Feels like Sandbox Syndrome

[Aironfaar]

Hi guys,

 

I'm currently in my first playthrough, somewhere between the sixth and seventh gym battle (not badge). The game has been a blast so far, much more so than the original titles - I need an actual strategy to beat the rivals and gym leaders, for once! Also, the grim setting is highly intriguing and captured me from the very first moment. I want to go on playing to see how the story will go on, but...

I just can't get myself to do it and don't really know why.

 

Lately, my experience playing Pokémon Reborn started to feel like what I call the "Sandbox Syndrome". By that, I mean the phenomenon of having all the options and tools available, like in a sandbox type game, but end up not knowing what to do and losing the drive to do anything.

I don't know where that came from. After all, the game has pretty straightforward goals: Catch all the Pokémon currently available to you, scout the next challenging encounter, train up a suitable counter team and explore the rest of the world on the way, finding events, sidequests, stuff like that.

 

Maybe I just need to get to the next encounter to scout. Maybe I'm in that odd position between clear goals. But whenever I start the game right now to press on, I don't even know which Pokémon to pick.

To fix that, I tried to theorycraft a competitive team (which I had never done before, actually) to aim for in Reborn. After a couple of weeks, I managed to create a team I think I'd have fun using, but one of the Pokémon integral to that team isn't even in the game yet, and some of them require TMs that aren't in the game either. Or were, kind of, but aren't (I'm looking at you, TM19 Roost). That sent me straight back to the feeling of Sandbox Syndrome, although it shouldn't really apply: I don't have all the options.

 

So I figure what's bothering me about the game right now is my aimlessness in regards to building a regular team, the critters you take with you without having to beat a specific foe. I guess that means I should just take whichever Pokémon seem fun with me, but that feels odd, too.

My guess regarding the reason for that: because I started using Wonder Trade at some point. Before I started my trading thread, I tried to get the (temporarily) mutually exclusive critters that I mised through that trading game of chance and ended up with lots and lots of Pokémon that I didn't catch myself and shouldn't have yet. That might have led to a feeling of disconnection towards the Pokémon at my disposal.

 

With all that said, I'm wondering if I should start a new game. A blank slate. I still want to take the temporarily mutually exclusive Pokémon and the other ones I've spent time on breeding with me into that new save game (which is easy enough using both my pc and laptop to trade stuff), but I'm a little worried the Sandbox Syndrome would just come back at some point; it's the "you're training that Pokémon now, but you'll have to release or trade it because you'll eventually get one with better IVs, nature and sometimes movesets" that has always spoiled part of the fun I had with Pokémon games. But still, catching Pokémon myself and evolving them to get the Pokédex entry through the first specimen I ever caught has always mitigated that - it gave a bit of meaning, usually just enough. to leveling up even Pokémon with sub-par IVs.

 

On a different note, I'm considering to use the mod that allows you to pick a different starter. Skarmory is the currently unobtainable Pokémon that has been missing on my team. Otherwise, I considered getting a Sylveon or Clefable, so choosing Eevee or Cleffa through that mod may be an idea. However, I don't know how that would affect the game's balance.

 

So, here are my questions, finally:

1) Other than "don't use Wonder Trade this time around", do you have any advice how I could approach the game? Maybe even without starting anew?

2) How much would getting a Skarmory, Eevee or Cleffa as a starter impact the balance of the game? Which of them would you suggest to get? I kind of prefer the thought of Eevee over the others, I always considered it a pretty interesting choice for a starter, but I'm not sure. Partly because the team I'd like to build depends on Skarmory (and that TM19 :|), partly because Skarmony probably isn't in the game yet for a reason and grabbig Eevee or Cleffa would just be like getting them through a Wonder Trade.

 

If you got this far the conventional way: Thanks for reading through my ramblings. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on the above.

[Norm]

 To answer your questions

1. I think don't use wonder trade is about the most you can do to do something new on a new playthrough. you should just use the pokemon that you think you'd have fun with. If you know where to look, there are some solid pokemon that can be found around the point where you are at that would make perfect endgame partners. I'll admit that I'm rather skeptical of the game balance on the side of obtainable pokemon though. Some of the Pokemon that are found lategame or not at all are generally rather underpowered, in some cases. For example, Skarmory isn't really that good of an ingame pokemon given that its most powerful lvl up move is Steel Wing. Point is that some of the pokemon that are considered too good aren't actually as powerful as many think, especially in-game. However, I digress. Point is, do what you have fun with. Whether its a nuzlocke, monotype, or other challenge runs, you'll still have fun in the end. Reborn is still Pokemon, so if you have fun with Pokemon, you will have fun with reborn

 

2.Have now fear of choosing really any starter given a mod. the game already gives you the option for Blaziken as your very first pokemon. Sky's the freaking limit on that one. Frankly the only way you can break the game with a starter is choosing a powerful one-stage mon like Heracross or (technically) Scyther. Just choose any starter that you can have fun with because nothing can be as overpowered as Blaziken. If you want a criteria for balance, choose something that reaches its final form around the same level as the other starters or later. Even the pseudo-legends have their drawbacks, so really just pick what you find fun.

[Blontary]

The aim of Reborn is to get players to use mons that usually are left behind; I think it's main part of the fun to have your Meowstic kick the poison leaders' ass, or to obliterate Pretty much anything with a useless pansage. You should really avoid wonder trade and just pick a team You never used, get surprised and enjoy your time in that land where you need to get on with what you find

[Daniel Blackworth]

I do believe that you should play pokemon the way you want it. I'm notmally seeing people who breed pokemon again and again to find the perfect IVs but I've decided not to be influenced by it. I normally go with pokemon I like or pokemon I want to like due to the fact that I'm not that much of a fan of breeding and ev training mostly because it's tedious and takes away the fun of the game. So, go and enjoy pokemon the way you look at it.

 

For the starter, you can start with any pokemon you like or have a hacked one. If you'd like one of those choices you gave, then pick Eevee. It's a rather cool pokemon and you can even do an Eeveelution run.

[Aironfaar]

Thank you for all your replies! Thinking about what you wrote, I decided to indeed start anew while keeping the old save file. While I didn't get to start yet, I prepared everything to do so and thinking about playing the game already feels fresh again.