Note: Though I’m trying to keep it spoiler-free, there are some spoilers to the game’s DLC, so you’ve been warned
For those familiar with my last review of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, I’ve disclosed that the game has two DLC stories announced called The Treasure of Area Zero. The first was The Teal Mask, released September 13th of this year. The Next DLC is known as The Indigo Disk, which is officially announced to be released on the 14th of December of this year. This review will discuss the first DLC for Scarlet and Violet, The Teal Mask.
Summary of the Game
The game is similar to Scarlet and Violet, so if you want to know the gimmicks of S/V, then click here to review Vanilla Scarlet and Violet. The Story of the Teal Mask picks up with your character going on a school trip led by Ms. Briar to a region called Kitakami, an isolated region near a mountain. Here, we are introduced to the new characters of the DLC. The first are the siblings Carmine and Keiran, two Blueberry Academy students living in Moussi Town.
They serve as your rivals and the guides to Kitakami as you explore this old region and learn of its history and the myth surrounding a group of Pokemon: Ogrepon and the Loyal Three(Monkidori, Okidogi, and Fezandipiti). Alongside the main story is a side story with a Pokemon photographer named Perin, who is here in Kitakami searching for an elusive Pokemon known as the Bloodmoon Ursaluna that lurks in the timeless woods. Your travels will also show you the return of old Pokemon like Vulpix, Sandshrew, and Vikavolt. You’ll see some brand new Pokemon native to Kitakami, such as Polchageist, a Grass/Ghost type resembling an old Japanese Teacup, and Dipplin, a candy apple evolution to Applin. Once your journey ends, you’ll learn the truth about Ogerpon and the Loyal Three. Not to spoil the ending, the story is not what it seems.
Masked Greatness: What makes the game great
The Teal Mask has one benefit that I love, and it’s the whole story of the DLC. Besides the basis of the story, it can be started anytime (before you complete the story or after you do) with the Pokemon scaling in level up to level 60s, so even if you beat the story, you can still get some strong Pokemon. Another is the return of several Pokemon from the older games. Seeing oldies like Vulpix and Ludicolo is excellent. Still, I love seeing the return of Transfer-only Pokemon such as Shaymin and some Alolan variants of the Kitakami Pokemon like Geodude or Sandshrew. Lastly, Ogre Oustin’ is one intriguing new mini-game that adds post-game fun. Though I’ve learned that you can’t beat said difficulty on normal or higher, getting items such as Mochi that can adjust Effort values and stats is fun. According to Serebii, completing the most challenging difficulty rewards a rare Shiny Munchlax.
Hidden Flaws: Things that make the game lack
Despite the impressiveness of the DLC, The Story of Kitakami and the region is lacking. The issue boils down to the story; we feel a bit bony. Kitakami, compared to Paldea, feels more petite than usual, and the story kind of ends quickly even when you take your time (It took me two days to complete the DLC), so if you’re expecting a few-day odyssey, you’re going to be a bit disappointed. Finally, the one big issue I feel is annoying is that you don’t have access to out-of-region Pokemon in the Pokedex. In some older games, you could flex between the Native Regional variant and the other variants (such as in Sw/Shi, where you could look at each version of Meowth and Persian). Even with the DLC, you can get a Galarian and Alolan Meowth and still won’t get a dex entry, regardless. However, I hope we see that in the future for Indigo Disc if the leaks are accurate.
Fun Tidbits
Connecting Pokemon Go to your copy of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gives you some great perks and benefits. First, you can transfer Postcards you’ve acquired in Go to Scarlet and Violet; it has the unique ability to change the pattern of Vivillion found in Paldea (as all Paldea Vivillion have the Fancy pattern); this makes acquiring some patterns like the Elegant Pattern, or River Pattern. On Pokemon Go, you gain access to the Coin Bag, which behaves like a similar item, the Mystery Box, for catching Meltan. In this case, the Coin Bag lets you capture the Roaming form Gimmieghouls, a form found exclusively in Pokemon Go (but you do find them in S/V but are not able to capture them)
Conclusion
Does the Teal Mask work well? I’d say it’s an excellent start for Scarlet and Violet. Sure, it’s short, but exploring a whole new area outside Paldea is sound. It also gives some hope for the next part as we explore the fabled Blueberry Academy. Don’t worry; we’ll be doing the review for the next one very soon.
