Me, Myself, and Karaidon
Feb. 20th, 2023 20:01![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aubergionI think I spent more time doing character creation than running around Paldea. To be fair, this is a known problem with me. But also - character creation?! In my Pokemon game? From the start? With gender-neutral makeup and haircuts?
It really is a whole new world.
After about 30 minutes of futzing around in the character creator, I made my way into Paldea! The map of your house is really weird - it's like a dollhouse, I can see the cutout where the wall isn't and it's intensely disorienting, especially compared to Legends: Arceus, where you just run around in buildings like they're.... buildings. With walls and stuff. For a while I was terrified I was going to be playing the entire game in that perspective. But thankfully when you leave the house the camera unlocks.
At that point, I was introduced to the starters! I did know about these guys. For personal reasons, I have chosen the duck. He is timid. His name is Puddles. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to someone who I think is my senpai, rival, and/or the current League champion? Nemona's an interesting "rival" - she's clearly several years older and way more practiced and familiar with Pokemon training than me. It sort of feels like she's played this game already, and is now walking me, who has never played Pokemon, through the mechanics. She picked the Pokemon weak to me, fire-type Fuecoco, while the professor ran off with Sprigatito, which I did not see coming. But I kind of like it, because Fuecoco was the starter she approached in the initial cutscene, and it makes sense that she would go easy on me, the newbie, by picking something with a type disadvantage.
One obligatory catching tutorial later and it's off along Poco Path! Almost every Pokemon here is new to me, except Hoppip, which, as a 3-stage Gen 2 Pokemon, I cannot use. Into the box it goes. Having the box travel with you, and being able to switch Pokemon in and out at will, is another new thing. I'm familiar with the automatic XP share mechanic from Legends: Arceus, and it comes in really useful to get the first couple levels on new catches.
I'd seen the opening cutscene with Karaidon. But I didn't expect to meet it so quickly! Just barely up to the lighthouse, and I'm falling down a cliff to meet the box legendary. My rules mean I spend a lot of time trying to throw my Lechonk at a Houndoom, against my better judgement. Thankfully, it's not reachable - especially since it turns out to be level 40! Anyway, Karaidon's cutscene powers save my butt. A level 5 Skwovet fight later with a truly unpleasant asshole (who, as a close relative of the local professor, and an asshole, seems like a much more classic rival. I wonder if he gets Sprigatito?), and I have myself the iconic pocket monster.
I have some quibbles with this game. The controls don't feel as fluid as Legends: Arceus, which is weird because it came out afterwards. I don't love the number of long, unskippable, interactive, cutscenes. I don't know why I can't h ave Nemona's skin tone, which is extremely close to my IRL one. But meeting all these new creatures reminded me what it felt like to be ten years old and stumbling face-first into the mysterious and unknown world of Pokemon. And that's a pretty amazing feeling.
It really is a whole new world.
After about 30 minutes of futzing around in the character creator, I made my way into Paldea! The map of your house is really weird - it's like a dollhouse, I can see the cutout where the wall isn't and it's intensely disorienting, especially compared to Legends: Arceus, where you just run around in buildings like they're.... buildings. With walls and stuff. For a while I was terrified I was going to be playing the entire game in that perspective. But thankfully when you leave the house the camera unlocks.
At that point, I was introduced to the starters! I did know about these guys. For personal reasons, I have chosen the duck. He is timid. His name is Puddles. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to someone who I think is my senpai, rival, and/or the current League champion? Nemona's an interesting "rival" - she's clearly several years older and way more practiced and familiar with Pokemon training than me. It sort of feels like she's played this game already, and is now walking me, who has never played Pokemon, through the mechanics. She picked the Pokemon weak to me, fire-type Fuecoco, while the professor ran off with Sprigatito, which I did not see coming. But I kind of like it, because Fuecoco was the starter she approached in the initial cutscene, and it makes sense that she would go easy on me, the newbie, by picking something with a type disadvantage.
One obligatory catching tutorial later and it's off along Poco Path! Almost every Pokemon here is new to me, except Hoppip, which, as a 3-stage Gen 2 Pokemon, I cannot use. Into the box it goes. Having the box travel with you, and being able to switch Pokemon in and out at will, is another new thing. I'm familiar with the automatic XP share mechanic from Legends: Arceus, and it comes in really useful to get the first couple levels on new catches.
I'd seen the opening cutscene with Karaidon. But I didn't expect to meet it so quickly! Just barely up to the lighthouse, and I'm falling down a cliff to meet the box legendary. My rules mean I spend a lot of time trying to throw my Lechonk at a Houndoom, against my better judgement. Thankfully, it's not reachable - especially since it turns out to be level 40! Anyway, Karaidon's cutscene powers save my butt. A level 5 Skwovet fight later with a truly unpleasant asshole (who, as a close relative of the local professor, and an asshole, seems like a much more classic rival. I wonder if he gets Sprigatito?), and I have myself the iconic pocket monster.
I have some quibbles with this game. The controls don't feel as fluid as Legends: Arceus, which is weird because it came out afterwards. I don't love the number of long, unskippable, interactive, cutscenes. I don't know why I can't h ave Nemona's skin tone, which is extremely close to my IRL one. But meeting all these new creatures reminded me what it felt like to be ten years old and stumbling face-first into the mysterious and unknown world of Pokemon. And that's a pretty amazing feeling.
