Good First Fangame

[Iinixe]

I've been playing the games since Gen 1 and spent the whole time wishing for a real plot, greater depth, more maturity, etc. It seems a lot like this is the game for that, but I was wondering if it's the better pick next to games like Rejuvenation, Z/O, etc.

 

I know this is the Reborn forum, so I suspect the answers will favor this one, but do folks think this is probably my best bet?

[wcv]

6 minutes ago, Iinixe said:

I've been playing the games since Gen 1 and spent the whole time wishing for a real plot, greater depth, more maturity, etc. It seems a lot like this is the game for that, but I was wondering if it's the better pick next to games like Rejuvenation, Z/O, etc.

 

I know this is the Reborn forum, so I suspect the answers will favor this one, but do folks think this is probably my best bet?

I personally like this one the best, but have played various other fangames. Zeta/Omicron, Rejuvenation, Insurgence, etc.

 

Now some of the reasons I like Reborn the best are:

1. The locations. Not to be mean to the others, but Reborn locations always fit together really well, and you can see bits of later areas even early in the game, giving you a sense of accomplishment when you finally arrive. For example, in the Peridot War you can get a Budew which falls of of a wall above you. Later in the game you end up where it fell off, and you look from the other direction, atop that wall to see how far you've come since the game started. An even more extreme example of this is the desert, which you can see in the intro, but get a real glimpse of from atop a bridge in the first quarter of the game. You don't get to GO there until near the end of the current content. But you can look at the scenery and know that this is the place you saw earlier but couldn't get. Much later in the game you get to see the massive difference you and your allies have managed to create in the world around you. 

 

2. The Pokemon events. This is also true of Rejuvenation. I kinda find it boring to just go and grab a Pokemon out of tall grass and train it. Its just like every other Pokemon you can find. But when you catch or find event Pokemon it feels special. Like you've earned it. Whether that be the Espurr/Mincinno I always grab right away which has been stolen from its owner and you take with you to save it from the thieves, the Zigzagoon/Pachirisu you save from being tossed off a bridge, the Budew mentioned earlier which you catch when it falls off the Lapis Ward, or the Ralts who would have died due to damage to its Pokeball if you hadn't dragged it around for what was probably weeks or months (in-game) it feels special when you get Pokemon from an event.

 

3. Fields. Again, also true of Rejuvenation. The fields add an extra layer of depth to the battles, requiring you to figure out specific tactics to take advantage of conditions there. For instance using Earthquake to render Serra's field completely useless to her, changing the pitch-black cave into a normal one in order to double the stealth rock damage, etc. It makes the terrain you are battling on matter.

 

Now there are some points against of course. Reborn is kinda notoriously difficult. Like a lot of difficult games though mostly what it requires of you is patience and planning, with maybe a bit of luck. You might want an easier time, but if you've been playing since Gen. I it should be manageable, so long as you have a solid grasp on the underlying mechanics of Pokemon.

 

The biggest strike against is just that the game is unifinished, and will before at minimum another year, possibly longer. So you'll have to wait and come back when Ame finishes the next episode, and then the one after. Remembering where everything was while also working out the new content could be a hassle. Something like Zeta/Omicron is completely done, so you can play it all the way through without that pause.

 

Overall though I'd say its a solid starting point.

[Iinixe]

2 minutes ago, wcv said:

I personally like this one the best, but have played various other fangames. Zeta/Omicron, Rejuvenation, Insurgence, etc.

 

Now some of the reasons I like Reborn the best are:

1. The locations. Not to be mean to the others, but Reborn locations always fit together really well, and you can see bits of later areas even early in the game, giving you a sense of accomplishment when you finally arrive. For example, in the Peridot War you can get a Budew which falls of of a wall above you. Later in the game you end up where it fell off, and you look from the other direction, atop that wall to see how far you've come since the game started. An even more extreme example of this is the desert, which you can see in the intro, but get a real glimpse of from atop a bridge in the first quarter of the game. You don't get to GO there until near the end of the current content. But you can look at the scenery and know that this is the place you saw earlier but couldn't get. Much later in the game you get to see the massive difference you and your allies have managed to create in the world around you. 

