Matsjo
How Does I Pokéballer
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Pokémon Mythos (Complete Design) *now with Fairies!*
Welcome to Pokémon Mythos, essentially a non-canon Pokémon game for the Nintendo DS, set in the distant Poképast. The Archea Region is very different from anything you've ever experienced in a Pokémon game, and the story, progression and design decisions I've put into it will surely surprise and delight you. For your enjoyment I've decided to put all the design I've worked out so far here in this very thread so you can think along with my process and perhaps even offer suggestions should they come to you. Whether or not I'll develop Mythos into a working game (for any medium) depends on whether or not I can come to grips with RMXP, and after that on whether or not I can enlist the help of budding or experienced spriters, musicians, testers and collaborators. We'll see. In any case: enjoy reading through these ideas of mine.
Under each of the following Spoilers there are sections of the Design Document that I've setup thusfar for the hypothetical Pokémon Mythos game. All the overarching design decisions are pretty much in place, and only need further elaboration to be complete; they should give a good idea of what to expect. I've added the complete PokéDex proposal mostly sorted by primary Type, and you'll find a few suggested moves further down as well. I've attached the AbilityDex as an attachment to this thread. Be forewarned: many Pok''emon have been altered, these instances are not mistakes but conscious decisions with solid reasoning behind them. One final note: the language of the chapters all sound as if the game's already been made or something; that's just how I write, disregard that stylistic element.
If you have any questions, comments or whatever else I'll be happy to shed some light where I can; so don't be shy.
1. Introduction
2. Setting
3. World
4. Game Play
5. Pokémon
6. Combat
7. Design
8. Diversions
9. Multiplayer
10. PokéDex, AbilityDex, MoveDex & ItemDex
Massive Update Madness!!!
I've removed the old PokéDex and replaced it with pretty-much the final version! 269 Pokémon made the cut, have a look at this.
Pokémon Mythos
by Matsjo
by Matsjo
Hello there everyone!
Welcome to Pokémon Mythos, essentially a non-canon Pokémon game for the Nintendo DS, set in the distant Poképast. The Archea Region is very different from anything you've ever experienced in a Pokémon game, and the story, progression and design decisions I've put into it will surely surprise and delight you. For your enjoyment I've decided to put all the design I've worked out so far here in this very thread so you can think along with my process and perhaps even offer suggestions should they come to you. Whether or not I'll develop Mythos into a working game (for any medium) depends on whether or not I can come to grips with RMXP, and after that on whether or not I can enlist the help of budding or experienced spriters, musicians, testers and collaborators. We'll see. In any case: enjoy reading through these ideas of mine.
Under each of the following Spoilers there are sections of the Design Document that I've setup thusfar for the hypothetical Pokémon Mythos game. All the overarching design decisions are pretty much in place, and only need further elaboration to be complete; they should give a good idea of what to expect. I've added the complete PokéDex proposal mostly sorted by primary Type, and you'll find a few suggested moves further down as well. I've attached the AbilityDex as an attachment to this thread. Be forewarned: many Pok''emon have been altered, these instances are not mistakes but conscious decisions with solid reasoning behind them. One final note: the language of the chapters all sound as if the game's already been made or something; that's just how I write, disregard that stylistic element.
If you have any questions, comments or whatever else I'll be happy to shed some light where I can; so don't be shy.
1. Introduction
Spoiler:
This is my attempt at making a truly great Pokémon game for the DS, taking all the great things from the past, mixing them together in combination with a number of changes to provide the definitive Pokémon experience, bringing it into today's standards and desires. Be forewarned; this game would take place in essentially a parallel universe, and feels no need to maintain canon or continuity, therefore it is also not compatible with other Pokémon games. Why? Well, you'll find out!
You start the game as a 20-ish boy or girl, working your first day as a clerk in your local PokéService in Ilian Town in the Archea Region. You are treated to an intro with some explanation of the Service and a number of story elements. Ilian Town itself is a small place with a small palisade and surrounded by steep hills on three sides. You get a chance to wander around town, explore, get used to the basic controls until you start your shift at the Service counter again after a night's sleep. The next day you get a wrongful delivery from the Tele-Abra, an egg! The Abra refuses to take back the egg, apparently under directions to leave it in Ilian. Your colleagues urge you to take the egg for safekeeping until you can figure out the course of action, you accept and now you're flouncing about with an egg that begins to quickly escalate its fidgeting. After several more story events the egg hatches: and what do you know, out comes a fresh (Level 1) Eevee! It takes a liking to you and starts following you around. Townspeople advise you to give an Oran berry to your very first Pokémon to heal it in case it gets hurt. You settle down with your Eevee, but only shortly after getting to know it war comes to Ilian Town!
The forces of the two warring factions you've been hearing about collide just on the border of Ilian, waging intense battles with their Pokémon that shake the very ground you walk on. Both the Aenids and the Thesians have brought their most powerful battlers to gain control over your home region in their struggle for dominance. You and the other townspeople quickly evacuate Ilian Town, and it sustains heavy damage from the battle, which ends up as a draw. You embark on a journey to uncover the reasons behind the events you witnessed, and to put a stop to them, one way or another.
