Looking for Pokemon Reborn Fan Responses

[volbeatbeats]

Hello everyone!

 

I'm currently a master's student in Media Studies and I'm working on my thesis right now. (It's basically a really really long paper!) My thesis is actually about Pokemon Reborn and part of the paper is going to be dedicated toward understanding how fans interact with the game.

 

So feel free to sound off below! I'm looking to find some responses to a couple of questions. What led you to Pokemon Reborn? What do you think about the battle system in the game? What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game? In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

 

If you have any other thoughts outside of these questions feel free to let me know. You can always direct message me too.

 

Disclaimer: If you do comment, I might use your response in my official thesis composition. I would most likely quote your response, possibly with your profile name as well. 

 

Thanks everyone!

[Candy]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

• Was searching for pokemon fangames after playing the canon games. Found this forums and the rest is history  

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

• I love the field effects. Some peeps might not like some of them because they feel unbalanced or whatnot, but I personally like all of them. It adds a lot of strategy into pokemon, and they also make the world in Reborn feel more real (like feeling you're in a forest because of the forest field, etc).
• It's also nice that the difficulty is increased from canon games. I like canon games to see the new mechanics, pokemon and story, but they're way too easy even on challenge runs like nuzlockes. You have to think for battles in Reborn, and I like thinking so it's great

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

• For the most part, I like it (I mean I must like it, otherwise I wouldn't have started a fanfiction(?) of it lol). There were a lot of mysteries through out the game, relating to the overall world of Reborn or just character relationships, which made me curious as I played the game. Some of these mysteries I feel like should have been revealed at earlier points in the game, to get the maximum effect (for example, the relationship between Tania and Rini wasn't super clear, to me at least, and I feel that arc should've concluded in Fiore Mansion. Idk if there's plans to openly reveal it, or if the point was for us to know only that they had an altercation, whatever that was.)

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

• I like them just as I like the other characters. Cain is one of my fave, and Adrienn is ok I guess but not in my top 5 at least.

[Darkhorse]

What got me involved with Pokemon Reborn was my growing disillusionment with the mainline games starting in the fourth generation. I had played Emerald extensively and as a child found it enjoyable but as I grew older the repetitive nature of future installments proved progressively unappealing as they offered nothing new. When I first played Pokemon Reborn, the game was still on Episode Twelve and not nearly as polished as it is today, but a few things hooked me in almost immediately. To start, with a majority of known pokemon in the game I had far more varied choices to build upon a team. I noticed right away my familiarity with Pokemon up to the third generation wasn't getting me anywhere with the increased difficulty of the trainers and especially the gyms. Now into the battle systems, which over the years has only gotten better as the field effect system gets updated with new and improved fields. Seeing that beyond just simple concepts such as STAB and move strength certain moves had lasting effects that could change a battle in an instant. Two very good examples come to mind in the fights with Serra and Adrienn. Serra's mirror arena can be listed as one of the most annoying fields in the game, giving evasion buffs to an assortment of abilites and items as well as allowing for aurora veil to be used without hail being present. The field has only about a half dozen moves that can actually destroy her mirrors, forcing the player to either adapt to her field or carry one of a few moves that could destroy her field and actually be obtainable at that point, necessitating a very specific pokemon or small group of pokemon that the player at least has to keep in substitution. Adrienn's field starts off as a misty field, but while the player might to bring pokemon that resist Adrienn's fairy types, such as fire and poison, Adrienn can quite easily blow the mist away and reveal his fairy-tale field. The fairy-tale field dramatically changes the course of the battle as now fire moves are ineffective against his fairy types having added the dragon typing to those moves, while the poison typing cannot change the field to corrosive mist to suit them anymore. Field Effects aside, the A.I. is vastly more challenging than the mainline series, with the player having to develop ways around the A.I.'s ability to counter at nearly every turn. Overall, the battle systems of this game deserve high praise for forcing the player to keep about an entire box of pokemon for substitution over the course of the story. Speaking of story, lets move onto that aspect of the game. What I found in the mainline games was a "story" of a child who leaves home at a young age to "catch 'em all" and challenge the pokemon league for that region (or island challenge for Alola). Such cut and dry storytelling might work for the target audience of 10 year olds, but Reborn takes its narrative to the next level. To be fair, Reborn does have the basic elements of challenging the league and fighting an evil team, but there is also so much more that expands upon those basic elements. Being greeted by Ame on the train into Peridot, the player is instantly thrust into the action when the train explodes upon reaching the station. The story then proceeds slowly as you clear the stereotypical evil team base and then fight the first gym. Before you even get to the second gym though, you find yourself face to face with the first "boss" pokemon being enhanced through a P.U.L.S.E. machine. Moving on to the third badge, you find yourself first having to rescue the police force (providing you decide to initiate the sidequest) and you learn that -gasp- the third gym leader is actually a part of the evil team, deeciding to jump off a bridge after losing to you because of his agony over losing everything he held dear. A much later part of the story has you make what seems to be a completely inconsequential decision: Do I fight this man or walk away. The aforementioned decision actually plays a larger role in subsequent events, with someone's death entirely preventable on the outcome. The fact that Pokemon Reborn actually offers these choices and consequences makes the story seem more real and down-to-earth. I touched on a couple of the NPC's, but now its time to go more in depth. Upon proceeding through the story, I found that many of the essential characters were given much more personality than in mainline games, and also much more diversity. I mentioned the third gym leader's suicide, and the game could have kept him black and white, but the game instead takes us through his grief over losing the woman he loved over a ring, only then to become subservient to the evil team in order to keep the one thing that reminded him of what he cared for most. As for asking about the "queer" characters, I find the diversity makes for a better game, as along with the story I can actually believe certain people would react to certain events in a certain fashion. To summarize everything because I know this is long-winded, I find everything about Pokemon Reborn exhilarating, the battle systems keep me on my toes, the story keeps me hooked and I appreciate the character development given to each essential character. I hope you find this somewhat useful to your thesis and I wish you luck + a good grade.