Note: The following review contains spoilers to the game, so do not read if you do not wish to be spoiled
Pokemon’s one of the most significant IPs out there, and ya boy’s here have reviewed Pokemon Sword and Shield, and did play Brilliant Diamond/Stunning Pearl (will write a review of that game soon). However, one of the most anticipated titles released for this year since its announcement. Released on January 28th of this year on the Nintendo Switch, Pokemon Legends Arceus is a game that many said has made some very anticipated changes for the franchise for good and maybe helped out the somewhat lackluster Sword and Shield series. Does it stand up to the game? Well, here’s my review of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Story Summary and Gameplay
PL: Arceus starts with your main character being teleported into the past by the pokemon Arceus, the god of the Pokemon world. He only tasks you with one goal: “Seek out all the pokemon” and teleports you to Hisui, which is Ancient Sinnoh. You meet Professor Lavanton, and after a brief tutorial of the game, you are whisked with him to Jubilief Village and the headquarters of the Galaxy Team. There, you are introduced to your supervisors, Cylene and Commander Kamado, and your rival and fellow corp member Rei/Akari (determined by your character’s gender selected.) Laventon tasks you with compiling the Pokedex of the Hisui Region, all while solving the mysteries of Hisui. Meanwhile, you’re aiding the native Diamond and Pearl clans with the sudden frenzy of their Noble Pokemon. Eventually, more of the world is revealed, and you learn of the mystery of how you were brought here, to begin with, and a final battle with the one who brought you to this ancient land in the first place.
Gameplay-wise, PL: A carries some of the typical pokemon gameplay mechanics of fighting, but you now have some very different things that deviate from the normalcy of the older pokemon games. Pokemon are no longer found in the tall grass and can be found wandering the world, for starters. They can either have three kinds of behaviors: They can be indifferent/friendly toward you, flee from you upon seeing you, or outright attack you if they spot you. Another new thing is that you don’t need to capture Pokemon through battling but indirectly. If you’re sneaky enough, you could launch a Pokeball at an unsuspecting pokemon and catch it without fighting it. Your chance of catching it increases if you use items to stun or distract them.
With aggressive Pokemon, you’ll either need to be more creative or go the old-fashioned way. The aggressive Pokemon can hurt you unless you use your Pokemon or dodge the attack. The screen will darken then go red before you are knocked out and rushed back to the next camp (and lose your items.)
As you progress through the main story, you’ll meet the Noble Pokemon; Pokemon worshipped by the Diamond and Pearl clans as avatars of Almighty Sinnoh. Some Nobles like Wyrdeer, Ursaluna, Basculegion, Sneasler, and Braviary will help you on the journey by lending their strength to traverse the lands faster, fly over it, cross waters and even scale mountains.
Others such as Kleaver and Arcanine need to be quelled due to the effects of that mysterious frenzy. Unlike most old battles where you must fight the Pokemon, Noble Battles behave like some action RPGs where you must reduce their bar to zero, throwing balms at them. Sometimes, if the opportunity arises, you can have your pokemon duke it out with the noble and, by KOing them, doubles the balm’s effectiveness for a short time. Also, should you fall to a Noble, you are given a chance to continue the fight where you left off without resetting the fight.
As your Pokemon gets stronger, they will be able to master some of their moves by leveling or using an item called a Seed of Mastery. Mastery allows you to use actions in either Agile or Strong forms. These forms have their pros and cons.
For example, an Agile move can have a chance of making your pokemon move faster or attack again on the same turn but with weaker damage.
Meanwhile, a Stronger move will be more damaging and accurate but may make your PokemonPokemon slower and vulnerable to an extra attack.