You start the game as a 20-ish boy or girl, working your first day as a clerk in your local PokéService in Ilian Town in the Archea Region. You are treated to an intro with some explanation of the Service and a number of story elements. Ilian Town itself is a small place with a small palisade and surrounded by steep hills on three sides. You get a chance to wander around town, explore, get used to the basic controls until you start your shift at the Service counter again after a night's sleep. The next day you get a wrongful delivery from the Tele-Abra, an egg! The Abra refuses to take back the egg, apparently under directions to leave it in Ilian. Your colleagues urge you to take the egg for safekeeping until you can figure out the course of action, you accept and now you're flouncing about with an egg that begins to quickly escalate its fidgeting. After several more story events the egg hatches: and what do you know, out comes a fresh (Level 1) Eevee! It takes a liking to you and starts following you around. Townspeople advise you to give an Oran berry to your very first Pokémon to heal it in case it gets hurt. You settle down with your Eevee, but only shortly after getting to know it war comes to Ilian Town!
The forces of the two warring factions you've been hearing about collide just on the border of Ilian, waging intense battles with their Pokémon that shake the very ground you walk on. Both the Aenids and the Thesians have brought their most powerful battlers to gain control over your home region in their struggle for dominance. You and the other townspeople quickly evacuate Ilian Town, and it sustains heavy damage from the battle, which ends up as a draw. You embark on a journey to uncover the reasons behind the events you witnessed, and to put a stop to them, one way or another.
2. Setting
Spoiler:
Era
Pokémon Mythos takes place in the distant Pokémon past, in a pre-industrial time way before the societies and regions as we know them today were formed. The geography is different, the towns are different and the cultures are different. Even the Pokémon are different as some only developed under the advent of more modern technology.
Place
The story of Pokémon Mythos take place in the Archea region, a large collection of islands and peninsulas scattered about. Much of the world is uninhabited and wild, and communications between the various places is limited, leading to very distinct identities from island to island. There are a lot of hills and mountains to contend with, and only the most beaten of paths are kept free of tall grass.
Technology
Electricity has not been invented, nor steam power, instead people rely on medieval technology augmented by Pokémon abilities such as teleportation and flight. Water power, sail power and old-fashioned manual labor decide what gets done and what doesn't. The interactions with Pokémon regarding items, catching and storing Pokémon etc are all resolved in different ways than we are familiar with.
Society
Most towns and cities are fiefdoms, ruled over by lords, clans or assemblies, and the Archea region mostly has a very feudal feel. There are a lot of differences between areas, such as between rural and urban, and between well-off and poor. There is no idealization of Pokémon Trainers, and there are no Gyms, nor are there regularly rivals that fight for sport. Fighting with Pokémon is a serious affair that is used to protect an area or settle dominance disputes, and only the very wealthy or powerful organize battles for pure entertainment.
Pokémon Mythos takes place in the distant Pokémon past, in a pre-industrial time way before the societies and regions as we know them today were formed. The geography is different, the towns are different and the cultures are different. Even the Pokémon are different as some only developed under the advent of more modern technology.
Place
The story of Pokémon Mythos take place in the Archea region, a large collection of islands and peninsulas scattered about. Much of the world is uninhabited and wild, and communications between the various places is limited, leading to very distinct identities from island to island. There are a lot of hills and mountains to contend with, and only the most beaten of paths are kept free of tall grass.
Technology
Electricity has not been invented, nor steam power, instead people rely on medieval technology augmented by Pokémon abilities such as teleportation and flight. Water power, sail power and old-fashioned manual labor decide what gets done and what doesn't. The interactions with Pokémon regarding items, catching and storing Pokémon etc are all resolved in different ways than we are familiar with.
Society
Most towns and cities are fiefdoms, ruled over by lords, clans or assemblies, and the Archea region mostly has a very feudal feel. There are a lot of differences between areas, such as between rural and urban, and between well-off and poor. There is no idealization of Pokémon Trainers, and there are no Gyms, nor are there regularly rivals that fight for sport. Fighting with Pokémon is a serious affair that is used to protect an area or settle dominance disputes, and only the very wealthy or powerful organize battles for pure entertainment.
3. World
Spoiler:
Time & Seasons
The proceedings in Pokémon Mythos are affected by the time of the day, the days of the week and the in-game seasons. Each day follows the normal real-life 24 hours cycle, and is split into Morning, Day and Night. There are seven days in a week, and the game tracks which day it is. Finally, each season lasts 3 weeks (exactly 21 days), with each season alternating per 3 weeks.
The seasons are:
1. Spring: The over world has radiant bloom and a lot of pollen. A lot of Rain and Sunny weather.
2. Summer: The over world has blooming with lots of leaves. A lot of Sunny weather.
3. Fall: The leaves have turned brown, there are more puddles. A lot of Rain, some Snow.
4. Winter: Nature is barren, some areas have high snow or frozen water. A lot of Snow.
Weather
There are different types of weather that affect the look of the world, sometimes influence puzzles or progression or even affect Pokémon battles.
The different types of weather are:
1. Normal
2. Sunny: Power Fire & Grass
3. Rain: Power Water & Electric
4. Windy: Power Flying & Bug
5. Snow: Power Ice
6. Sandstorm: Power Ground, Rock & Steel
7. Fog
Terrain
Archea is a wild region, and a very diverse one at that. There are many areas that players cannot reach, but of those that are accessible there are a host of different types. Many areas have paths running through them, while the rest of the area is mostly or completely inhabited by wild Pokémon.