 

[Des Teto]

Hi! A master's thesis about Reborn, huh? It's both odd and interesting. But I met someone once who did the same about Final Fantasy VII. So, good luck in your work

 

Also, non-native speaker here. So, you may have to correct my quotes.

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

• It was in Summer 2016 during my gap year. Everyone was talking about Pokemon Go online. I saw a 9gag post who said 'Everyone's talking about Pokemon Go but I'm here home playing this gem' and one could see the starter room, Vero and six pokeballs of each type (it was Episode 15 back then). I've played it and here I am. I think this post brought many other players, according to older fellows in this forum.

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

• The fields effects is what the main license lacked. There are some but it's far from enough. Once you realise it,  it's just not possible that Fire moves to work underwater. All the fields effects are built with a transparent logic. It could be physics logic, it could be fantasy logic but it works. When I read about the field effects, discovering what moves were affected, I always thought 'Oh, but of course! Nice one!'. Now, when I battle in other pokemon games, I except my moves to do something. I think Reborn has ruined my immersion in other games by setting the bar too high.

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

• It's really good. There are good scenes that I still enjoy to this day. I won't go into details about the good because other will do it better.
• The only limiting narrative factor to me is the silent protagonist. It kills the dialogues natural flow. It's proper to pokemon games and the choice the creator made in the beginning (it would have been too much work back in the days to change that). So, even if the creator wanted to change that, it wouldn't be possible without starting anew. Once you commited into a format, it's hard to change that without changing everything.

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn?

• Them being queer isn't something that could bother me. In most cases, the sex and the sexual orientation doesn't matter for a character. For example, Amaria and Titania bad romance would be the same if they were two mens, one man and one woman, etc … It's the same for Adrienn, the character being gender-fluid is only revelant because Cain's reaction was interesting. All the other main things that Adrienn did, such as time-travelling, being the leader of Neo-Reborn, supporting the protagonist to fight the bad guys ... Adrienn being queer isn't relevant for that.
• Cain is different because his sexual orientation is part of his personality and his backstory. Cain's sotry is classic in my opinion: his family doesn't approve his choices, but the reason why isn't. So, him being queer is one way to justify it.

 

[Edo]

- What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

Long ago I just coincidentally stumbled upon pokemon fan games on the net, I didn't even know they existed. From then I started searching for good ones to play because I've replayed the official ones several times so I got bored of them. Had long breaks inbetween playing pokemon games several times, like for months or years I didn't play anything pokemon related. Stumbled upon Reborn by coincidence over a year ago and immediately noticed how much better it is compared to all the other fangames I tried out before. Since then I haven't really looked for other fan games to play since I was more than content with this one. The only one I played after that was Rejuvenation, because it mentioned to be inspired by Reborn, so I expected an experience similar to Reborn,

 

- What do you think about the battle system in the game?

The field effects make the game much more interesting and realistic by adding interactions with the environment, so I really like this aspect.

Additionally it increases the difficulty by making the opponents' teams synergize with the field you're fighting them on. Giving them competitive strategies makes the game more difficult as well, but only in combination with field effects does it become a real challenge in my opinion. So what hooked me were not the field effects themselves, but rather the high difficulty. Finally, a pokemon game that actually requires you to use strategic thinking, Pokemon is a strategy based RPG after all. Official games don't pose any real challenge, it's very boring and unsatisfying to beat a game when you're just mindlessly pressing A and don't have to think at all. And I'm sure lots of pokemon fans feel this way as well.

 

- What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

The game has an enthralling story, and I especially like that it has lots of drama and characters with complex personalities and relationships. And having to make choices that can influence your own relationship to the characters and even change the course of events makes you feel more invested in the story. I like how I had to think properly about my actions and the consequences, asking myself if what I chose to do was the right thing or not, feeling either satisfaction or regret. By the way, this reminds me of how this kind of thing is very prevalent in Undertale, although on a much grander scale. It's incredible how it gets you thinking and feeling like this when it's "just a game".

 

- In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

To me they're normal people, just like any other, I don't really think of them as special or different from the other characters, so I don't care about their querness or however it's called. But I really like upstanding people with a good heart, so despite his constant sexual innuendos being kinda annoying and immature, Cain is one of my favorite characters. It's admirable how worried he was for Heather, a stranger to him at that time. He helped as much as he could to rescue and protect the children: at the orphanage, when he went off on his own towards Apophyll to get TMX Strength as fast as possible so we could get to the Yureyu building, when getting to Chrysolia, etc.. He's accompanied the player for the longest and helped against Team Meteor the most.

As for Adrienn, my impression of him is that he's dutiful and stays true to his convictions. He can't accept what's become of Reborn City and does his best to change things for the better. So I do like his character as well, even though we don't have that much to do with him in the story.

 

I'm in my master thesis right now as well, so I tried answering as detailed as possible, I hope this helps you. Good luck with your master thesis. 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Edo

[Q-Jei]

Oh yes! Another opportunity for Reborn to be highlighted! Lovely! Well, I would be glad to respond to your survey

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

• I first played Pokemon Emerald Plus in June 2017, a rom hack of Pokemon Emerald. After I defeated the Elite Four, I accidentally messed up with the data files of the game, so I looked through the Internet for another fangame afterwards. My searches led me to TheTopTens, and Reborn was in the list of best fanmade Pokemon games. Although it wasn't ranked very high at this time, I remember it having very supportive comments, and I then went to the forum Reborn Evolved where I found myself in bliss in front of the screenshots. I ended up downloading the game and played it late at night. And honestly, that was by far one of the most memorable gaming experience to me.

