- 66
- Posts
- 7
- Years
- Age 32
- Seen Oct 18, 2023
Played through the whole HotY Beta! Here's my thoughts about this great hack.
In true gen 1/2 style, what little story there is is in the background and not the main focus of the game, but still entertaining enough where it makes you want to keep playing just to see what might happen on the next island. Unlike gen 1/2, however, the dialogue is much more unique and varied, which makes the Orange Archipelago feel like a living, breathing place. Combined with the basic story points urging you forward, the plot and narrative of the Orange Islands blend together to create a very fun experience that goes beyond simply beating up everything in your way. The dialogue is written very well, and my only gripe with it is a notable lack of contractions, which makes some NPCs sound like they're robots, but that's a very easy thing to fix in the long run.
Regarding the NPCs, there's definitely enough of them to make the islands feel alive but not overcrowded, and they all typically have interesting and/or entertaining dialogue, including some trainers that even tell you where you can find certain Pokemon and other interesting lore/factual tidbits about the islands themselves. The Orange Islands are very loosely based on the anime, such as having Professor Ivy, Butch & Cassidy and Jessie & James, Tracy, the Crystal Onix, and so on, but rather than following Ash's anime adventure, these characters and plot points are designed and organized in a way where they can be done by you, the player, as you embark on your Pokemon journey to challenge the Orange Crew and become the champ. We also see familiar faces and other characters that help explain and fill in a few of the things that happened during the three year gap between RBY and GSC. While obviously not canon, they're still very believable and well written. All in all, the story, narrative, and dialogue are all very well written, which is a major plus for me.
The battle system is what you'd expect from a gen 1/2 game, but with more streamlined mechanics and an optional PSS split patch, which makes the gameplay more reminiscent of gen 4 and makes some Pokemon infinitely more usable. With the addition of Fairy type, new held items, and updated mechanics, you get a battle system that's reminiscent of gen 2 but still updated enough where it feels fresh and different from the vanilla gen 2 games. Combine that with a new Pokedex chock full of appropriate selections from almost every gen, and it's a unique experience that you could never get from a typical Pokemon game.
Moving along to the actual Orange Islands, they're done in a way that makes them feel populated but also like a natural paradise, chock full of trailblazing through wild, rarely-touched areas. The mapping is great, and nearly every island has hidden secrets and areas that make them worth coming back to once you get more HMs, which is very important considering the islands naturally have to be smaller than a typical large mainland region. Not only that, but every island typically has some unique quirk/NPC/etc. that makes the island worth visiting, so you definitely don't want to actively skip anything!
The spriting, art, and music are also all impeccable, with devamped new music and remixed old music, devamped sprites of new Pokemon, new tiles, and lots more. This is especially important, since it sets the Orange Islands apart as its own separate entity rather than being a mishmash of other regions. It actually feels like I'm exploring and experiencing something new, rather than something simply cobbled together for the sake of convenience. Pia Carrot definitely went all out in making the Orange Islands as unique and fresh as possible, and all that effort really shines through when playing through the game.
All in all, this hack is the real deal, an amazing experience that rivals, and even surpasses in some ways, Gamefreak's own games, and I can't wait for the next beta and all the content we'll be seeing in the future.
In true gen 1/2 style, what little story there is is in the background and not the main focus of the game, but still entertaining enough where it makes you want to keep playing just to see what might happen on the next island. Unlike gen 1/2, however, the dialogue is much more unique and varied, which makes the Orange Archipelago feel like a living, breathing place. Combined with the basic story points urging you forward, the plot and narrative of the Orange Islands blend together to create a very fun experience that goes beyond simply beating up everything in your way. The dialogue is written very well, and my only gripe with it is a notable lack of contractions, which makes some NPCs sound like they're robots, but that's a very easy thing to fix in the long run.
Regarding the NPCs, there's definitely enough of them to make the islands feel alive but not overcrowded, and they all typically have interesting and/or entertaining dialogue, including some trainers that even tell you where you can find certain Pokemon and other interesting lore/factual tidbits about the islands themselves. The Orange Islands are very loosely based on the anime, such as having Professor Ivy, Butch & Cassidy and Jessie & James, Tracy, the Crystal Onix, and so on, but rather than following Ash's anime adventure, these characters and plot points are designed and organized in a way where they can be done by you, the player, as you embark on your Pokemon journey to challenge the Orange Crew and become the champ. We also see familiar faces and other characters that help explain and fill in a few of the things that happened during the three year gap between RBY and GSC. While obviously not canon, they're still very believable and well written. All in all, the story, narrative, and dialogue are all very well written, which is a major plus for me.
The battle system is what you'd expect from a gen 1/2 game, but with more streamlined mechanics and an optional PSS split patch, which makes the gameplay more reminiscent of gen 4 and makes some Pokemon infinitely more usable. With the addition of Fairy type, new held items, and updated mechanics, you get a battle system that's reminiscent of gen 2 but still updated enough where it feels fresh and different from the vanilla gen 2 games. Combine that with a new Pokedex chock full of appropriate selections from almost every gen, and it's a unique experience that you could never get from a typical Pokemon game.
Moving along to the actual Orange Islands, they're done in a way that makes them feel populated but also like a natural paradise, chock full of trailblazing through wild, rarely-touched areas. The mapping is great, and nearly every island has hidden secrets and areas that make them worth coming back to once you get more HMs, which is very important considering the islands naturally have to be smaller than a typical large mainland region. Not only that, but every island typically has some unique quirk/NPC/etc. that makes the island worth visiting, so you definitely don't want to actively skip anything!
The spriting, art, and music are also all impeccable, with devamped new music and remixed old music, devamped sprites of new Pokemon, new tiles, and lots more. This is especially important, since it sets the Orange Islands apart as its own separate entity rather than being a mishmash of other regions. It actually feels like I'm exploring and experiencing something new, rather than something simply cobbled together for the sake of convenience. Pia Carrot definitely went all out in making the Orange Islands as unique and fresh as possible, and all that effort really shines through when playing through the game.
All in all, this hack is the real deal, an amazing experience that rivals, and even surpasses in some ways, Gamefreak's own games, and I can't wait for the next beta and all the content we'll be seeing in the future.