The different terrain types are:
1. Field
2. Forest
3. Desert
4. Urban
5. Cave
6. Shallows
7. Water
8. Under Water
9. Glacial Cave
Random & Invisible Items
Random items strewn around the world have been greatly reduced, when they're present, they're usually strongly related to their direct surroundings. Invisible items have been completely removed.
Settlements & Cities
Towns and cities have traditionally been havens from the vicissitudes of the routes, caves etc where players could heal, resupply and safely progress the story and gain information. Most importantly towns and cities are the places where Gyms could be challenged for the coveted Badges that let you progress further. But, Pokémon Mythos takes place in a different universe, time, and under very different circumstances. There are no Gyms for one, and most settlements are far more integrated into the landscape than in more modern times. Most towns and cities have a local PokéLodge, craftspeople such as ApriBall makers, hairdressers, builders or chefs, perhaps a Tutor and a number of inhabitants that provide the player with useful information regarding game play, Pokémon locations or notable opposing Trainers and their team etc. Most towns and cities are rife with tall grass and water outside of the designated paths where you can encounter wild Pokémon as well as the occasional Trainer. Generally there is little distinction between routes and settlements. A few notable style elements of towns and cities might be palisades or even walls, tree houses, sunken buildings, hillside structures, floating houses, pole housing and even hanging buildings. Settlements aren't themed rigidly, and their features are primarily dictated by the surroundings.
PokéLodge
The PokéLodge replaces the PokeCentre and PokéMart (and their variants) in towns and cities. The healing service (adapted to the setting) and the Vendor for buying items are now in the same building, as well as a local Move Relearner and have a distinct herbal feel to them. Most Lodges also have a PokéService counter within them. In addition the Lodges are meeting places to talk to NPCs about all sorts of things and occasionally trade items or Pokémon with.
PokéService
The PokéService is a completely new feature that incorporates many of the PokéGear functions into a pre-industrial setting. Most towns and cities will have a PokéService counter in their PokéLodge, where the Clerks serve mostly as a messaging and delivery service of sorts. Transport is done with a Pokémon that can Teleport, often an Abra.
The Services the Clerk offers are:
1. Delivering messages and items
2. Delivering or discarding any Eggs
3. Inform you about available Trainer rematches (and mark them on your Map)
4. Inform you of any new Pokémon locations (and mark them on your Map)
5. Taking your ApriBall & Fossil orders
6. Retrieving and storing your Pokémon
7. safekeeping your money
NPCs
There are a slew of non-playable characters abound in Archea, even excluding story characters. These NPCs all fulfill specific functions that you can make use of.
The NPCs are:
1. PokéService Clerk: The Clerk offers the PokéService services for free at each PokéService.
2. PokéLodge Hostess: The Hostess heals your Pokémon for free in each Pokélodge.
3. PokéLodge Vendor: The Vendor sells you items in each PokéLodge.
4. Move Relearner: The Move Relearner lets teaches your Pokémon moves they learned in the past for a small fee in each PokéLodge.
5. ApriBall Crafter: An ApriBall Crafter makes ApriBalls from Apricorns you supply for a fee in a number of settlements.
6. Skill Tutor: Each Skill Tutor teaches you a single Key Skill, often in return for a favor. There are 8 Key Tutors.
7. Chef: Chefs turn Berries into Dishes for a fee in many settlements.
8. Fossil Gal: The Fossil Gal takes your Fossils and turns them into Eggs for free, there is only one of this NPC.
9. Dojo Master: The Dojo Master lets you evolve certain Pokémon for free. In addition the Dojo Master lets you retrain your Pokémon's EVs for a fee. There is only one of this NPC.
10. Name Rater: The Name Rater lets you change your Pokémon's names for free, there is only one of this NPC.
11. Ability Switcher: The Ability Switcher lets you switch a Pokémon Ability for a small fee, there is only one of this NPC.
12. Move Deleter: The Move Deleter lets you delete Pokémon's moves for a small fee, there is only one of this NPC. Useful for Breeding purposes.
13. Move Tutor: There are a number of different Skill Tutors, each of which can teach your Pokémon moves of a different niche for a high cost. They are spread out over the world.
14. Decorator: A Decorator sells you various features for your Home Base as well as items to place in it, there are a few of these NPCs.
15. Stylist: Stylists change your hairstyle for a fee, and can increase your Pokémon's Happiness for a fee, there are a number of these NPCs.
16. Tailor: Tailors sell you new outfits and let you switch your current outfit, there are a number of these NPCs.
17. Collector: Collectors are spread out over the world and will reward you for filling up your PokéLog.
18. Glimmer Guy: Once every 6 weeks Glimmer Guy will make one of your Pokémon Shiny for a high cost, and remove Shiny for free. There is only one of this NPC
Home Base
Early on in the game, the player gains the ability to set up a Home Base similar to the Secret Base of earlier games, but expanded and with a new spin. The Secret Base was meant as a hide-out, a place to keep concealed, whereas the Home Base is far more public allowing for more interaction between it and the game world. Most Home Base locations are more spacious than any of the Secret Bases, and there are options to put in walls and floors as well. All additions and expansions to a Home Base are bought from the Decorator.