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

• The development and the creation of brand new field effects brings a fresh breeze that was lacking in the canon games to make fights more realistic depending on the place you're fighting in. This also adds more difficulty to most of the battles, but not to the point of making Reborn a rage game, which is kind of appreciable. And I didn't mention the fact that you have to defeat the Gym Leaders as they always fight with teams made of six Pokemon each, which forces you to think and re-think your strategies, let alone the fact that Reborn incites you to respect a level cap that will play a lot in your disfavor if you're the type of person who relates to only one high-level Pokemon to finish the game. All in all, Pokemon Reborn's battling system is clearly made for those who grew up during the halcyon days of the franchise as well as for those who'd love to test their skills in a more challenging context. The online battling system is also a nice touch for the community aspect in my opinion.

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

• Just like Candy, I, too, am working on a narrative playthrough of Reborn which turned into something of a fanfiction. Overall, the story is very well written and everything hangs together without any contradiction or misinterpretation, which must not always be an easy task for Amethyst and her team to handle since Reborn has a very large range of characters with different personalities and their own atypical background. One of the most attractive aspects of Reborn is also the dark atmosphere that comes from it. The city itself reminded me a lot of a Pokemon version of Gotham City with its high rate of delinquency and polluted environment, which brings some sort of oppressive atmosphere that weighs a lot on us. But not just that. In Reborn, there are Pokemon tortured by humans, and humans tortured by Pokemon. Team Meteor, the evil organization that recently brought insecurity in town, represents everything that is wrong with this region. Between unbeatable opponents, rogue characters, child abductions and cold-blood killings, I realized quickly that Reborn villains were more awful than any villain of any Pokemon region. But as the story unfolds, my perspective changed concerning some of them, especially Taka, the son of Team Meteor's founder who does not appear to consider himself as a full member of this organization. Apart from that, your decisions and the way you're performing during important battles can affect the opinion of many NPCs about you, as well as the game itself. As a result, you'll love some, you'll hate some, and they will return it to you depending on your actions. Storywise, this helps to make things more vibrant and less predictable than in canon games where Gym Leaders are more of secondary elements than anything else. While I'm at it, I would like to add that the narrative is more similar to what happens in the manga, Pokemon Adventures, than what happens in traditional games or anime episodes. All this to say, Reborn better suits a more mature audience than the one of its canon sisters in my high opinion.

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

• Cain being queer doesn't bother me at all. I like him just as I like my other rival Victoria. At least, he has nothing to do with Fern, the so-called "top dog" who can't stop bragging in the streets of Reborn all day long. As opposed to him, Cain is more easy-going and is one of the only characters able to break Reborn's incessant monotony by his only presence. His unforeseen sexual allusions often tend to amuse me, and I'm used to his atypical way to be. By the way, I first thought he was a girl the first time we met, then I realized my mistake. But that's not important, I like him anyway. As for Adrienn, the Fairy Type Gym Leader of Reborn, I respect xyr devotion for having fixed the whole city. Xe also claims that xe won't ever stand for those who treat Pokemon badly, which makes Adrienn an appreciable character, I guess. Everything indicates that Adrienn has a goodwill that is abnormally uncommon for a citizen of Reborn, as well as a great sense of responsibility. So, all in all, xe shows all the signs of a positive character who urges us to put forward the best of ourselves. However, I tend to feel iffy vibes from Adrienn, simply because people in town admire this person to the point of almost idolize xem once the restoration of Reborn done. People who are that good could well have something secret to hide. But otherwise, I appreciate the result of Adrienn's doing.

 

[Heuwer]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

- A friend of mine told me about it, i do enjoy most the Pokemon games but i dislike that some of them are not much of a challenge even without being 10+ levels above the gym. So i tried it and fell in love with the challenge it brings, which is something i always felt was lacking in the newer pokemon games.

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

- I love it, for the most part it is not possible to throw the same mon against ever enemy and win, you need to figure out a strat that can help you to emerge victorious.

- Fields do play a role in both helpful and hindering ways depending on what you use and how, overall they are a neat addition 

- It is also very easy to learn how to fight, since it is very similar to the original games, but it does a great job at feeling different, more like a nostalgic trip back to the good old days.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

- Reborn does a great job at telling a story that has a lot of things to discover or notice, may it be by finding a diary telling some secrets or just by connecting some pieces of knowledge. Overall the story was very enjoyable for me and much more to tell than in the original games which can be concluded in criminals doing bad stuff and the protagonist stopping them because officials are to busy being mindless NPC zombies. Much Story. Much wow.

- Regarding the narrative most parts of the story are being told while advancing through the game, usually the important parts the player should be aware of, sometimes in a very obvious telling and sometimes without any context at that certain point in  the game. However, exploring the world does reward the player with a lot of lore, which is told by other people in emotional moments or by diarys of the unfortunate owners. I do like the way the story is told, a lot of different ways and methods to perceive it.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

- They are a neat addition, they do spice things up, giving them more of an actual personality + Cain is best boi :3

- Other than that, i don't care if the are queer or whatever else they identify as, I DO care for the person itself, how their personality is, what they do, what they say etc...

I don't differentiate between people by preference, unless you keep riding on you being queer, gay, straight or whatever you identify as, it's just so annoying...

 

I hope this is somewhat understandable in the way I wrote it.

[Lua]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

Uh, good question. I think I was browsing TVTropes, one trope had Pokémon Reborn mentioned, and I got curious.

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

I like it! It's quite a bit harder than the main games, so I often cheese the leader fights with copious amounts of cotton candy, but I enjoy it anyway. I am really looking forward to Lite Mode though, might even try challenge runs with Lite Mode.

I really love the Field Effects; it's always fun when you figure out how to use a gym leader's field against them (Or just replace it with a field that suits you better).

But while I enjoy the challenge, I'm mostly in Reborn for the story.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

I love it. The world feels very "real" in a way, I love the varied cast, and that everyone has a well fleshed-out personality.