 

2. The Pokemon events. This is also true of Rejuvenation. I kinda find it boring to just go and grab a Pokemon out of tall grass and train it. Its just like every other Pokemon you can find. But when you catch or find event Pokemon it feels special. Like you've earned it. Whether that be the Espurr/Mincinno I always grab right away which has been stolen from its owner and you take with you to save it from the thieves, the Zigzagoon/Pachirisu you save from being tossed off a bridge, the Budew mentioned earlier which you catch when it falls off the Lapis Ward, or the Ralts who would have died due to damage to its Pokeball if you hadn't dragged it around for what was probably weeks or months (in-game) it feels special when you get Pokemon from an event.

 

3. Fields. Again, also true of Rejuvenation. The fields add an extra layer of depth to the battles, requiring you to figure out specific tactics to take advantage of conditions there. For instance using Earthquake to render Serra's field completely useless to her, changing the pitch-black cave into a normal one in order to double the stealth rock damage, etc. It makes the terrain you are battling on matter.

 

Now there are some points against of course. Reborn is kinda notoriously difficult. Like a lot of difficult games though mostly what it requires of you is patience and planning, with maybe a bit of luck. You might want an easier time, but if you've been playing since Gen. I it should be manageable, so long as you have a solid grasp on the underlying mechanics of Pokemon.

 

The biggest strike against is just that the game is unifinished, and will before at minimum another year, possibly longer. So you'll have to wait and come back when Ame finishes the next episode, and then the one after. Remembering where everything was while also working out the new content could be a hassle. Something like Zeta/Omicron is completely done, so you can play it all the way through without that pause.

 

Overall though I'd say its a solid starting point.

 

This was extremely helpful and very persuasive. I'm a little disappointed that it's not finished, but I'd love more of a challenge and the game seems to have focused on the content the original games tend to be missing. I've asked this question elsewhere, but I definitely wanted Reborn to be the right answer.

[seki108]

Well, Rejuvenation and Desolation are inspired by Reborn, use Reborn's general format while offering their own take on it, and are hosted on these forums  , so whether they are better is a matter of taste/opinion.   I can't comment on Desolation much.   Reborn is focused on sticking to canon mechanics but offering all Gen 1-7 mon in one game, more gameplay (since there are 18 gyms), a harder experience.   Rejuvenation does much the same, but doesn't stick as much to canon features and has adjustable difficulty.    Spork is also somewhat on this list, but is isn't made with a serious story

 

 

Insurgence is basically Z/O, but better and includes Gen 6.  It sticks to the canon formula while offering a ton of mons based off canon Pokemon.  The mons themselves are great, and are better than many Alolan forms, imo.   If you aren't planning on using the fakemon, you might as well not even play this one.  The story is darker than canon, but I can't figure out how seriously I can take it times; the lampshade hanging almost makes it parody at times.  Side note: the UI is ok, but the colors make it very hard to tell which move you selected.  It is basically the essentials UI Reborn used in Ep 9 but harder to use because of the color choice.     

 

Overall a good-to-decent game, though the last segment (gym 8 to the end) does have some noticeable bugs still; it hasn't been updated for most of these bugs after almost a year.  Of course, there is enough videos showing bugs the whole way through the game, so maybe I just got lucky.  Also, the "staff "isn't very helpful on their website though.

 

 

I've heard Uranium is grindy, but overall ok.

 

 

I played Reborn first, so it sort of became themeasuring stick to me.  Honestly, I would say Reborn or Rejuvenation would be the places to start. 