Teleport Pod
One of the problems with the original Secret Base was how hard it was to return to it, requiring flying, sometimes swimming and some rigorous searching. Mythos introduces the Teleport Pod to remedy this (usable after obtaining the Teleport Key Skill). From each PokéService it's possible to warp to their Home Base once the player has one, and warp back to that same Service.
Decorations
As before players can buy decorations to place inside their Home Base, some bought from stores, others from specialized craftspeople; some can only be won or found (such as the fossil decorations). Decorations include cupboards and tables to place other things upon, but most are purely decorative items.
Trophies
Trophies are essentially Decorations, but acquiring them is proof of a certain achievement. Trophies are generally won in tourneys or gained from important challenges or battles.
ApriBall Workshop
In Pokémon Mythos players can customize (for cosmetic purposes) their Pokémon's ApriBalls in two ways. Both are only accessible from the Workshop. The first option is to place your Pokémon into a different ApriBall that you like better. There are even ApriBalls in the game that are specifically there to be used for visual flair. Switching the ApriBall does cost the player the old one though. The second option is the ability to place Seals on your Pokémon's ApriBalls. The player can obtain Seals throughout the duration of the game—a number of these can be bought from Stylists—and these Seals display various visual effects when entering a Pokémon into combat.
Wardrobe
At the start of the game the player can customize their appearance, the Wardrobe allows the player to perform a range of customizations by changing up their Apparel which can be obtained during game play or bought from a Tailor. Hairstyles can be changed a Stylist. These effects are all purely cosmetic.
Storage
The storage cupboard gives you access to all your captured Pokémon, in addtion—even with the enhanced inventory system—it may be desirable to store some items away for a while until a time arrives when the player wants to use them.
Berry Garden
In addition to planting Berries in public patches throughout the world, each Home Base gives access to 12 Berry plots. A benefit to growing Berries here is the ease of access gained with the Teleport Pod.
Apricorn Orchard
The player can also plant 4 Apricorn trees in their Home Base. The 4 plots are empty at the start, and players can grow trees there, from which they later start harvesting Apricorns.
Home Arena
The final major addition to the Base is the Home Arena where players can battle players locally or through WiFi in a custom arena with a number of backdrops. Players can set up a number of House Rules that can prohibit or mandate certain Pokémon, actions, items or circumstances.
The proceedings in Pokémon Mythos are affected by the time of the day, the days of the week and the in-game seasons. Each day follows the normal real-life 24 hours cycle, and is split into Morning, Day and Night. There are seven days in a week, and the game tracks which day it is. Finally, each season lasts 3 weeks (exactly 21 days), with each season alternating per 3 weeks.
The seasons are:
1. Spring: The over world has radiant bloom and a lot of pollen. A lot of Rain and Sunny weather.
2. Summer: The over world has blooming with lots of leaves. A lot of Sunny weather.
3. Fall: The leaves have turned brown, there are more puddles. A lot of Rain, some Snow.
4. Winter: Nature is barren, some areas have high snow or frozen water. A lot of Snow.
Weather
There are different types of weather that affect the look of the world, sometimes influence puzzles or progression or even affect Pokémon battles.
The different types of weather are:
1. Normal
2. Sunny: Power Fire & Grass
3. Rain: Power Water & Electric
4. Windy: Power Flying & Bug
5. Snow: Power Ice
6. Sandstorm: Power Ground, Rock & Steel
7. Fog
Terrain
Archea is a wild region, and a very diverse one at that. There are many areas that players cannot reach, but of those that are accessible there are a host of different types. Many areas have paths running through them, while the rest of the area is mostly or completely inhabited by wild Pokémon.
The different terrain types are:
1. Field
2. Forest
3. Desert
4. Urban
5. Cave
6. Shallows
7. Water
8. Under Water
9. Glacial Cave
Random & Invisible Items
Random items strewn around the world have been greatly reduced, when they're present, they're usually strongly related to their direct surroundings. Invisible items have been completely removed.
Settlements & Cities
Towns and cities have traditionally been havens from the vicissitudes of the routes, caves etc where players could heal, resupply and safely progress the story and gain information. Most importantly towns and cities are the places where Gyms could be challenged for the coveted Badges that let you progress further. But, Pokémon Mythos takes place in a different universe, time, and under very different circumstances. There are no Gyms for one, and most settlements are far more integrated into the landscape than in more modern times. Most towns and cities have a local PokéLodge, craftspeople such as ApriBall makers, hairdressers, builders or chefs, perhaps a Tutor and a number of inhabitants that provide the player with useful information regarding game play, Pokémon locations or notable opposing Trainers and their team etc. Most towns and cities are rife with tall grass and water outside of the designated paths where you can encounter wild Pokémon as well as the occasional Trainer. Generally there is little distinction between routes and settlements. A few notable style elements of towns and cities might be palisades or even walls, tree houses, sunken buildings, hillside structures, floating houses, pole housing and even hanging buildings. Settlements aren't themed rigidly, and their features are primarily dictated by the surroundings.