And while it's dark, it's also strangely hopeful in a way? Yes, things are going to hell, no denying that. But Reborn City managed to get from a polluted, crime-ridden mess into a genuinely beautiful city. I think Reborn has a nice balance between Hope and Despair, if that makes sense? Some series, movies, etc feel like they keep trying to get darker and darker and darker to be more "real" or whatever; Reborn definitely has lots and lots of darkness, but there's always also hope. The orphanage is horrible - But there's people who care and break into it to save the kids. Reborn City is a mess - But it can be fixed. Pokémon have been stolen from their owners - But you can return at least some of them. There's a lot of gang activity - But many gang members end up reforming and getting a stable job. Maybe you can't save everyone or fix everything, but you can save some people, and fix some things, and that matters, too.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn?

Every time an NPC refers to Adrienn with xyr correct pronouns I gain 10 years to my life span.

Cain is my #1 favorite character in the game. His innuendos are fun, but what I like best about him is how much he cares about others. He sees a little girl with nobody to rely on, and immediately goes "I gotta be her friend and help her!". He finds out she's in big trouble, and stages a break-in to save her, a complete stranger. He may not alway go about things the "right" way (e.g. Heather feeling like he was just getting on her nerves), but his heart's in the right spot, and that's what counts. And then there's the Void bit.

Spoiler

Which was basically a total gut punch, getting a look into how he feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. For me especially since it felt like someone was looking a tad too deep into my soul cause I've felt similar before. I just really, really hope we can go save him, I'd love to see both of us find a "Home" and get a happy ending.

And Adrienn. Well. As a genderfluid person, having a canon enby character is just so, so amazing. Every time NPCs use "xe" or say "Mx. Adrienn" I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's like being told, "Yes, you exist. I know. I see you." Every time. And even aside from that, Adrienn is just so amazing in general? Xe couldn't dethrone Cain from his #1 spot, but xe is my second favorite character. Kind, compassionate... Adrienn saw that Reborn city was a mess and decided "Well, I'm gonna fix this!" and then xe did. Being my pronoun buddy probably helped Adrienn jump up my list of favorites, but xe would've probably landed in 2nd place anyway.

 

I also love being able to play as an enby. Even the villains are nice enough to use they/them pronouns, sure they might kill me, but at least nobody's misgendering me xD

I never even knew how much I wanted representation until I got it, but now I really don't want to let it go, it's just so nice. You can pry Adrienn and the Enby Player Character out of my cold, dead hands now.

[Lucifer Morningstar]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

The Youtuber Tyranitartube.

 

He does Nuzlockes of mainstream randomizers and fan games and is the most engrossed Youtuber I've watched.

I was introduced to his constant theorizing and over the top random responsive humor through his Alpha Sapphire Extreme Randomizer. 
When I came across his Reborn series, I found the plot, graphics, and characters so compelling that just as he was entering the Obsidia Ward for the first time I decided I had to play myself. 

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

It's by far the most infuriating I've ever experienced. The difficulty level borderlines on unfair. 
The AI is intelligent which is refreshing but also precognitive. There are times when it changes its move as though able to see what I'm about to send out and I could swear that once or twice it has adapted to counter my strategies even despite that I reset the game when I blackout to save money. 

It also seems to have an answer for every weakness, especially Shelly!  

 

At the same time, I find the field effects and obedience caps quite well conceived.
These add purpose to certain moves and targets legit holes in the mainstream games. To an extent, I appreciate the challenge. 

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

With the more interactive feature of being able to choose some of the paths and it's more mature nature, I find the plot more involved and engaging than the mainstream plots. 

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

I appreciate the diversity, it's progressive and Cain's inappropriate humor is the heart of the plot IMO. 

[SHAGGYSmurf]

I can't say I'll write a considerable amount like the other members, but I am a big fan of the game, so I'll share my thoughts.

Just in case       ****SPOILER ALERT****

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

I was looking for some videos on the classic 1st and 2nd gen games and it all eventually led me to a youtuber named shofu. Sad to say he got frustrated with the last episode of reborn and I believe he might not pick it up again. But his earlier playthroughs were great, got me interested in the game. Instantly hooked. Reborn is heaven for RPG completionists like me. Gotta check every corner, every trash can, talk to every one.....you know the drill. I have hundreds of hours logged and still have yet to finish side quests. It's one of the best games I've played. The amount of detail and content is ridiculous. Of course, years of dedication have been put into it. Amazing work by Amethyst and the team.

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

It feels just like a battle in the official games. But so much harder. It's the Dark Souls of turn-based/gameboy-graphics/RPG games. I have to give props for the amount of detail that was put into the expansion of Fields. No longer is it about type match ups, held items and specific move pools are key. Even with a secondary screen showing you the field details, it's still hard to come up with a solid strategy if you didn't take the time to train a decent variety of Pokemon. Reborn actually makes you prepare for battles, something that's by no means necessary in the official games.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

The story is great. A big game with load of content allows for a bigger story. The level of mature content is appreciated. But the more extreme scenes are just gold. Pokemon killing humans? Holy s**t. Quite a lot going on, so many details can be forgotten between episode releases, but that's beside the point. It definitely feels like a darker, more realistic story line, away from the purity that is seen in the games and anime. I admit, a bit edgy at times, but a lot of characters are teens, so it's pretty accurate? Big words too, some of the text includes high tier vocabulary that I bet most of us had to research. I dare say the story can be compared to those in Final Fantasy series (my all time favorite game by the way, FFVI), they're some of the best stories out there.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn?

Nothing new, really, as far as entertainment. Almost doesn't affect the plot, except for a few character interactions. I was a confused with Adrienn for a little while, but simply because I couldn't make heads or tails of..... xyr gender? Eventually revealed to be non-binary. But it's a world of fantasy. Non-binary can be a true physical tangible thing and not just a construct of the mind. Digital entertainment makes this possible, for example in Knights of Sidonia. Not sure if that's what Ame was going for, but either way, Adrienn adds to the plot, and is the character most tied to my favorite part of the story, yet to be concluded, below the Grand Stairway, where we meet the child-god-like entity that speaks from the cosmos. But there's nothing to think about, I mean, you have magical creatures that manipulate the elements of the universe, people get "stuck in time", Gardevoir bends space so hard she creates a black hole....you can't be picky over a bit of diversity added to the game. Titania and Amaria, typical toxic relationship, made worse by all the crazy happening in the game. And as for Cain, well you just now the way he swings from the get go. He's just unnecessarily inappropriate, it's great.

