AuthorReborn

tbh I found Gible to be one of the most broken Pokemon in the game so far. It gets Sand Veil to abuse the entire Amon Desert, early game Dragon Rage, a decently fast evolution (in pseudo legend terms, at least), and a solid movepool. Just hold off on evolution until level 27 (normally evolves at 24) to grab Dragon Claw, give it the TM for Dig and maybe Rock Tomb, and you have a monster on your hands. Plus, this is Gen V we're talking about here, so Dragons are even more busted in Apex than they are in current generations. One Pokemon I would love to be able to justify using just because I adore it would be Larvesta, but knowing that the level cap will cripple it until who knows what build, I just can't find a viable reason to use it. Poor baby sun bug.

So, with all the recent buzz in the Community Fangame Recommendations thread about this game, it's really about time that we made a proper thread devoted to discussing it rather than simply clogging up the Recommendation thread Alilatias said she'd make this thread in the morning but that was half a week ago; I got tired of waiting and I decided I would just get it over with. So, without any further ado, let's just jump right into it. Let's see if any of this sounds familiar. Pokemon: Apex is an up-and-coming fan-game designed largely by one individual to create a more difficult and mature Pokemon Fangame. During the course of the game, there are mechanics put in place to prevent power leveling and the story is driven by the Protagonist's quest to rescue their kidnapped friend. Of course, if you've played most any fangame to any extent, this probably feels like a serious case of déjà vu and if you haven't, you're in a rather odd place, friend. However, the game itself does have its own traits, unique quirks, characters, environments, and shortcomings. That's what this thread is for. In this initial post, I'll just be going over some basic features, traits, and issues the game has. In-depth details will come later, although there is a limit as to how far I want the discussion to go without using spoiler tags simply because the main reason to play this game is the story and I would hate for it to be ruined for someone. Features/Traits/Issues: A way of limiting players and preventing them from simply creating an OP party early on to thrash the bosses with. Specifically, there is a mechanic which prevents the player's Pokemon from advancing beyond level 20 before the requisite achievement. Instead of the Common/Reverse Candy system we've come to accept, Apex simply turns experience off once the Pokemon hits the cap. At the end of the current release, the level cap is 30. Another component of this cap is the limitation of the player's party to a mere three Pokemon. Naturally, there is a way to progress beyond this cap, but that is currently unreachable in the present release. A plethora of hidden areas, rare encounters, and little sidequests to hunt for and enjoy. A male or female protagonist, based either on the creator, Nate, or the creator's girlfriend, Heather which would get real awkward if they broke up. Typical procedure, the other one will be your childhood friend, neighbor, and rival. Your player character speaks, often curses, and has a history of their own. No silent protagonist here. You have a Dad! But you don't have a Mom, tree based Professor, PokéDex or even access to Pokécenter. There are inns and you encounter a motherly figure later on, but that's the closest you'll get. No gyms, no HMs. There's a league competition that has been mentioned, but it doesn't seem relevant yet. All HM moves will be TMs later on and there are items fulfilling their roles. Some custom audio tracks and sounds. The creators intend to later increase this to a 100% Custom OST later on. Some custom tilesets. See above intentions. The trainer sprites are largely original. See above intentions. A solid, unique story with likable side characters. However, the beginning is rather slow. Ooky Spooky Villians with dark robes, no names, and no explained motivation so far. Rather literal plot devices. Really large maps, to the point where they are sometimes a true slog to get through. Generation V Mechanics, with certain changes. As an example, Ghost-type moves are now super-effective on Normal types. Largely coded and mapped by one person, so development can be slow. Certain old Pokemon have been revamped and buffed. Another feature which is still developing, but the creators intend to extend the treatment to all sorts of previously "meh" tier Pokemon. Currently, the only three Pokemon I know that have been buffed or fiddled with are the starters. Different starter choices in Cacnea, Baltoy, and Croagunk. Their stats and move pools have been adjusted to make them fill rather specific niches. Two different worlds, although I can't elaborate on that too much without heading into spoiler territory. Lots of little puzzles, with varying degrees of explanations, clarity, and assistance. Some are straightforward while others I still have no clue how I did them. Serious money, Pokeball, and party strength issues early on. You will only have one or two Pokeballs total for the first two areas, so you better pray to Helix you don't find a shiny. I would definitely advise looking at the wiki pages for the first few routes, seeing what Pokemon are around, and setting your heart on specific Pokemon to make sure you don't waste your Pokeballs before you find the 'mon you really wanted in your party. Most trainers are re-battleable, so EXP and Money are easier to obtain once you have a couple decent party members. You cannot save after beating the final boss of the current release due to story circumstances. That's about all I have to say for this initial post. The game is currently in Build 6.1, with a current level cap of 30 and party cap of 3. You can obtain the game on the creator's blog, http://apex.iamvishnu.net/. From there, you can also find links to the wiki in case you need a bit of party planning help or sidequest assistance or to the game's Discord server, where you can discuss your opinions with the creator personally (or as close as you can get over the internet). Feel free to suggest other points to be added to this post and let the discussion begin! I will update this post whenever there is the need or I remember to do so.