PokéLodge
The PokéLodge replaces the PokeCentre and PokéMart (and their variants) in towns and cities. The healing service (adapted to the setting) and the Vendor for buying items are now in the same building, as well as a local Move Relearner and have a distinct herbal feel to them. Most Lodges also have a PokéService counter within them. In addition the Lodges are meeting places to talk to NPCs about all sorts of things and occasionally trade items or Pokémon with.
PokéService
The PokéService is a completely new feature that incorporates many of the PokéGear functions into a pre-industrial setting. Most towns and cities will have a PokéService counter in their PokéLodge, where the Clerks serve mostly as a messaging and delivery service of sorts. Transport is done with a Pokémon that can Teleport, often an Abra.
The Services the Clerk offers are:
1. Delivering messages and items
2. Delivering or discarding any Eggs
3. Inform you about available Trainer rematches (and mark them on your Map)
4. Inform you of any new Pokémon locations (and mark them on your Map)
5. Taking your ApriBall & Fossil orders
6. Retrieving and storing your Pokémon
7. safekeeping your money
NPCs
There are a slew of non-playable characters abound in Archea, even excluding story characters. These NPCs all fulfill specific functions that you can make use of.
The NPCs are:
1. PokéService Clerk: The Clerk offers the PokéService services for free at each PokéService.
2. PokéLodge Hostess: The Hostess heals your Pokémon for free in each Pokélodge.
3. PokéLodge Vendor: The Vendor sells you items in each PokéLodge.
4. Move Relearner: The Move Relearner lets teaches your Pokémon moves they learned in the past for a small fee in each PokéLodge.
5. ApriBall Crafter: An ApriBall Crafter makes ApriBalls from Apricorns you supply for a fee in a number of settlements.
6. Skill Tutor: Each Skill Tutor teaches you a single Key Skill, often in return for a favor. There are 8 Key Tutors.
7. Chef: Chefs turn Berries into Dishes for a fee in many settlements.
8. Fossil Gal: The Fossil Gal takes your Fossils and turns them into Eggs for free, there is only one of this NPC.
9. Dojo Master: The Dojo Master lets you evolve certain Pokémon for free. In addition the Dojo Master lets you retrain your Pokémon's EVs for a fee. There is only one of this NPC.
10. Name Rater: The Name Rater lets you change your Pokémon's names for free, there is only one of this NPC.
11. Ability Switcher: The Ability Switcher lets you switch a Pokémon Ability for a small fee, there is only one of this NPC.
12. Move Deleter: The Move Deleter lets you delete Pokémon's moves for a small fee, there is only one of this NPC. Useful for Breeding purposes.
13. Move Tutor: There are a number of different Skill Tutors, each of which can teach your Pokémon moves of a different niche for a high cost. They are spread out over the world.
14. Decorator: A Decorator sells you various features for your Home Base as well as items to place in it, there are a few of these NPCs.
15. Stylist: Stylists change your hairstyle for a fee, and can increase your Pokémon's Happiness for a fee, there are a number of these NPCs.
16. Tailor: Tailors sell you new outfits and let you switch your current outfit, there are a number of these NPCs.
17. Collector: Collectors are spread out over the world and will reward you for filling up your PokéLog.
18. Glimmer Guy: Once every 6 weeks Glimmer Guy will make one of your Pokémon Shiny for a high cost, and remove Shiny for free. There is only one of this NPC
Home Base
Early on in the game, the player gains the ability to set up a Home Base similar to the Secret Base of earlier games, but expanded and with a new spin. The Secret Base was meant as a hide-out, a place to keep concealed, whereas the Home Base is far more public allowing for more interaction between it and the game world. Most Home Base locations are more spacious than any of the Secret Bases, and there are options to put in walls and floors as well. All additions and expansions to a Home Base are bought from the Decorator.
Teleport Pod
One of the problems with the original Secret Base was how hard it was to return to it, requiring flying, sometimes swimming and some rigorous searching. Mythos introduces the Teleport Pod to remedy this (usable after obtaining the Teleport Key Skill). From each PokéService it's possible to warp to their Home Base once the player has one, and warp back to that same Service.
Decorations
As before players can buy decorations to place inside their Home Base, some bought from stores, others from specialized craftspeople; some can only be won or found (such as the fossil decorations). Decorations include cupboards and tables to place other things upon, but most are purely decorative items.
Trophies
Trophies are essentially Decorations, but acquiring them is proof of a certain achievement. Trophies are generally won in tourneys or gained from important challenges or battles.
ApriBall Workshop
In Pokémon Mythos players can customize (for cosmetic purposes) their Pokémon's ApriBalls in two ways. Both are only accessible from the Workshop. The first option is to place your Pokémon into a different ApriBall that you like better. There are even ApriBalls in the game that are specifically there to be used for visual flair. Switching the ApriBall does cost the player the old one though. The second option is the ability to place Seals on your Pokémon's ApriBalls. The player can obtain Seals throughout the duration of the game—a number of these can be bought from Stylists—and these Seals display various visual effects when entering a Pokémon into combat.
Wardrobe
At the start of the game the player can customize their appearance, the Wardrobe allows the player to perform a range of customizations by changing up their Apparel which can be obtained during game play or bought from a Tailor. Hairstyles can be changed a Stylist. These effects are all purely cosmetic.
