8/10 – 32 hours
Addendum
You can see another style shift happen here, where I explicitly bullet all my thoughts instead of just line breaks. Not that functionally that different than before but it’s a little more organized. I don’t really deviate from this even today, as some of my later reviews have bullets whenever I get too lazy to format everything nicely.
Review as written on 2/09/2022
- the best pokemon game in 10 years, man it feels good to enjoy a pokemon game through and through. in my eyes these are the real gen 4 remakes
- though the additions added aren’t revolutionary, they refine pokemon to a degree that makes the experience extremely polished and streamlined. being able to change nicknames and remember moves without tracking down a tutor is great, and customizing the stats of pokemon (evs) has never been easier. you could have an offensive blissey if you wanted.
- overall the increased control given to the player is amazing, in all aspects that they are present in.
- hisuian forms are largely super cool. the animations of pokemon, though largely reused, have been given many touch ups that finally make them feel alive and not robotic
- the story, while still not outstanding, takes turns unusual for a pokemon game, and is refreshing to see
- new remixes of classic diamond and pearl tracks are great
- catching Pokémon in the overworld feels much more satisfying, and the fireworks that come out of a pokeball keep me going in life.
- peak iteration of rideable pokemon
- exploration is fun, really opens up the world and makes you feel pulled in. especially when you find areas from the gen 4 games
- flaws are graphical issues, occasional crashing when fast traveling, and limited movement early on before unlocking rideable pokemon
- battling with the new styles is fun but can break balance, and the removal of held items and no additional effects to moves destroys strategy
- also, a little disappointed at how there are little to no dungeons to explore. most are just rooms, only one dungeon has puzzles
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