The Last, Only, and Very Final X% Hype Thread

[Vulnona]

The first time I played Reborn was in... I think 2017 or something. Maybe even 2016. It was E16 and the version accessible to members outside the community. 

How I got there... it's hazy. I think I read about this game on TV Tropes, but I'm not sure. But when I saw it was a free game with ALL Pokémon from Gen 1-6 with a GREAT story, I was hooked! I remember downloading it a bit sheepishly because it was my first fangame and I was sceptical... but damn, was it a joy! 

I started with my favourite starter, Fennekin, and I struggled through Corey, Shelley... ah hell, basically every fight. But somehow, I kept fighting until I won. The story, the design and the characters just kept pulling me in. Seeing these characters fight without giving up was... inspiring. And I was in awe of how Reborn kept tackling uncomfortable subjects. Also, the ability to play as a non-binary protagonist and the gritty world design... it was just so different! 

And then, I was confronted with the WTC choice. Since the moral Titania has to learn here speaks deeply to me as well (an uncomfortable truth is better than a reassuring lie), I chose to not battle Taka because I wanted him to gather up his courage and leave Team Meteor since it goes against his morals. I felt so bad denying him the one favour he had ever asked the MC, but I was convinced that this is he right thing to do (and I kinda still am). 

I waited for E17 as if on hot coals, but when the desert episode rolled around, I was elated to see him join the MC in travelling the area. I loved the pieces of dialogue here and there, the backstory and how much Taka grows during this trip. But I made the mistake of going straight to the scrapyard, so I had no idea how much dialogue I was actually missing. I was in love with Tourmaline and Titania's gym - it was so fantastic!! ...but then, there was the scene with Lin, and I was utterly heartbroken. It was just so unfair to have this character die after so much character growth! This is when I looked up whether there is a way to save this character - but it came with the cost of enabling his charade to go on and the loss of the Tourmaline events, which for me is the best part of the game. So I decided that I would stick with my choice and go on. I don't remember how I managed to beat Titania, but it was so hard that I finally looked up how to optimise my team. I had never heard of natures, EVs and IVs before, but when I researched this stuff, I realised how crappy and thoughtless my team composition was. No wonder the game was so hard! 

So I started a new save, chose Torchic this time (big mistake! Delphox fits my battle style much better) and made better choices this time - both in team composition and story-wise (so that I would get Laura in Tanzan - I wanted that backstory!). This time, it was easier. When I got to the Tourmaline part, I took Taka everywhere but Teknite and was delighted with how much dialogue he gets in these segments. I even went back to replay this whole section after beating Solaris in Agate because I had missed Teknite Ridge (since I didn't have Pokemon with Tailwind, Power Gem, and Earthquake). The dialogue in Teknite made his death so much sadder! I was so sad, I somehow had to cope with this - this fictional(!) character's fate! Since I had just started to paint again, I decided I would capture this moment in a painting, and I invested lots of time in first sketches and drafts, choosing colours and lighting, etc. When I was finished, I felt much better. But I also wanted to talk about these characters and the game itself, and I was so happy to see the rich treasure of fanart and stories here, so finally, I joined this forum. 

(Around this time, I also started Rejuv to pass the time between releases.) 

Reborn has given me some of the greatest experiences in any medium, be it video game, film, or book. The story is so rich, the characters varied and clearly defined... there is so much to love. The resolve characters show in fighting through hardship is simply admirable, and in challenging me tactically, I learnt so much about battle strategies that I don't just feel rewarded but also like the game actively taught me something. 

And, last but not least, there is also the big moral choice I talked about above. Weighing options, consequences and the values behind these decisions... I've seen very few games that have pulled off a true ethical dilemma like that. Usually, choices and their consequences are not equal: one choice usually turns out to be more beneficial than the other. With the WTC choice, it's an especially well-done high risk-high loss vs. low risk-low loss scenario that forces you to acknowledge your highest ethical values (and ethical thinking in general). Do you value someone's survival more than the truth coming to light? Is a character's moral growth worth the ensuing fate? Is the decision for this character growth motivated by a genuine conviction that this is best for the character, or is it a selfish decision? And are motivations really important when it comes to actual, tangible outcomes?

(The fact that we still don't know all the consequences this decision will have makes it even juicier.) 

This game had me so invested that I completed every sidequest, even that damn Pokedex quest with Poipole. 

And with that bloody ambitious art project of mine (to make a painting of every major event and the more prominent trainers), I have years ahead of me to delve into the game's best moments again and again. 

There are very few games I have invested so much time in and hyped that much. That makes this game really special to me. 

 

Now that I've talked so much about that painting, I feel this is a good time to share it. (And at the snail's pace I'm working, I'm gonna reach Tourmaline in 2024, so...) 

Click here. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Vulnona
Spellchecking

[Oscarus]

I have might accidentally caused a little emotional avalanche... 

 

But reading those stories, makes me think again that I'm not alone in this world, and many of us keep facing personal problems; fighting personal demons. And Pokemon Reborn has helped us to go through the life, and even teach us valuable lessons. 

