
+ Destroyed the small, disgusting, stereotypical stalker without problems the first time, THAT is a victory I feel. Only I can't kill him ...
- So this is Luna's gym, a cave deep in a magical valley? Does every challenger have to come here? How do they get the keys? It looks cool, no question about that.
+ - HAHAHAHAHAHA 'WHITE RABBIT' BECAUSE ALICE IN WONDERLAND REFERENCES AHAHAHAHA I CAN'T EVEN
- It is incredibly stupid and frustrating that there is NO PC in front of the gym. I don't even want to think about the whole way back to Reborn City if my current team had failed. This right here is bad design. Really, this is bad design. It doesn't get into my head how anyone can defend that.
- Almost had Luna, but her healing tank umbreon destroyed me. And of course I'm back in Reborn after the defeat. Fuck you too, game. Reload.
+ One of the fairest gym fights I've fought in a long time. Difficult, especially with the healing tank, but doable.
+ - Oh dear, Cain tells me there is NO GOING BACK. I don't know what that means, but ... yes?
- The extinct ghost town would be atmospheric if it weren't for the cheerful Route 1 music.
+ - "You wanna find out? ;)"
What the fuck is happening. Ah yes, Terra. Another creator insert.
+ The TV report on Team Meteor's takeover is so interesting. I really have to watch TV more often, it is exciting to know that they are now a national threat at the latest.
+ The Gardevoir interview with Anna is everything I love, love, love about this game. More.
+ And today at "Things that literally everyone really needs SO MUCH: The Reborn circus market!"
+ It's great that you can finally get all the good things like ultra balls and hyper potions. I don't trust the peace ...
- I won't comment on the self-destructive gender NPC. Damn, I already did...
+ a name judge. Finally the rest of my slaves can be incorporated.
+ The parentless lad is fantastic. When his mother comes in, the scene turns into gold. Pure gold.
+ All in all I really appreciate the circus, all the items and TMs make my mouth water. WHAT IS THE CATCH?
+ Three gym leaders in the circus. Really anyone can become one in Reborn...
+ Lots of good, nice dialogues going on between the three circus monkeys, Aya and Cain. Even if it is outrageous that I have to BUY the route powder for a rescue mission.
- I liked Route 2 with its music and design until I realized that it was another huge puzzle. Like most puzzles in the game, it is too long, frustrating, is not a bit of fun, and is only there because there had to be a huge puzzle again. Of course we can't even have a conventional, peaceful route for once, no, Grand Master Ame needs complicated puzzles everywhere. That could be the game's biggest weakness. I am so grateful for Youtube.
+ - Of course Titania, another gym leader, who is together with a gym leader, is the sister of a gym leader who dates a a gym leader. More incestuous shenanigans happen in Reborn than in Alabama.
- Weak storytelling move to show me the Team Meteor TV report again, forced into the story. I thought it was cool that you only experience this optionally. - Hahahaha. They seriously pull the "HM only after badge"-card again.
- Another fighting type gym leader, creative! On the other hand, he quickly hits the floor. With towering cheese.
+ Yeah well, these three circus gym leaders are really ... special snowflakes. And they have sex. Lots of it. I didn't need that info. The only reason Terra hasn't landed on my Death Note yet is because of Ciel and Samson. Those three are pretty funny together.
+ I love Cain with Aya almost as much as the two of them love each other. Aaaaah, why can't there be more of that?!
- There seems to be a bug with Titania's diary. I haven't read it and told her that, but she doesn't believe me and tells me everything about the content and I have no idea what she's talking about. I prefer to reset.
+ All of the content with Amaria and Titania is highly unexpected. There were fragments of these topics at the beginning in the diaries of the gym leader girls, but that's still coming a bit suddenly, feels strange and somehow ... out of place? But as someone who has spent much of his life with stuff similar to Amaria, I can empathize with her and always appreciate when these issues are addressed. It's an exciting twist, no question about it. And incredibly sad that Titania is only forcing herself to do what she does...
+ - Since I believe that these decisions make a difference, I note them down: Read the diary. Told Titania. Told Amaria.
+ All of this is so incredibly sad and I'm just as sorry for Amaria as I am for Titania. Of course the scene wasn't in the least bit atmospheric because the lively Route 2 music was playing, but damn that hurts.
- Even in the 'non-suicide'(?)-scene, The cheerful music continues to play. CAN SOMEBODY TEACH THE CREATORS TO TURN OFF THE DAMN MUSIC SOMETIMES!!!!
+ - Almost forgot that I can surf now. Somehow I found my way through the huge iceberg, probably missed a lot, but there's still time for that later. + I would really like to continue following Titania and Amaria. I don't care about the rest that much.
+ - I'm really excited to see this "smooth path" that route 3 holds for travelers...
- Cain seems to be the only in this game for the sole purpose of telling annoying sex jokes in literally EVERY scene. Too much is too much. Read the room.
+ Coop action with Aya yesssssssss
+ - Speaking of which, where has Victoria gone? Wasn't she something like my rival once?
+ It's been a while since the music in this game was really good, but the Aya / Route 3 fighting theme is more than fantastic and fits the current mood wonderfully.
+ I really missed the double battles with NPCs, they are so relaxed and calm. It doesn't even bother me to defeat Meteor admins again.
+ The story and the atmosphere are just really great right now. Captivating and convincing.
- My imaginary god, this double fight against Aster and Eclipse was NOT relaxed, Aya is REALLY useless ... twelve against six Pokemon, but we were still destroyed a dozen times like insects. Fortunately, the slave army has many serving members by now. Nevertheless, currently I win my fights with a lot of cheese and potion spam. But as long as it works ...
+ - Rest in pieces, Eclipse.
- Of course we just let Mr. Asteroid take Aya with him, haha. We protected her really good, Hardy!
Cursed waffle iron, I really have to write my reports more regularly, this length is not acceptable and is also extremely messy to read. I apologize for the circumstances, but I just couldn't stop playing. That's good, isn’t it? Now that I have written for several hours and will need some more to translate, I can at least continue my journey in Reborn. (Update: Days. Translating the fucking text for you guys took days. But right, I’m just a blind hater………….)
I actually have said everything relevant and am so exhausted that I will stop here now.
Battle arena:
(recordings of the relevant fights)
Reborn is really good right now. Really. Because it tells something instead of just pissing me off. The fights are crushing. But there’s a reward for that. Affecting stories.
KEEP GOING, REBORN. MAYBE WE WILL EVEN BECOME FRIENDS AT THE END! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
- Yoraiko
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