Lastly, when you capture a pokemon in PL: A, you need to fill out the Pokedex more than catch the Pokemon, and that’s it. When you capture them, you need to gather more data on them until it’s completed, like how many of that Pokemon you caught or evolved, where or when you caught them, or if they were doing an action like flying or if they were unaware of you when you caught them.
Legendary Greatness: What made PL: A good?
Pokemon Legends Arceus has some pretty fun aspects of the game. One of them is the open map exploration of the five areas: Obsidian fieldlands, Crimson Mirelands, Cobalt Coastlines, Alabastor Icelands, and Coronet Highlands. Each region has its biomes, environments, and Pokemon found in those environments. It also gives the backstory of what would be ancient Sinnoh. Another liked is the capture mechanic system. Instead of battling Pokemon, you can catch them unaware and skip the whole thing. Great for catching some strong pokemon without risking harm to your team.
Another liked is the capture mechanic system. Instead of battling Pokemon, you can catch them unaware and skip the whole thing. Great for catching some strong pokemon without risking harm to your team. Another is the crafting in the game. I didn’t mention this, but in PL: A, you can craft supplies for your inventory. Gathering resources like Apricorns and Oran Berries in the wild, you can prepare them into Poke Balls and potions for your journeys. Crafting is great for saving money on other items or new clothes for your character.
Lastly, you can get ALL The Pokemon. No more split versions in PL: A; you can catch them all without relying on trading or gimmicks that make it very difficult, like in the past. Want a Machoke to a Machamp? Just get a Linking Chord and evolve it! Want Scyther to a Scizor? Just use Metal Coat on it.
Forgotten in the Past: What the game lacks
Though PL: A is excellent, some problems annoyed me or need improvement in these categories. One such issue is that though the game is excellent, there isn’t much outside of completing the dex or the story. Sure after you finished the Hisui Dex, saved the Hisui region, and such, there isn’t much of anything like trainer battles. You do get some rematch fights in Jubileaf Village and the occasional run-ins with the Miss Fortune trio of bandits and maybe rematches with the Noble Pokemon. Still, beyond it, nothing much once most of the series is complete. Another problem that can be a bit of an annoyance is some of the new pokemon evolutions. Some Pokemon, like Kleavor, require one item to evolve them, and most trade-equipment items needed for trade evolution were made so simple that they made the game enjoyable. However, some evolutions like Wyrdeer and Overqil require some more unique evolutions, such as using their signature moves being used in combat several times until they’re ready to evolve. Also, my favorite Pokemon, Ursaluna, requires the use of a Peat Block but sadly must be done on a full moon night in-game. That can be frustrating indeed. Lastly, the issue comes to recovering your items lost if you blackout. If you recall, I said you lose your items if you blackout, but it can be reacquired through a Lost and Found side-mission where you explore the map and retrieve lost sachels left by NPCs or by other players if linked to the internet. Sadly this is the ONLY way to get your lost items back, and you can’t seek them out on your outside if you lose them. Thus you have to rely on the online aspect to retrieve your stuff.
Secrets of the past
Before I go to my conclusion, here are some secrets for those who want to get Pokemon Legends Arceus (info from Serebii.net) If you have to save Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee data, you’ll access free Pikachu and Eevee Masks. Suppose you have Save Data of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Stunning Pearl. In that case, you get a double feature: You’ll get access to the Team Galactic outfit (the modern version) and access to a special Request mission that lets you capture Darkrai. Pokemon Sword and Shield save data do the same but give you access to the pokemon Shaymin and give you a Shaymin. Though Shaymin and Darkrai do not go toward the Hisui Pokedex requirements, they’re pretty good to have them.
Should you Get it?
As a Pokemon fan, I’d endorse getting Pokemon Legends Arceus if you’re a fan of the franchise. The game’s a big breath of fresh air for a franchise that needs one. Open exploration with creative methods of capturing and battling while taking place in an old region of the past. New forms and evolutions of old Pokemon?