 

 

Look at that, didn't expect to write as much. But there it is. It's a great game. Can't beat story driven RPGs with a ridiculous amount of content. The side quests are truly what completionists love, because they demand exploration. Key word EXPLORATION. Got get that 100%. I can't put enough emphasis on that. If you're not the type to explore the overworld, what are you doing playing RPGs? Those are my thoughts, thanks for reading. Smell ya laters.

 

 

[kithas]

1. What led you to Pokemon Reborn? It has been a long time since, but I've always been a fan of pokémon, and shortly after I kinda grew out of the main games (Gen IV, Diamond & Pearl) I saw in Tumblr a post regarding the game. I might have played another fangames in the past (mostly hacks and stuff, nothing serious) but the graphics made me curious on Reborn, and I hasn't been disappointed since then.
2. What do you think about the battle system in the game? Regarding the differences with main Pokémon games, the field effect system provides another good layer of complexity to the battles, and from my point of view also kinda helps with immersion a little by making it important what field are you playing in. As in, it's more viable to be a water-type trainer when battling on water.
3. What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game? I like that it's more complex than the main games. It has a lot of characters, and a lot of relationships between them, and while it can fall sometimes on the dark side too much and be difficult to keep everything in mind (specially between episodes) I like that it's not, at times, as linear as a main game.
4. In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? I think that queer characters give a sense of realism and kind of diversity to the cast. One can like them more or less individually, as their expressions change, but I think that them being here is way better than an all white cis hetero male cast. 

 

[Waynolt]

1. What led you to Pokemon Reborn?
   Saw it mentioned in a comment praising it, got curious.
    
2. What do you think about the battle system in the game?
   I like it. As the others have mentioned, the additions make the original system more strategic.
    
3. What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?
   I love it. There are a lot of unique characters, an interesting villain faction, a compelling plot.
   The plot flows well, and the few deus ex machina actually tie in to the mystery of a certain someone.
   It has characters that you can believe to be real, with rounded and founded motivations and backgrounds.
   The villains are not all psychos, the heroes are not all heroic, each one is unique, and given a reason for what they do in the story.
   And each one is coherent with their own character: Charlotte won't stop being pragmatic, Radomus won't stop being jokingly rational to a fault, Terra won't stop being... whatever Terra is.
   I strongly believe that this story and these characters could actually be completely ripped out from the Pokemon world, be given some alternative magic/tech system to replace any mention of Pokemon, and still hold up very well.
    
4. In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn?
   Cain is brave but impulsive, still pained by conflicts that were not his fault.
   Adrienn is the type of person I tend to like the most: one that upon seeing a problem tries to do something about it, to improve the state of things for everyone.
   It's also a dangerous type of person, as when the solution is wrong it might end up very much worse for everyone; still, I'd prefer risking a possible tragedy over letting problems fester and pile up until they become a disaster.
   Please notice that I didn't mention their sexuality... I don't care about it.
   In fact, I had forgot that they are supposed to be queer, and would have had to think about whom were you talking about if you hadn't provided some examples.
   It belongs to their private life, just like how often they have to go to the bathroom or the exact details of what they did in there, and is noone else's business but their own.
   It's not central to who they are, what they believe, or why they act.

[Vinnie]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

 

There was a video suggested to me on youtube. I don't know where it's at anymore but it was some sort of play on "We are number one" mixed with the game itself. It was a fan edit of the game. I didn't know anything about the fandom of the video itself, but I knew about Pokemon fangames. The video kept getting suggested to me over and over again, and at some point I was looking for a new fangame to play, so eventually I tried it. 

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

 

I adore it. It's something that was created with hardcore Pokemon fans in mind. It was made for people who want more of a challenge, and despite being a fan creation, I think it's pretty balanced too. Part of making a good game is allowing your game to have weaknesses and loopholes, or rather allowing it to be beatable. The game is challenging, but it isn't so challenging that it restricts your play style to the point where there's only a few solutions to each battle. 

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

 

It can be a lot to take in at times as there are often a large number of characters involved at once around the main areas of focus in the story, rather than some characters settling down for a bit. Otherwise it's well written. It's dark and even quite edgy. Even the various "companions" of the main character are often a bit gruff towards each other. There's also quite a bit of humor, some of it directed at the Pokemon franchise, and some of it at games in general. I also find the story to be a good blend of narrative and also allowing you to move around and explore. 

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

 

I adore them. Adrienn is a bit bland in comparison to Cain, but both of them are wonderful characters. They both add quite a bit to the story, in fact I feel Cain drives the story at some points. I don't see anything wrong with them being "queer" as that characteristic of theirs doesn't define them as characters. There's so many  other important details about them in my eyes. Cain is a very wholesome, happy-go-lucky, and up lifting soul who's always ready to help out. Adrienn is very thoughtful, very good at organizing and working with others, as well as planning. on a large scale. 

 

 

[thomas2104]

What lead me to reborn

I found Reborn by TyranitarTube when he started his nuzlocke, i decided to download the game and I fell in love with it.

 

What do I think about the Battle system

I love it, A LOT, its the good old pokemon battle system mixed in with the new idea of the field effects, and there being around 30 effects makes each battle different, especially when you try to use a gym leaders field against them, like I did with Samson.

 

What do I think of the story

The Story is great, its dark but nothing too insane. Not saying that dark stories are always good, reborn just does it good with some comic relief like T3RR4 who always makes for a good laugh, along with someone like Julia when she breaks the 4th wall right before the Meteor invasion on Fiore Mansion.

 

What do I think of the "queer" Characters

I dont mind them, Cain is one of my favorite characters in the game. Adrienn is also pretty cool except for the gym fight, that was terrible. Them being "Queer" dosent intrude on the story nor does it take away from it.

