Random Issue I Wanna State

[foovy10]

So im playing Pokemon Reborn and I get to the part of the game where the sisters and heather and cain are escaping the cops through the underground railway. Then I'm told i need rock smash and then I realized i don't have it. I think and try to remember from Shofus play through where he got it and gave up and searched it up on youtube. Then i figure out i shoulda got it a long time ago from under the grand stairway. I just wanted to state this because I shouldn't have to use a youtube video to figure this out, It was gonna take me forever to find it without a video, imo there should be something in the story that either states that the guy that has it is there or you should be given the rock smash tm in the story. I shouldn't have to use youtube to find out where rock smash is to continue the story. Im sorry but i just had to put this on the forums because it doesn't make sense to me.

[Pyon Pyon Kyuu!~]

Honestly the main pokemon games have the exact same problem. It's not specific to Reborn.

[Fumble]

And most people always explore the areas they go through in Reborn, for items and Pokemon events. Really, it's not that unfair.

[AuthorReborn]

It's good to get into the habit of exploring your surroundings, as otherwise you'll miss out on most of the better Pokemon events, such as Lucario and Beldum.

[Reno]

Pokemon's about the journey. Meeting new people and finding new stuff.

Just explore and talk to everyone. That's how Pokemon should be. If you just rush through everything to get through the story, you'll be missing out.

[Xiri]

Two things which I don't understand why some players do:

1. Skip through the dialogue - I guess this is understandable while playing the main games... but not quite for Reborn

2. Not exploring enough - items, rare Pokemon are an easy find if you take the time to explore

[Monochrome_Complex]

Skipping dialogue is a abd idea in any RPG game really.

[foovy10]

I just skipped it because i remember there being like an item or something there and thats it.

but what I'm trying to say is that this is required in the game, rock smash is needed, there should be a hint or clue at least that leads to rock smash imo.

Edited April 25, 2015 by foovy10

[Ganolth]

You have to be in this for the journey not just the destination.

[Ice]

If I remember right you are never told where to get strength in gen 1 and yet you need that to make your way through victory road.
And I think that was the same for surf but I know I aint remembering to much ( Guess I gotta go play me some gen 1 games~)

[berlyda]

If I remember right you are never told where to get strength in gen 1 and yet you need that to make your way through victory road.

And I think that was the same for surf but I know I aint remembering to much ( Guess I gotta go play me some gen 1 games~)

I seem to remember your rival tells you about getting Surf (or some NPC in Fuchsia maybe). But if you're rushing through the Safari Zone to get to the end before you run out of steps like most people, it's very easy to miss the Gold Teeth. Especially if your bag inevitably gets full from all the other items there. No-one gives you any hints about how to get Strength either.

On the other hand, Rock Smash in Reborn is hard to miss if you talk to everyone you see.

[dondon151]

So this is actually a legitimate concern and I'm disappointed to see everyone else dismissing it because the TC didn't "explore enough." The fact that some main series Pokemon games do this (usually only the older ones) doesn't suggest that it's an acceptable game design choice, because this would just be a form of an appeal to authority fallacy. It helps that the older main series Pokemon games have comparatively less to explore than Reborn; if you missed Rock Smash in Reborn, you will have no idea where to possibly backtrack and look for it.

Rock Smash's location is somewhat unintuitive because there's a gap between when you obtain it and when you first need to use it. In the case of R/B/Y Surf, you cannot progress from Fuchsia City without the move, so its location is intuitively within Fuchsia City. In the case of Rock Smash, you go under the Grand Stairway, defeat Shelly, maybe knock off a Lapis Ward gang, rambo through the orphanage, and then suddenly you need to use Rock Smash.

There are many players who don't fully explore their surroundings because they are interested in progressing through the game, not in looking in every nook and cranny for little details that usually will not help the player at all. It takes less time for me to look up a guide than it does for me to talk to enough NPCs and search in enough ensconced areas to figure something out. Unlike solving puzzles, neither is very mentally engaging.

EDIT: I know that everyone here loves Reborn and appreciates the dev team's efforts (as do I) and would jump to the game's defense with little provocation, but it's supremely unhelpful to deflect constructive feedback on the game with comments such as "well you're playing the game wrong."

Edited April 27, 2015 by dondon151

[Felicity]

uh, when making your way down to the Chamber with Victoria, don't you have to pass through the same place, not area mind you, same place and path that lead to Rock smash guy? Also, I found that place on accident trying to get to the same chamber because there's like a 50/50 chance of getting to it.

Furthermore, can't you get through the railnet from Obsidia, not Peridot, with strength, no Rock smash required?

[Vinny]

Shofu found Rock Smash. If you can't do it, then we have a problem.

In all seriousness though, my only concern with it is that if you actually keep going down to where Victoria is instead of going left near the stairs, you can face Aster&Eclipse, use an Escape Rope and completely lose the Rock Smash HM. I can see the point.

With that said, i'll still stand with the fact that it isn't exactly "out of the way" in my opinion.

Maybe a sign warning about "rock smash" rocks or something? hmm.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Vinny

[Antilegend]

Shofu found Rock Smash. If you can't do it, then we have a problem.

"You see, a lot of people suggested I use Trick Room, but how am I supposed to get it off when Charlotte's - oh, I just got it off."

Also, unrelated to OP's question but I didn't feel the need to create a new thread. Is fishing being addressed in the next update? As much as I like to think I've got decent hand-eye coordination, farming Horsea and Luvdisc has turned me into a bitter cynic.

"Good Rod my ASS!" *throws rod into water*

[Sheep]

Yeah, I'm with dondon on this one (wait what? This has never happened befere). This is something that, even if it is in the main series games is ultimately a flaw and doesn't need to be replicated here. If you find rock smash when you're meant to that's all well and good, but if you don't I can see how it could be a major issue. If the aim is to avoid spoon feeding the player everything they'll need through the story then at least make it a bit more obvious.

[aspectoflife]

The cave beneath the grand staircase is not fun to explore tbh, I completely forgot you found rock smash there on my second playthrough and had to google it. Maybe shelly can give you a hint if you don't have it, better than leaving player to blindly backtrack the places they've been. Gotta agree with dondon that it's not really intuitive as there's some smashable rock even before that point such as the shiftry hidden gathering.

[Another Felix]

I don't think HMs, since they're absolutely necessary for the story, should be too hard to find. Since it's found under the Grand Stairway, maybe they could have a hiker also trapped down there with breakable rocks. He could break them (in case you don't have any Pokemon who can learn Rock Smash) and then give you the HM.