Fangames/rom hacks with emphasis on role playing/moral choices

[Woolie Wool]

One thing, that as someone who's played several Western CRPGs (Baldur's Gate 1/2/3, Pillars of Eternity 1/2, Fallout New Vegas, Dragon Age Origin, The Witcher 2/3, Skyrim, etc.), I've always found a bit disappointing about Pokemon is that I am totally locked into being a specific sort of person, usually a guileless borderline Mary Sue, and often encounter roadblocks or other scenarios that could be easily overcome if I just had the capability to make any sort of moral or social decision for my character. Are there fangames that introduce such elements like faction loyalty, actual dialogue where you can choose what to say (and choose to lie or bluff or threaten people if that is what you want and you think you can get away with it), and perhaps most of all, actual exploration of what might happen if you fail to embody the central Pokemon theme of love and trust between you and your Pokemon. Like Unbound had the right idea of making IV and nature training harm the relationship between you and your Pokemon but did not take it nearly far enough--no matter how many bottle caps you spend and how many lobotomies you have performed, you are never seen by your Pokemon as a bad person, never actually feel their resentment or their anger, and they'll inevitably forgive you as soon as you level them up enough or stuff their faces full of berries or vitamins. My Charizard never acted as if he felt betrayed that I would have someone do brutally painful things to him because I thought he was not powerful enough. My other Pokemon did not react to me being the sort of person who would do this to one of them, because it was convenient for me.

I think there is a world of untapped potential in Pokemon if it gave you more latitude to make your own choices in regards to your actions, behavior, personality, and relationship to your mons and corresponding responsibility for those choices. I have never had a Pokemon moment that ever hit me like realizing why I got the bad ending of The Witcher 3, or seeing Xoti in Pillars of Eternity 2 gradually become a sociopathic cultist because I wouldn't stop enabling her, or completely alienating Alastair by killing the demon possessed kid in Dragon Age Origins instead of leaving to seek help at the mages' college, but there's no reason why it wouldn't be possible! Remember N's half-hearted/half-witted critique of Pokemon battling in Black/White? Imagine if the game backed him up by showing, in mechanics, that eugenically mass-breeding Pokemon for IVs and natures, or using them as meat shields while you heal up another Pokemon knowing that they will faint, or similarly ethically dubious things players do all the time, are in fact as harmful as they appear to be. Imagine having to balance care for one's Pokemon, one's reputation as a trainer, and one's Pokemon's own interests and feelings, against the temptation of power. Are there any games or hacks out there exploring this? I would love to play a hack that faced me with such choices. Or if nothing else, let me cajole or force those idiots dancing for no reason in the gate to GET OUT OF MY WAY.