[Kenneth]

a What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

 

Somebody from Pokemon Uranium forums, recommended it to me, a long time ago. I didn't pay much attention for some time... I arrived here shortly before episode 16 release. But i registered on the forums much later.

 

b What do you think about the battle system in the game?

 

Complexity and added difficulty, is really something. Does justice to the game and adds a much needed element, that in main series pokemon games, is in extremely short supply and high demand. Field effects adds a ton of fun into the mixture. As somebody wrote ages ago, it reminds fusion of pokemon and yugioh, of sorts. My only gripe, is that episode 17 onwards, it became much easier, to the point that progressing in the game, feels almost as if you had been playing a normal, official pokemon game (pointless switching, forgetting to use recovery items, using too weak moves to faint you once your health drops in orange -not even red- and a plethora of other, newfound parameters, that are disappointing at best).

 

c What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game? In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

 

Having a tadbit of a darker story than a regular pokemon game, is quite interesting, to say the least. Something fresh and satisfying. The choices add a great flavor, especially the details behind them (slight dialogue changes for the time being, endgame consequences/rewards at the end). Couldn't ask for more, honestly! Well at first, i detested Adrienn, because it started by helping El, a bad guy; demanding our sacred treasure item to be relinquished to him and worst of all, meddling in the Gardevoir affair/deal, even though it had no idea at all, regarding what the hell was happening there. I liked it a bit, during the episode 16 content. Cain was funny and comical, from my point of view. Although sometimes he spouted things that made me angry (during Gardevoir chase mostly), fella was likable and adventuring in the game together, was a real breeze (gotta love his Nidoking). Hot topics presented nicely and through a creative way.

 

After playing the game, i got to like it even more. By seeing the backstories of the many characters, paying attention to story/plot elements, different moments depending on how scenario progresses (ex Sapphira abducted) etc. The replay value is already high, without a Battle tower and all "toys" (TMs, items) fully available yet. Project is very convincing, overall and does a damn fine job. You don't play Reborn, Reborn plays you! Even team Meteor members can be interracted with and offer unique experiences (the grunt losing his girl, the one ambushing you later, the hidden night-time battle started at Spinel museum, etc). Wouldn't touch Sword and Shield especially, or any other mainstream Pokemon game generally after Reborn, even if they gave it to me for free, not even if they paid me to play after receiving it for free!

[andracass]

11 hours ago, Kenneth said:

 

i think you missed a question.

*coughs

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

some time ago (5-ish years) there was a polygon article about "pokemon fangames that you should play". reborn was on that list!

but so were snakewood and light platinum. i actually played those first. i finished neither of them, but i was starved for new content enough that I kept going back to the list and tried out reborn.

and dog it was fuckin great

(i feel like i should add that i didn't actually get involved in the community until, like, 3-4 years after that, but that's not too pertinent to the question)

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

i got my ass kicked and it was the most fun i've had playing pokemon.

prior to my first playthrough, the most difficult experience i had was with some of the fakemon bosses in snakewood. i'd always been the "solo the game with your starter" type of player, and this was the first game to actually make that a non-viable play style. i actually had to, like, research pokemon. and make strategies for them. it was such a strange new experience. the field effects added an extra layer to the battling that i also appreciated.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

dude. so good.

i liked that this was a game with actual stakes. team meteor isn't trying to do something silly like make it sunny all the time (hi ruby was my first game)- they are actually out here destroying things and killing people and being an actual threat. 

i get that people seem to really feel that the game is edgy, but, like, i don't really agree? if you're comparing it to other pokemon games then, yeah, sure, it's certainly darker- but the other games are for little kids. this doesn't even approach GoT levels of violence, and people aren't out here calling it edgy.

i also appreciated that there weren't a lot of throwaway content. the npcs in the city were actually affected by the in-game events, which really helped contribute to the more serious tone. 

the characters had a lot of substance to them. both the characters and the story were much more complex than in the canon games.

it definitely feels more real, despite the inherently non-reality of pokemon.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

and also amy and titania 

i approve

adrienn was the first interaction with anything non-binary i'd ever had. i was basically just like "oh, okay, that's a thing. cool." 

the queer characters definitely add flavor to the game that it would lack otherwise (and, similarly, is the kind of flavor that other games tend to lack) and i think it helps contribute to what makes reborn unique among even other major game series.

 

i almost feel like i should answer this one twice..................................

it's also worth including that most (if not all) of the dev team is lgbtq (which also includes me now hi) and i'm sure that contributes to the quality of the game.

[Egzample]

A paper done on Reborn, that's interesting. Developers might be proud

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

Once I stumbled upon a screenshot showing all starter pokemon available somwhere in the internet (some forums or 9gag it was?), decided to give it a try, mainly because original Pokemon games are targeted towards younger audience what has a lot of consequences to the gameplay, plot, topics covered, etc. Plus, the creators are very rarely listening to the fanbase and fan games tend to mend the flaws.

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

It is demanding and, unless you achieve victory by some cheap tactics or pure luck, satisfying. Forces you to make changes and adjustment for the upcoming challanges. Of course there is always brute force and 100 tries methodology, but from my point of view, the point of this battle system is to go out of the box -  abuse the enemy's and its field traits, adapt, take a step back and rethink your strategy and the most importantly, it sometimes forces you (and shows you) that sometimes party members that are generally considered useless or weak, may turn out to be your ace and the trump card.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

That's what keeps us here for all these years, waiting for another chapter. The grim tone of the game finally utilizes the variety and potential that Pokemon world provides. The scenario quality has its ups and downs (I'd say with more downs in the later chapters), but still outmatches a lot of stories, professional or fan-made, that I know. Important thing to note: a lot of the characters and parts of the plot are based on real people and real events - I caught myself thinking about one part ''what a rather poor cliche'' just to learn afterwards that this actually happened.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

While generally well-written and rooted in the in-game world (Adrienn is great, Cain even in his cringy and too much of a stereotype moments (comic-relief I guess) somehow still fits), I find these pieces of plot being slightly overrepresented - this impression might come from the Titania-Amaria story arc (lesbian couple) that in my opinion takes way too much screentime and weighs over the story heavily.