All it’s missing is you setting up a Pokemon league. Though there are whispers and rumors of some kind of DLC, there’s no confirmation of its validity. But hey, a guy can dream can’t they?
The Pokemon franchise is one of the largest and well known by everyone all over the world since its release on the Gameboy on February 27, 1996. The franchise has been going strong for over twenty years of games, merchandise, and anime episodes released. The latest generation, Generation 8, of the Pokemon franchise just came out a week ago. Pokemon Sword and Shield is the first mainline game to appear on the Nintendo Switch. Despite the controversy and outright anger from some vocal fans, the game has sold over 6 million in one weekend after its release. Do the unstoppable force and unmovable objects that are this Gen’s Pokemon franchise stand up to the past? Here’s my review of Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Story (Warning Spoilers)
Like all Pokemon games (except Generation 7’s Sun and Moon series), you play as a protagonist who must defeat eight gyms to take on the Pokemon League and become the champion. Though the story is vastly different compared to the last seven generations of Pokemon. For example, The game takes place in the Galar region, a region heavily inspired by the United Kingdom. Also, the whole Galar region thrives on the concept of Pokemon battles and the concept of the new power called “Dynamaxing,” which turns Pokemon into literal titans on the battlefield. The story starts with you and Hop (your rival) watching a match starring the current undefeated champion (and Hop’s brother) Leon. Both are excited that Leon is stopping by their home to visit and to give you your starter Pokemon. You have three choices of starter Pokemon: The Grass-type Grookey, The Fire-type Scorbunny, and the Water-type Sobble (For my playthrough, I chose Sobble).
After choosing your starter and fighting your rival, your character has to rescue a sheep pokemon named Wooloo that wandered into the Slumbering Weald. It is there where you run into the box legendary Zacian/Zamazenta, wolf pokemon who managed to beat your starter with ease. Luckily, Leon rescues you and later told to meet Sonia and her grandmother Professor Magnolia to learn a bit about the mysterious Pokemon you met. Sonia explains who they are and how the two have a connection to the legends of Galar. Leon, with some coaxing from his brother Hop, then decides to endorse both of you to the Gym Leader Challenge (in Galar, to participate in the league, you need an endorsement). After the second battle, both of you are sent off to Motostoke for the opening of the Gym Leader Challenge and introduced to the gym leaders.
. It’s here where we see several major players. First is Chairman Rose, the head of Macro Cosmos and the chairman of the Galar Pokemon League. Next is Marnie, one of your rivals who has her entourage of fans known as Team Yell, who will make noise and attack those who aren’t their idol. Lastly, is the rival many people wanted for a long time, Bede, the arrogant and snobbish rival who was endorsed by Chairman Rose himself. Your first stops have you traveling to the first three gyms of Turffiled, Hulbury, and then back to Motostoke (Grass, Water, and Fire, respectively). All while learning a bit more about the origin of Dynamax and an event in Galar’s history known as The Darkest Day, even learning that Bede is searching for “wishing stars” for the chairman.
Once defeating Kabu of the Motostoke Gym, you’re sent off to the next city of Hammerlocke, the city that houses the Dragon-type Gym leader Raihan to continue you’re training. Once you arrive at Stow-on-Side, you get to see one of the unique features of Sword and Shield: version exclusive gym leaders. In Sword, you fight against the Fighting Gym Leader Bea while Shield gets a chance at the Ghost-type gym leader Alister. After your victory in Stow-on-Side, you run into Bede using the chairman’s Copperaja as he is destroying one of Galar’s historical artifacts in the search for Wishing Stars. Bede’s actions end up getting him disqualified from the Gym Challenge (thus removed from the competition.) However, just as the artifact is damaged, it reveals old statues of two pokemon, one of them being the wolf pokemon saw at the beginning of your game.