Storage
The storage cupboard gives you access to all your captured Pokémon, in addtion—even with the enhanced inventory system—it may be desirable to store some items away for a while until a time arrives when the player wants to use them.
Berry Garden
In addition to planting Berries in public patches throughout the world, each Home Base gives access to 12 Berry plots. A benefit to growing Berries here is the ease of access gained with the Teleport Pod.
Apricorn Orchard
The player can also plant 4 Apricorn trees in their Home Base. The 4 plots are empty at the start, and players can grow trees there, from which they later start harvesting Apricorns.
Home Arena
The final major addition to the Base is the Home Arena where players can battle players locally or through WiFi in a custom arena with a number of backdrops. Players can set up a number of House Rules that can prohibit or mandate certain Pokémon, actions, items or circumstances.
4. Game Play
Spoiler:
Apricorns & Berries
Archea does not have access to all the modern means of the previous games, meaning that where Apricorns and Berries were mostly gimmicks before, in Mythos they take on a crucial importance. Aside from gifts, Apricorns are the only way to make ApriBalls—Mythos' version of PokéBalls—and Berries are the source of most healing items. Apricorns grow on trees from which they can be picked, Apricorn trees are scattered around the world, and there are a host of different Apricorns that can grow from them. Berries grow in patches which are also scattered around the world. If a Berry is planted in a patch, a new plant will grow there over time until it can be harvested. Berries grow at different speeds and give different yields depending on the timing of harvest and their treatment.
ApriBalls
So how did people in the Poképast catch their Pokémon? Well, they used Balls made from Apricorns. Featuring as a quirky little addition in G&S, the Apricorns and associated ApriBalls are back, and this time they take center stage, as the classic PokéBalls we know haven't been invented yet. Now, it's always been a bit silly that PokéBalls followed a linear track of usefulness, with the PokéBall becoming obsolete quickly in favor of the Great and Ultra Balls. The AprBalls in Mythos always retain usability, and their differentiation comes from their various effects. Some Balls are better for catching bugs, others work better when used in caves, or on fast Pokémon etc. This means that choosing the right Ball for the right situation is key, not saving up for the most powerful one. PokéBalls in Mythos are made by ApriBall craftspeople (often in settlements), who use the Apricorns you give them to make ApriBalls for you, up to 2 per day per craftsperson, for a fee. You can hire ApriBall craftspeople in many places, and not just a single senior.
Consumables
A number of items are consumed after use. These items cannot be held by items for their use, and must instead be manually applied to consume. These are items such as Roots and Powders, Vitamins, Repels, Escape Ropes etc.
Dishes
Dishes are made from Berries for a fee by Chefs, Dishes have more potent effects than the Berries that they were made of, but cannot be held for use by Pokémon. Different Dishes have different tastes, and the taste has an effect on the Happiness of the Pokémon that eats it.
Held Items
Pokémon can hold a single item. The exception to this is Mail; any Pokémon can always hold a single piece of Mail regardless of whether or not it is holding another item. Held items that are consumed after use are Berries and Gems. Persistent held items give permanent benefits, but Pokémon Mythos has made large changes in this area, for example Type booster and Stat boosters for specific Pokémon have been removed completely.
Skill Tutors
Hidden Machines (HMs) have always sucked. Yet for some reason GameFreak has continued to include them in all their Pokémon games, saddling players with the burden of non-erasable moves on their favorite Pokémon or a dedicated HM slave or two to get through all the obstacles in the game. Not anymore. Mythos does away with HMs completely (some of the moves have been reworked as regular moves) and replaces it with the Key Skill system. Essentially an RPG element, the player will attain Key Skills during the game by interacting with Skill Tutors (who only fulfill this task). Some of the Key Skills require you to have certain Pokémon in your team to work (such as for Teleport or Fly), but the Pokémon itself does not have to be changed. In addition, none of the Skills that require a Pokémon are essential to completing the game (although you will miss some cool things if you don't).
The Key Skills are:
1. Clear Out: This Skill lets you remove shrubs and rubble.
2. Push: This Skill lets you move crates and boulders around.
3. Swim: This Skill lets you move in Water.
4. Unearth: This Skill gives access to the Mining mini-game in Deserts, Caves and Glacial Caves.
5. Fall Back: This Skill lets you instantly return from a non-hazardous location to the last PokéLodge you visited.
6. Dive: This Skill gives you access to Under Water when on Water.
7. Climb: This Skill allows you to climb up certain steep paths, trees & ladders.
8. Quick-Travel: This Skill lets you instantly move to any settlement that you've already visited.
Move Tutors
Technical Machines (TMs) have been a staple of the Pokémon franchise from the very start, and they've been an interesting element over the years. But, they've also been limited, even when we became able to re-use them. In Mythos TMs have been removed, and instead all moves that a Pokémon can learn can be obtained from Tutors. This means that at any time during the game you can find the right Tutor and switch up your Pokémon's move sets, making them far more flexible and giving far more leeway for experimentation (what kind of sense did it make anyway that a Pokemon could suddenly not remember all but four of their moves?). However, these Tutors know the value of their skills, and their services don't come cheaply. Only the Move Relearner, who can brush your Pokémon up on moves they've learned in past levels is affordable. The Move Deleter exists to help with breeding moves into Pokémon for those who don't want to foot the bill for a specialized Tutor. Most Tutors specialize in certain types of moves such as defensive moves, or very powerful attacks, or moves that benefits entire teams etc. The Tutors make use of a new interface, with the teachable moves on the right-displayed vertically-of the context screen (and its effects on the top screen) and the Pokémon with you that can learn the move vertically displayed on the left (the cost is on the bottom-right). A new kind of Tutor is the Ability Switcher, who will switch your Pokémon's active Ability with another one if it has multiple. All these factors combined make players far less dependent on the luck of the draw or cumbersome breeding schemes to get their Pokémon the way they want to raise them.