 

(On the other hard, since the very beginning we meet a lot of strong, meaningful and distinct female characters, while for big part of the game the only expressive, masculine characters are in the evil team. To put it into perspective - on the ''good'' side we have the whole range from caring Amaria, through cold Florinia, to caddish Charlotte (and the rest of the sisters, including killer-instinct Sapphira), while all males on our side (with significant amount of screen time) consists of girly Cain and child Noel. There is also Fern, who is completely unlikable character. I guess my above claim may be backed in this imbalance of characters).

 

 

 

I hope you share with us your thesis, or at last its ''Reborn'' parts!

[Outside Indoorsman]

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?
I was originally led to Pokemon Uranium by a public talk about the game being taken down shortly before Episode 16 came out (I think), and after that I decided to look around for more pokemon fan games. I found pokemon reborn, started playing, and I got hooked.

What do you think about the battle system in the game?
Way better than the original series! I hadn't really played pokemon games seriously for a few years beforehand, and my general reentry into the Pokemon fandom can be traced back to Pokemon Reborn. The difficulty is pretty reasonable - I have had a few hair-pulling fights in the past (I needed a lot of thinking to get through Charlotte), but winning the current episode has always felt good. Seeing every pokemon there is in the game also helps. My introduction to all of generation six came from Reborn, I think (at least, the pokemon that I didn't see in Uranium).

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?
The world building is... just amazing, really. The story of the Reborn Region feels a lot more... real, than the average pokemon game. Maybe it's because it's meant to be more realistic/"edgy" than the standard pokemon games, maybe because of the way Reborn isn't afraid to point out real-world problems like slums or environmental issues, maybe it's because you're going to spend a ton of time trekking your butt around nearly every location in the game. And... well, the story has you as a pretty major character, that's clear. But at the same time, you aren't the only person fighting the bad guys. You're not alone, being left to tackle an evil team because there's nobody else - it's just that things tend to fall into your lap, or they go after you in particular (the bad guys to deal with you, or the good guys for your help), and you've always got backup. You're not fighting this fight alone (really, every single gym leader and major character in the game has no issue with going out to get shit done themselves, and the Elite Four are the same). As discussed above, it feels like you are playing Pokemon Adventures: The Game. This is not even remotely a bad thing.

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

Cain is pretty great, in my opinion. Honestly, I wish I was more outgoing like he was - and I hope his home situation gets better eventually.

Adrienn is someone that I - well, when I first flew back to Reborn in Episode 16, my initial reaction was more or less "Holy F***, they really fixed up the place while I was gone!" I wish I could find the sort of motivation to do things that xe had in them to go around and start the movement to make the city "Reborn".

And as noted above, neither Adrienn or Cain is really defined by their LGBTQ - it is, at most, a side part of their characters or backstory. They would still be recognizable as themselves without it (not that I am saying they should take that out or anything, they're both great as they are!) But honestly? I always identified more with Amaria than Cain or Adrienn. At first, I think it was because I had Water types as a personal favorite type myself, and because she was really nice (and saved your life, too). In hindsight, later on when I saw more of her story, I wonder if it was also because I've had minor issues with depression in the past myself. I never had it bad enough that I tried to kill myself, and my family has always been good to me, so perhaps seeing someone trying so hard to keep their head above water with only a few friends to talk to struck a note with me (I really took the Reshiram route somewhat hard, and I am not the sort of person who gets emotional that often).

[wcv]

On 2/23/2020 at 8:38 PM, volbeatbeats said:

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

I had played a couple of fan games before, but the emphasis on big numbers for difficulty was an annoyance since I do not like grinding. Someone on another forum suggested checking this game out, so I did and liked it.

 

Quote

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

I like it. The field effects provide a much needed shake-up to the otherwise kinda tired battle formula and also allow Pokemon and moves that are otherwise rather bad to be used effectively. Nature power immediately comes to mind since it’s entirely dependent on field effects in this game.

Quote

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

There’s a story?

 

That’s an exaggeration of course but does match my general motivation.  I have read the story of course and enjoyed it for the most part but my interest is in the interesting and challenging battles primarily.

Quote

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

I don’t care. Cain irritates me, but for reasons independent of being queer.

[Edo]

Hey, how about also asking on the Reborn subreddit? There are quite a few fans there as well, sometimes even people with a less positive view on the game, which could also be interesting for your thesis.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonReborn/

[volbeatbeats]

Hello everyone!

 

Thank you so much for all of your responses. I wanted to open up the discussion about queer characters a little further. If you've commented on this thread already, or haven't posted yet, feel free to respond!

 

I've seen some posts online about players/fans seeing some benefits from the queer characters/stories. Have these queer characters/stories affected you in some way? How does it feel to have queer characters in a Pokemon game? What would you like to see in terms of queer characters/stories in the future? 
 

Again, feel free to DM me or to comment below with responses. Disclaimer: I will probably cite some of these in my master's thesis. Your screen name may be shared, but will not be if you tell me you don't me to name you.

 

Thanks!

[Egzample]

14 hours ago, volbeatbeats said:

 

I've seen some posts online about players/fans seeing some benefits from the queer characters/stories. Have these queer characters/stories affected you in some way? How does it feel to have queer characters in a Pokemon game? What would you like to see in terms of queer characters/stories in the future? 

I can answer all at once: as one of the very 1st characters we meet is gay it was somehow remarkable, later on I can only see the effect of these characters through the prism of story/design/depth, similar to my previous post. In short, as long as these characters are well-designed and fits into the story, I have no expectations towards them.

 

Do you mind sharing the abstract or at last the title of your thesis?

[jbastian1]

On 2/23/2020 at 9:38 PM, volbeatbeats said:

Hello everyone!