Though Sonia tells you to go onto the next region to fight the remaining gym challenges while she solves the mystery of the Pokemon. After winning against the gym leaders in Ballonlea and Circhester do you eventually reach the town of Spikemuth, the gym leader of the aloof Dark Type gym leader Pieres. Pieres states he’s the “leader” of Team Yell and the brother to Marnie. He reveals that he wanted his sister to take over the gym and wanted her to succeed in putting the town on the map because Spikemuth is built on no Dynamax Hotspot.
Though after defeating the gym, suddenly, there are reports of Dynamax pokemon running wild and causing havoc. Leon and Sonia tell you to go with your challenge while they deal with the situation, all while learning more about the mysterious heroes of Galar and the royalty that saved Galar from the Darkest Day. Though for now, your character defeats Raihan and can now move onto the Semifinals being hosted in Wyndom, a town built by Chairman Rose himself to host the last battle against the champion. Once there, you head to Wyndom Stadium to continue your Semifinals match. During your first battle, you’re suddenly greeted by Bede, who is revealed to have gotten a new endorsement from Opal, the Fairy Gym Leader of Ballonlea. He decides to challenge you to a match to which you beat him. Though he states he’d retire from being a trainer should he lose to you, he later embraces his role as the new Gym Leader for Ballonlea. Once that’s done, you have your rematches with Nessa, Bea/Alister, and Raihan as you ascend to the destined final battle with Leon. However, your match is later interrupted by Chairman Rose, who declares that he must unleash the Darkest Day onto Galar to save it. (This is hinted before your final match as you brave Macro Cosmos and Rose’s secretary Odessa to reach the Rose Tower).
This causes the Pokemon to Dynamax as Rose awakens Eternatus, a skeletal dragon that was responsible for the Dynamax Phenomenon. Sonia then hints that the only ones who can stop this Pokemon are the legendary wolves. You and Hop are sent back to the Slumbering Weald to find the wolves. However, you only find a rusted sword and shield. You take those with you as you return to Hammerlocke, where it’s revealed that Eternatus was sealed there. You have one more rematch with Odessa before dealing with Chairman Rose himself. Once defeated, he surrenders as you race to the top of Hammerlocke, witnessing Leon struggling with Eternatus. You then deal with the legendary Pokemon and manage to defeat it, only for it to Dynamx into a giant snake hand that prevents your Pokemon from attacking or doing anything! Though just as all hope is lost, Zacian and Zamazenta arrive and with the rusted artifacts, are awakened and aid you subduing Eternatus. Once the hero captures the Dynamax Pokemon, the two wolves disappear, and thus the disaster is adverted.
Afterward, you have the final part where you fight and defeat Hop’s brother Leon, thus crowning you the new champion of Galar. The story would end here, but it’s not over yet. After being visited by Magnolia and given the Master Ball, you head back to the Slumbering Weald, where you and Hop have another fight since your Wyndom battle. Once you defeated him and returned the Sword and Shield to their resting place, are greeted by two brothers named Sordward and Shieldbert. They claim to be descendants of the fabled heroes of Galar and those who dismiss Sonia’s research on the two wolf pokemon. Though as you beat one of the brothers, the others managed to beat Hop and thus run off with the other artifact. Just as things couldn’t get any worse, suddenly Dynamax Pokemon are erupting all over Galar and causing trouble at each of the gyms. Once Routed, you learn that Sordwald and Shieldbert were doing these to prove the “Dark nature” of the heroic wolf pokemon. This causes one of them to go berserk and attack one of the brothers, thus forcing you to defeat one of them.
Once that one ran off, the other wolf remains behind in order to fight you (thus capturing your box legendary.) Once done, and the events ended, you return back to Weald and witness Hop capturing the other legendary. It’s here where Hop then realizes his goal of wanting to be a pokemon researcher as he challenges you to one last fight (using the opposite box legendary you have). Once defeated, everyone is happy all issues mended. With that, the main story of Pokemon Sword and Shield is done.