 

 

[Iinixe]

1 minute ago, seki108 said:

Well, Rejuvenation and Desolation are inspired by Reborn, use Reborn's general format while offering their own take on it, and are hosted on these forums  , so whether they are better is a matter of taste/opinion.   I can't comment on Desolation much.   Reborn is focused on sticking to canon mechanics but offering all Gen 1-7 mon in one game, more gameplay (since there are 18 gyms), a harder experience.   Rejuvenation does much the same, but doesn't stick as much to canon features and has adjustable difficulty.    Spork is also somewhat on this list, but is isn't made with a serious story

 

Insurgence is basically Z/O, but better and includes Gen 6.  It sticks to the canon formula while offering a ton of mons based off canon Pokemon.  The mons themselves are great, and are better than many Alolan forms, imo.   If you aren't planning on using them, you might as well not even play it.  The story is darker than canon, but I can't figure out how seriously I can take it times; the lampshade hanging almost makes it parody at times.  Overall a good game, though the last segement (gym 8 to the end) does have some noticable bugs still.  The staff isn't very helpful on their website though.

 

I've heard Uranium is grindy, but overall ok.

 

 

I played Reborn first, so it sort of became themeasuring stick to me.  Honestly, I would say Reborn or Rejuvenation would be the places to start. 

 

 

Yeah, I'm not big on Fakemon, so while I have Uranium downloaded, I was going to skip it and the others that really drift from the core content. I do think I'll start with Reborn though, even if it's incomplete.

[Dreamy]

For me, Reborn and Rejuvenation are basically the King and Queen of fangames, and despite not being complete yet, still feel like they offer a full experience with more depth than others that I've played. Insurgence and Uranium are... decent IMO, though I would hesitate to call Uranium complete as a few things as well as the postgame (like legendary hunting) was completely absent. not sure if unofficial patches fix this though

[PokeFailure]

My first fangame was pokemon uncensored....I do not recommend that unless you want to cringe at yourself later in life.

 

Reborn IMO offers the best combination of challenge/story/playstyle choices and there's enough to chew on for 80+ hours if you get into it plus the mods are a decent bonus if you're lazy about grinding. Rejuvenation is pretty good but it's not as complete as reborn at this point, though it's still worth playing.

Insurgence is probably the best complete game at this point so if you want something you can finish, that would be the one for you. 

 

I'd say try each game for an hour and see if it's your thing, heck just dive into the fangame section and see what grabs you. 

[Sayia]

I will not say much about Desolation, I do not know this game so well.

Both Rejuvenation and Desolation games are inspired by Reborn. With the fact that maybe Rejuv is a bit easier game than Reborn (I mean mainly about the puzzle). Rejuv is also more aesthetically colorful.

I would start from Rejuvenation in your place. By the way, Rejuv was my reason why I registered here

 

[Guest Relinquished]

Reborn and Rejuvenation are very similar and the latter, draws inspiration from Reborn. Rejuvenation has some more complex things, like harder difficulty and organized side-quests, but i myself prefer Reborn more... First, i like playing by the book and want only canon content, in a fangame; which means, no fakemon, no custom moves, no moves or abilities on your pokemon that can't be, in main series. Rejuvenation is good, but cured shadow pokemon can have non legit moves (even though weak) and gym leaders there, award you custom moves. Then, its areas seem to be more well design/drawn, exploration and puzzle solving feels more rewarding and wild pokemon locations, appear to contain much more varied and numerous residents, than Rejuvenation.

 

Last but not least, Reborn has online features, Rejuvenation doesn't (it is being said it had too, some time ago and that in the future, it might get some again). All in all, Reborn's the main game, here; although Rejuvenation is very well made and even has some interesting mini-episodes (1 for now), too. Play both and you cannot go wrong, main Reborn and you 're okay.

[Wolfox]

I'd actually suggest Uranium. while not the easiest one it's a pretty good one, if you don't mind fakemon. honestly, though, the majority of fakemon in uranium don't seem as true fakemon and like regular Pokémon that could have been legit

[DiamondTiaraIsBest]

I like Reborn's event system better than Rejuvenation. It's certainly feels good when you stumble upon an event pokemon. The help center in Rejuvenation stripped out that fun.

 

The best sidequest was the sidequest to get Beldum.

[Zarc]

My first pokemon fan game was reborn and i remember enjoyed it so far when i first discovered it ! So don't hesitate to play reborn first