 

I'm currently a master's student in Media Studies and I'm working on my thesis right now. (It's basically a really really long paper!) My thesis is actually about Pokemon Reborn and part of the paper is going to be dedicated toward understanding how fans interact with the game.

 

So feel free to sound off below! I'm looking to find some responses to a couple of questions. What led you to Pokemon Reborn? What do you think about the battle system in the game? What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game? In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn? 

 

If you have any other thoughts outside of these questions feel free to let me know. You can always direct message me too.

 

Disclaimer: If you do comment, I might use your response in my official thesis composition. I would most likely quote your response, possibly with your profile name as well. 

 

Thanks everyone!

Personally, I think the game is quite remarkable. From a story telling standpoint, the game encapsulates an authentic pokemon experience, while making it more in tune with its older audience that have been playing the original games since early childhood. The evil Team Meteor is reflective of the Team Rocket/Team Galactic/Plasma/etc. with great, albiet cruel plans to reshape the world in their image. The background music is amazing and unique while still feeling like a classic pokemon game. The fact that you can see your characters influence on the world as Reborn grows and is renovated is amazing as well. It truly makes you feel a part of the pokemon world. I think the creators do a great job at listening to its fans, making changes with updates that effect the overall gameplay and challenges you face. I think it respects its players as well by challenging them, and when it is noticed that something makes the game too easy, such as early access to a powerful pokemon, they recognize that and move the encounter to later in the game to keep the challenge even throughout. Additionally, I think the introduction of queer characters not only makes the game unique, but feel more realistic as that is a definite demographic in todays world. I also think its worth noting that there are numerous POC in the games that are rarely present in the actual games. I will say, I think the introduction of Adrienn's gender neutral pronouns was a little odd. It didn't exactly feel like a natural conversation and came out of no where. I feel like it would have been more effective to just have xym referred with the xe pronouns either fresh out of the gate so that we knew without dedicating cutscenes to it, as it would just make it seem like another encounter without it needing to be a "moment" I guess. Like, moving forward into the game, it is quickly normalized, but I feel like that introduction didn't make it seem normal at first. The fact that Cain as a queer character states they are confused with the Adrienn encounter as well just baffled me. All in all though I appreciate the characters as they both add unique elements that aren't encountered often, such as Cain's flirty perversions yet sweet caring acts, and Adrienn's passion and kindness toward Reborn.

[kithas]

On 3/10/2020 at 7:02 PM, volbeatbeats said:

I've seen some posts online about players/fans seeing some benefits from the queer characters/stories. Have these queer characters/stories affected you in some way? How does it feel to have queer characters in a Pokemon game? What would you like to see in terms of queer characters/stories in the future? 

I think it's more interesting to see more, say, colorful casts in fiction in general. It helps to give people who share characteristics with them (in this case, queerness, but it could apply to PoC) characters to identify with, but for me, it feels like it's more realistic and varied. As in, it's not a direct effect on me, but I like to see more diverse casts who allow to more diverse plots and stories.

[Korados]

I played through the game now and I'm kind of startled by that game. Let me give you my thoughts.

 

What led you to Pokemon Reborn?

 

After I finished Pokemon Uranium, I started exploring the wide world of pokemon fangames and found Reborn pretty interesting. But back then, it was only at episode 14 and I wanted to play

a (mostly) complete game. So I just played it last week for the first time.

 

What do you think about the battle system in the game?

 

Most of the time I had the feeling that the field effects actually don't do pretty much. They are well thought out but Pokemon battles against the AI tend to not be long

enough to really get everything out of the field effects. Furthermore, some of them have too many functions or are too specific, like the Chess Board (although I actually would have wished to play a game of chess with Radomus). But there was

one field effect with which I had big problems: The Wasteland. Rebounding Stealth Rocks really got the better of me.

 

There were two other gameplay things that annoyed me. The Backtracking in this game is extensive and at some points I just shook my head when I had to run back to the place I just was at.

From a narrative perspective, that might make sense but it takes out the flow of the game.

Secondly, the paths in this game are sooo narrow! You practically can't do five steps without bumping against an obstacle. That frustrated me deeply and once more The Wasteland is to blame.

I almost rage quitted when I got to the Solosis event which puts you back to the Wasteland in a cave, and at the beginning there's a cheeky sign mocking you with: "W3LC0M3 B4CK!"

 

One little thing: The game explains you at Agate Circus that there's a variable for the pronounce which was bugged. However after speaking to that NPC who actually is there to fix this,

nothing happens and my character was still referred to and they although I chose Male.

 

What do you think about the stories/narrative in the game?

 

The story is a bit too dark for my taste. The character death rate kind of reminded me of Game of Thrones. You just learned to love a character and 10 minutes later, they are dead.

But Iiked this "dirty, corrupt town" theme with the street gangs, the thieves and frauds. And then a lost "angel" comes back and the town literally gets reborn.

I loved the exchanges between the Agate Circus leaders but I found Terra way too much. I first thought that the MP and Cain fall asleep and she's a dream characters which goes away when they wake up.

But she didn't. And yet again, the journey through the Gen I parts was great. It was like a roller coaster with that character. I can't say much about the others because I didn't really identify with them. Except for one.

 

In particular, what do you think about the queer characters in the game, like Cain and Adrienn?

 

Cain is my waifu. I'm gay myself and I really would love to have a boyfriend like him. That is, personality-wise. I didn't like his design very much. He might make too many sexual remarks but I laughed at most

of them. And besides that, he's so upbeat and cheerful, and tries to keep everybody together. I sooo hope he's not dead, that would just break my heart. Let's see what EP19 brings.

Adrienn is a loveable character, too, but I disliked that xer/xem/xyr (or so) pronounces because I just found this ridiculous. And it all made reading the text more difficult. The singular them should be enough for that character.

 

So, I guess that's what I think so far about the game. I hope that my thoughts help you, volbeatbeats. Thank you for making this thread, I always appreciate a place where you can

just write everything off your chest.