Dynamaxxed Greatness
For the first pokemon mainline game on the switch, the game has its excellent perks that make the game unique. The game’s graphics are stunning, and some pokemon do make sound effects (such as flapping wings or stomping noises), thus making them organic than just static. One of the biggest features I do like is the Wild Area, one of the first times in the series history where you have an open world to explore and capture Pokemon. Some of which include multiplayer battles called Max Raids. These contain strong Pokemon and exclusive Dynamax pokemon known as “Gigantomax,” where the Pokemon takes on a new form when Dynamaxed such as Charizard or Butterfree. These Pokemon’d Gigantomax forms make them popular due to their unique capabilities and powers they bring.
Pokemon camp is another unique feature, something that brings a new twist to Pokemon Amie/Refresh from the prior generations to something cute. You can play with your Pokemon with bouncy balls and a cat toy while cooking food for them that can not only heal them and make them friendly but also makes them gain experience. Cooking is a unique experience that brings me back to the berry-mixing and Poffin cooking of some of the older games. It also makes me feel like I’m cooking food for my companions. One last feature is a major quality of life change for some competitive people: Easy breeding and changing natures. Sword and shield introduce mints, items that can provide stat growths of personalities. For example, if you have a Gardevoir that has an Adamant nature (a nature favoring physical attack), one can use a Modest Mint that gives her the nature similar to Modest (though it doesn’t fully change her nature, but changes stat growths). Another great feature involves being able to transfer egg moves to similar Pokemon of the same species without needing to hatch a ton of eggs. This feature is extremely useful for passing on egg moves to Gigantomax pokemon (as they sadly cannot pass their Gigantomax status to their offspring.)
A great thing about the games are the exclusives (and not just pokemon version exclusive and story) are the version gym leaders. For example, in Sword you have the Fighting Type gym leader Bea and the Rock Type gym leader Cordie. In Shield, Bea is replaced by Alistar the Ghost Type gym leader and Cordie is replaced by the Ice Type user Melony.
Rusty criticisms
Though the game has such great perks and QoL changes, there are some glaring issues that can get in the way. One of the criticisms is the 600 lb. Elephant (or Copperaja) in the room is the National Dex. For those unaware, the National Dex was a core feature introduced in the Third Generation of Pokemon that recorded ALL pokemon one captured. Pokemon cut over 400 pokemon from the Galar dex, leaving some people with no way of bringing their favorite Pokemon they brought over to Galar. According to what can be found, it’s estimated to being over 400 pokemon in the Galar Dex (with some pokemon found but unavailable at the moment.) Your boy’s favorite Pokemon happens to be Empoleon and how I wish I could have it in my game, but since she’s not in Galar (or in the game in general), I can’t get a chance. However, that’s my opinion.
Though the story is nice, it can be a bit short and shallow at some parts, and most of the endgame involves the wild area, Max Raids, Curry Dex, and the battle tower. Some people would expect something like the Battle Frontier or any events that are a better endgame experience than just running on raids or doing online competitions. Sometimes I do wish I could have the return of Pokemon Contests like in the days of Ruby and Sapphire.
Conclusion
Despite the massive controversies heard on the internet and some of its shortcomings for a mainline game, Sword and Shield is an impressive game that has some fun and action. Though the content can be short, all Pokemon games are like this but come with some impressive feats and ways of keeping you entertained even for a short time. Would I recommend it? I would if you’re a Pokemon fan.
Note: this is a change of formula, but something different for some people who are a fan of the Pokemon franchise.
With just two days before the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield, some folks are either going around with how a Pokemon game should be. No, your boy’s not going to be talking about the anger in the fanbase (that’ll be a subject for the Thanksgiving week). I’ve played Pokemon since Generation 1 (for those who might not know, that’s the era of games like Red/Blue/Green(JP) and Yellow) and I’ve loved the franchise for years. One thing i’ve noticed is people have done some challenges to make playing older Pokemon games in an interesting twist. So for those who are impatient on Sword and Shield’s release and want to sate the itch or you’re a long time Pokemon fan, here’s some fun that might make your Pokemon games fun.