The Move Tutors are:
1. Team: teaches all the moves that affect other Pokémon in your team.
2. World: teaches all the moves that affect weather and entry effects.
3. Effect: buffs and status moves are taught by this Tutor.
4. Exotic: moves that have curious effects are taught by this Tutor.
5. Power: the Power Tutor teaches overtly strong moves to your Pokémon.
6. Veil: moves that cover your active Pokémon are taught by the Veil Tutor.
Movement
The Running Shoes and Bicycle are a Pokémon franchise staple, but Pokémon Mythos includes neither. Instead movement has three speeds from the start of the game, and is simply toggle-able by pressing the right shoulder button or the touch screen.
The movement speeds are:
1. Sneak: the slowest speed, but does not break certain surfaces and greatly reduces wild battles.
2. Walk: the medium speed, a reasonable pace, has a normal chance of triggering random encounters.
3. Run: the fastest speed, is not available inside, turns poorly and has a wind-up. Can outrun some crumbling terrain types. Has a high chance of trigger random battles.
Auto-Save
For players who tend to forget to save, or don't reset the game after losing a battle, there is the option to enable the new Auto-Save feature, which automatically saves a player's progress each 15, 30 or 60 minutes automatically.
Archea does not have access to all the modern means of the previous games, meaning that where Apricorns and Berries were mostly gimmicks before, in Mythos they take on a crucial importance. Aside from gifts, Apricorns are the only way to make ApriBalls—Mythos' version of PokéBalls—and Berries are the source of most healing items. Apricorns grow on trees from which they can be picked, Apricorn trees are scattered around the world, and there are a host of different Apricorns that can grow from them. Berries grow in patches which are also scattered around the world. If a Berry is planted in a patch, a new plant will grow there over time until it can be harvested. Berries grow at different speeds and give different yields depending on the timing of harvest and their treatment.
ApriBalls
So how did people in the Poképast catch their Pokémon? Well, they used Balls made from Apricorns. Featuring as a quirky little addition in G&S, the Apricorns and associated ApriBalls are back, and this time they take center stage, as the classic PokéBalls we know haven't been invented yet. Now, it's always been a bit silly that PokéBalls followed a linear track of usefulness, with the PokéBall becoming obsolete quickly in favor of the Great and Ultra Balls. The AprBalls in Mythos always retain usability, and their differentiation comes from their various effects. Some Balls are better for catching bugs, others work better when used in caves, or on fast Pokémon etc. This means that choosing the right Ball for the right situation is key, not saving up for the most powerful one. PokéBalls in Mythos are made by ApriBall craftspeople (often in settlements), who use the Apricorns you give them to make ApriBalls for you, up to 2 per day per craftsperson, for a fee. You can hire ApriBall craftspeople in many places, and not just a single senior.
Consumables
A number of items are consumed after use. These items cannot be held by items for their use, and must instead be manually applied to consume. These are items such as Roots and Powders, Vitamins, Repels, Escape Ropes etc.
Dishes
Dishes are made from Berries for a fee by Chefs, Dishes have more potent effects than the Berries that they were made of, but cannot be held for use by Pokémon. Different Dishes have different tastes, and the taste has an effect on the Happiness of the Pokémon that eats it.
Held Items
Pokémon can hold a single item. The exception to this is Mail; any Pokémon can always hold a single piece of Mail regardless of whether or not it is holding another item. Held items that are consumed after use are Berries and Gems. Persistent held items give permanent benefits, but Pokémon Mythos has made large changes in this area, for example Type booster and Stat boosters for specific Pokémon have been removed completely.
Skill Tutors
Hidden Machines (HMs) have always sucked. Yet for some reason GameFreak has continued to include them in all their Pokémon games, saddling players with the burden of non-erasable moves on their favorite Pokémon or a dedicated HM slave or two to get through all the obstacles in the game. Not anymore. Mythos does away with HMs completely (some of the moves have been reworked as regular moves) and replaces it with the Key Skill system. Essentially an RPG element, the player will attain Key Skills during the game by interacting with Skill Tutors (who only fulfill this task). Some of the Key Skills require you to have certain Pokémon in your team to work (such as for Teleport or Fly), but the Pokémon itself does not have to be changed. In addition, none of the Skills that require a Pokémon are essential to completing the game (although you will miss some cool things if you don't).