 

And they say games don't teach anything, smh. 

[Yeshua_Kristos]

Community release NEXT WEEKEND! 

(assuming nothing catastrophic happens) 

 

This hype train is going way too fast and has no brakes. Yet I have a feeling it'll still stop safely anyway, because the dev team are Awesome. Just gotta stay belted in... 

 

I've been reading about the unused terrains to keep the hype alive. 

Now that I know that Recycle works with terrain seeds, I'm gonna be spamming the hell out of Prankster Recycle Klefki on Starlight Field. :D

[bobirobi20]

30 minutes ago, Yeshua_Kristos said:

Community release NEXT WEEKEND! 

(assuming nothing catastrophic happens) 

I feel so happy about this considering those are my four days of Easter break.

 

An to quote Jojo Battle Tendency but really really fast:

"Also AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH"

[Shadow Angel]

About the Lin/Adrienn theories: (just getting this posted before community release)

The theory I subscribe to is that Lin and Adrienn basically swapped places in time. Adrienn entered in the past and was frozen in time until the present, without aging, and Lin entered in the present (or recently) as a child and came out in the past at the same age, where she met Terra and had time to grow up into Adult Lin. I didn't come up with this theory, I saw it somewhere on an older thread on this forum, but I can't be bothered to refind it right now. It makes a lot of sense, solving both the inconsistencies regarding their ages.

 

I will be posting my story of first playing Reborn sometime later.

 

You people will all find out pretty soon, but not me. I will not be playing E19 immediately because I still haven't finished V13 of Rejuvenation (still have a ways to go). I might not even finish in time for the full release. And when I do get to E19, it will be from the beginning, and it'll take a while longer for me to get to the end. I'll try my best to avoid spoilers, but I'm bad at it. Can all you people please clearly mark which threads/comments are spoilers and not put spoilers in titles?
 

See you in a few months! I have been recording my Rejuvenation gameplay for my family to watch, and plan to do the same for E19, start to finish. I think I might allow you all to watch me as well, if there is any interest.

 

Thanks,

Shadow

[Vulnona]

1 hour ago, Shadow Angel said:

About the Lin/Adrienn theories: (just getting this posted before community release)

The theory I subscribe to is that Lin and Adrienn basically swapped places in time. Adrienn entered in the past and was frozen in time until the present, without aging, and Lin entered in the present (or recently) as a child and came out in the past at the same age, where she met Terra and had time to grow up into Adult Lin. I didn't come up with this theory, I saw it somewhere on an older thread on this forum, but I can't be bothered to refind it right now. It makes a lot of sense, solving both the inconsistencies regarding their ages.

I think that would make lot of sense.

Though I have to wonder how Child!Lin would survive on her own until adulthood... 

 

1 hour ago, Shadow Angel said:

I will not be playing E19 immediately because I still haven't finished V13 of Rejuvenation (still have a ways to go). I might not even finish in time for the full release. And when I do get to E19, it will be from the beginning, and it'll take a while longer for me to get to the end. 

Now that I have read the piece of advice that E19 early game recontextualises later events, I'm torn... I really want to know how the main story wraps up, but I also want to see Ace and the changes to the early events :)

Aaaah, I need more time for nice things... T.T

[Green Bean 501]

17 minutes ago, Vulnona said:

Now that I have read the piece of advice that E19 early game recontextualises later events, I'm torn... I really want to know how the main story wraps up, but I also want to see Ace and the changes to the early events :)

Aaaah, I need more time for nice things... T.T

 

Same here. I'm probably gonna finish the main story on my main save file, then start a new run on the Zekrom Route so I can experience both story branches

[KingInfernal]

16 minutes ago, Green Bean 501 said:

Same here. I'm probably gonna finish the main story on my main save file, then start a new run on the Zekrom Route so I can experience both story branches

Me too, but with Zekrom on my main and Reshiram on the new save

[CrystalStar]

The first time I played Reborn was back in July 2020 when I was a random 12 yr old with too much time on his hands because of covid, which sucked

I was looking up fangames to play, at that point I had completed SLLD and Insurgence, and I had vague memories of a game called Reborn, I looked it up found it, and downloaded it. 

What I found was nothing short of a surreal experience, I played for hours at a time, just sucked into the game, dying at bosses, mining every single roq I found, grinding over and over on Indra, and ofc being mesmerized by the story and the general atmosphere of the game, shortly after that I joined the rebornevo Discord for some help with the glass gauntlet, which is probably one of the best decisions I hve ever made, I have met so many wonderful people and cherished friends in here.

Now back to the game, 

Before playing Reborn, I was a filthy casual, I literally didn't give two fucks about EVs/IVs/Natures/Abilities. All I cared about were moves and types(honestly my orginal Insurgence is nothing short of an embarrassment).

I have to hand it to the game for making me a better player.