The Nuzlocke Challenge
Our first challenge is an old challenge going back to 2010 and started by a 4Chan user named Nuzlocke. The Nuzlocke Challenge is something that’s simple that you play the game like any other. However, there’s a catch for the following.
1. The Pokemon you capture must be nicknamed 2. Must capture the first pokemon you see in the region (failing to do that means you don’t capture and must move on) 3. If said pokemon is knocked out, its considered dead and either must be released into the wild or be sent to the PC (aka Graveyard).
The best thing about Nuzlockes as some have played is that it adds some suspense when a Pokemon is knocked out (sometimes leading to a game over should all your Pokemon faint). Some even add some unique challenges to some such as Wedlocke (which requires you to capture 3 males and 3 females and thus pair them up) or even some additional challenges like not allowing the use of items or Pokemon Centers, forbidding some items, and various other things. It’s a classical challenge that some Pokemon fans that enjoy. However, Nuzlockes aren’t the only challenges out there.
Monotype Challenges
Monotype challenges are another simple challenge that involves a simple thing: capturing only one type of pokemon. For example, if you want to be like the flying type gym leaders or elite four, you must capture only flying type pokemon you see (and it can be the dual types like Zubat or Oricorio). It’s an interesting strategy to see how people would play with one type, sometimes types you wouldn’t expect to use. It’s an interesting thing to pull off when you beat the game with Bug-type Pokemon or pulling a Misty with Water-Types! However, there’s more challenges out there, so let’s continue.
The Roleplay/Story Challenge
Now this is something that your boy here loves. Do you ever wanted to play as Ash while playing your games? Want to have your character feel more unique and others? Then why not role-play or even tell a story about your character. You might get a chance to bond with your Pokemon by creating a backstory for your character. You can Roleplay your character as a Pokemon ranger who only acquires gifted Pokemon, or maybe a Dragon tamer who uses “Dragon” based Pokemon. Heck, you can even roleplay as the greatest trainer in the Pokemon World: Youngster Joey. Speaking of Youngster Joey, there’s one more challenge that can be fun as well.
The Single Challenge
Also known as the one Pokemon Challenge, a challenge that can basically let you play with one Pokemon. Wouldn’t it be awesome to select one starter and have it fight all your battles with no assistance from others and challenging Pokemon that might be stronger than your or challenging full teams though with one partner. The challenge only allows one Pokemon and plenty of Youtubers have shown the various Pokemon being used to beat the game as a whole. Some are typical that use their favorite starter Pokemon while others might take it to some interesting (if not silly examples) like beating the game with just a Rattata or even a Magikarp. The best thing about this challenge is that you can use ANY Pokemon for the challenge, so it adds some fun should you want to see you winning the league through the Youngster Joey path or forge your own path with your favorite Pokemon throughout the whole journey.
Doing your own way
There are SO many challenges and ideas out there that I could be there forever explaining about how to play the game, but the best thing you can do when it comes to challenge. The best thing you can do is to create your very own challenges for playing older Pokemon Games. Maybe an Single Pokemon challenge that adds Roleplaying to the game? Maybe a Monotype Wedlocke that can add some unique variations to difficulty. Heck, you could do what your boy is doing: An Ash Challenge. If you’re curious on how it works is this: You choose one Pokemon (wild or starter, no legendary) and that Pokemon is your “Starter” from the journey. It’s best when playing older games like Gen 3 games (R/S/E/FL/LG) or Gen 4 (D/P/Pt/HG/SS) and beat the game. You then migrate that Pokemon to your next game (your starter only) and continue your adventure like in the anime. You can add your own challenge by either not evolving your Pokemon (just like Ash’s Pikachu) and can choose not to capture no more than 6 Pokemon (just like Ash). It’s not a bad challenge to try out if you want, but that’s my own challenge should you want to try it out. Perhaps you might like to create your own challenge yourself?
And those are some examples of challenges you can do while waiting for Pokemon Sword and Shield (or just wanting to have fun with Pokemon games.) What’s your favorite challenge (examples here or your own challenge) and tell me what you like about it.
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