Now, story ramblings

The game is probably one of the few games where even though I had willingly spoilered myself on certain events, experiencing said events in the game was an experience no amount of text could have prepared me for 

Reborn truly is an amazing game, definitely the best fangame, a lot of good memories and the wonderful community around it 

And now e19 is coming out, just wow 

Sorry if my ramblings are unreadable LOL

[Miranda]

 

18 hours ago, Yeshua_Kristos said:

Community release NEXT WEEKEND! 

(assuming nothing catastrophic happens) 

 

 

Ah yes, just when my medical school oral exams start

[nguyengiangoc]

From devblog sidebar

 

[Mr. SU]

It's so crazy to me to see some folks here who only discovered this game within the last 3 or so years! (don't take this as me young-shaming folks it's just fascinating)

 

I discovered this game when I was 12 (I turn 22 next month, if this game releases on my birthday I will lose it) way back in 2013 when shofu lets played this game. I had watched a lot of poketubers play rom hacks and fangames and such but this was the first time I ever felt compelled to actively try one out for myself. I don't really remember too much about younger me but I think what drew me to trying out this game was the difficulty and just how... different this game looked from everything else I had watched.

 

I've been very on and off with pokemon throughout my life, sometimes I come back and do some competitive battles, some shiny hunting, challenge runs and all that and sometimes I just get burnt out and play other games. As such I've also been really on and off with following this game too, I was following it super closely back in 2013-14ish, back then I loved this game for all of the ways it was different from x and y, its story was bold and ambitious. Instead of handing you a free second starter and a free lucario this game gives you dog crap mons and forces you to fight things like Florinia's Cradily being 2 levels above the cap and with curse, standstorm (which boosts its spdef), recover and smack down. As much as I miss this absolute nightmare I understand why it was nerfed and I don't wish this fight on anyone lacking decent fighting type. I followed it pretty closely till the Samson fight and after that I took a break from pokemon and got into other rpgs and competitive smash.

 

Despite me not following this game's development it still actively existed in my brain for most of my teenage years, though more of a "oh god, remember when I used to play that edgy pokemon fangame? that game was so cringe!" No matter how overly critical and cynical 16 year old me was over everything including this game, I still had a soft spot for it. I tried it back in 2016 cause I wanted to to a blind monotype grass nuzlocke and it went about as well as you'd expect, thanks PULSE tangrowth. Even though I never tried getting back into it again throughout the rest of my teenage years I'd still reminisce on it even if I didn't really know why it still existed in my headspace for any reason other than nostalgia.

 

And then finally last year in September I tried this game again, played all the way up to Hardy and I finally understood just why this game stuck with me all these years even if I wasn't actively following it. This game's characters just feel... real to me in a way, most of them struggle with a lot of things that I've struggled with or my friends have struggled with. I wont go into detail cause I don't wanna overshare here but realizing that a pokemon fangame resonates with me the same way The World Ends With You (my favorite game) and Neon Genesis Evangelion (my favorite anime) do and I discovered this game before either of those is just

wow.

[thisgameishard]

This thread has been active for almost 4 years. And in just a single week its gonna be closed, what a journey and what a game. Thank you Ame and all the other devs who worked on this masterpiece, looking forward to the community release!!!!

[Oscarus]

3 minutes ago, thisgameishard said:

And in just a single week its gonna be closed, what a journey and what a game.

F

[Bananacake887]

F

[Vulnona]

What?! Closed?!? 

Nonooooo! We should keep a hype thread for after release where we can hype the fudge out of E19! 

(Doesn't need to be this one, but there should definitely be one!) 

[OmegaStellarSolare]

2 hours ago, Vulnona said:

What?! Closed?!? 

Nonooooo! We should keep a hype thread for after release where we can hype the fudge out of E19! 

(Doesn't need to be this one, but there should definitely be one!) 

Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to say goodbye to this post after many years have passed. After all, it depends on their decisions. Everyone can feel the same way.

[Draconis]

Yep. I'm gonna miss checking on here daily lol

[TA31]

13 hours ago, nguyengiangoc said:

From devblog sidebar

 

what would there pulse2 part even mean

[pokemonmaster3556]

8 minutes ago, TA31 said:

what would there pulse2 part even mean

Extra challenge mode where every NPC has 252 EVs in every stat

[Yeshua_Kristos]

4 hours ago, Vulnona said:

What?! Closed?!? 

Nonooooo!

I mean... The thread will still be archived. And I'm quite sure we'll still see each other on, say, E19 first playthrough threads and the like. ^_^

[Vulnona]

9 minutes ago, Yeshua_Kristos said:

I mean... The thread will still be archived. And I'm quite sure we'll still see each other on, say, E19 first playthrough threads and the like. ^_^

Oh! In that case, let's look forward to E19 first playthrough threads! :3

[Green Bean 501]

9 minutes ago, Vulnona said:

Oh! In that case, let's look forward to E19 first playthrough threads! :3

Until I beat the main game, I'll probably only use them for finding stuff like tms, mega stones, and the remaining department store sticker

[OmegaStellarSolare]

Good luck, everyone.

[Hamster Haze]

3 years of my off time has been spent in this forum, on top of the 10 years that reborn has been in the back of my mind, guess it's actually coming to an end now ;-;