The Key Skills are:
1. Clear Out: This Skill lets you remove shrubs and rubble.
2. Push: This Skill lets you move crates and boulders around.
3. Swim: This Skill lets you move in Water.
4. Unearth: This Skill gives access to the Mining mini-game in Deserts, Caves and Glacial Caves.
5. Fall Back: This Skill lets you instantly return from a non-hazardous location to the last PokéLodge you visited.
6. Dive: This Skill gives you access to Under Water when on Water.
7. Climb: This Skill allows you to climb up certain steep paths, trees & ladders.
8. Quick-Travel: This Skill lets you instantly move to any settlement that you've already visited.
Move Tutors
Technical Machines (TMs) have been a staple of the Pokémon franchise from the very start, and they've been an interesting element over the years. But, they've also been limited, even when we became able to re-use them. In Mythos TMs have been removed, and instead all moves that a Pokémon can learn can be obtained from Tutors. This means that at any time during the game you can find the right Tutor and switch up your Pokémon's move sets, making them far more flexible and giving far more leeway for experimentation (what kind of sense did it make anyway that a Pokemon could suddenly not remember all but four of their moves?). However, these Tutors know the value of their skills, and their services don't come cheaply. Only the Move Relearner, who can brush your Pokémon up on moves they've learned in past levels is affordable. The Move Deleter exists to help with breeding moves into Pokémon for those who don't want to foot the bill for a specialized Tutor. Most Tutors specialize in certain types of moves such as defensive moves, or very powerful attacks, or moves that benefits entire teams etc. The Tutors make use of a new interface, with the teachable moves on the right-displayed vertically-of the context screen (and its effects on the top screen) and the Pokémon with you that can learn the move vertically displayed on the left (the cost is on the bottom-right). A new kind of Tutor is the Ability Switcher, who will switch your Pokémon's active Ability with another one if it has multiple. All these factors combined make players far less dependent on the luck of the draw or cumbersome breeding schemes to get their Pokémon the way they want to raise them.
The Move Tutors are:
1. Team: teaches all the moves that affect other Pokémon in your team.
2. World: teaches all the moves that affect weather and entry effects.
3. Effect: buffs and status moves are taught by this Tutor.
4. Exotic: moves that have curious effects are taught by this Tutor.
5. Power: the Power Tutor teaches overtly strong moves to your Pokémon.
6. Veil: moves that cover your active Pokémon are taught by the Veil Tutor.
Movement
The Running Shoes and Bicycle are a Pokémon franchise staple, but Pokémon Mythos includes neither. Instead movement has three speeds from the start of the game, and is simply toggle-able by pressing the right shoulder button or the touch screen.
The movement speeds are:
1. Sneak: the slowest speed, but does not break certain surfaces and greatly reduces wild battles.
2. Walk: the medium speed, a reasonable pace, has a normal chance of triggering random encounters.
3. Run: the fastest speed, is not available inside, turns poorly and has a wind-up. Can outrun some crumbling terrain types. Has a high chance of trigger random battles.
Auto-Save
For players who tend to forget to save, or don't reset the game after losing a battle, there is the option to enable the new Auto-Save feature, which automatically saves a player's progress each 15, 30 or 60 minutes automatically.
5. Pokémon
Spoiler:
Selection
At the time of writing there are 649 known Pokémon. That's a large number, especially considering the amount of Pokémon that are Legendary, Event, evolve by Trade or are version specific. Worse is the fact that a growing percentage of these Pokémon are essentially duplications, inflating the list far beyond the limits of actual creative innovation. Pokémon Mythos goes in its own direction by making a selection of 259 Pokémon of the 649 available, and adding only one Fakémon (Soleon) to achieve an extensive, balanced and diverse list of 260 distinguishable Pokémon to catch and raise. There are no Legendary/unique Pokémon in the game, none of the Starters are featured, there are no version-specific, trade or Event Pokémon. In addition none of the "modern" Pokémon (Porygon, Magneton etc) are included due to the setting. Many of the chosen Pokémon have undergone changes in their evolutions, learnsets, Abilities and even Types. This leaves you with a manageable catalog to discover while leaving room for a myriad of different teams and strategies to develop. Shinies have been rendered less special through the use of the Glimmer Guy who can make a Pokémon shiny once every 6 weeks or reverse it at any time. A new focus on Fossils has been implemented, with them taking less of the side-lines and becoming more of a visible element in-game. Almost all fossil Pokémon are collectible, but none can be encountered in the wild, instead the player digs them up with the Unearth Key Skill.
Fossils
Fossils can be found with the Unearth Key Skill through the Mining mini-game. A Fossil can be given to the Fossil Gal NPC who will take a day to turn your Fossil into an Egg for you which she'll send to the PokéService for you.
Abilities
Pokémon Mythos has completely redone the Abilities roster, and has worked to provide each Pokémon chain with its own distinct feel, not only through the selection of Pokémon, but also through what Abilities it can have. Different Ablities often mean greatly different play styles and focuses now, and Pokémon with unique themes embrace those themes more thoroughly now. Dream World Abilities have been completely removed, and Abilities can now be toggled at will by the Ability Switcher.
Moves
The Pokémon franchise has amassed an amazing roster of moves over the years, with tons of interesting effects and combinations. It is however also burdened with a lot of tradition, limiting the directions it can take any new moves. With Mythos came the opportunity to look once again at all the available Moves, rework, replace them where necessary, add a slew of new ones and bring the selection into the next generation. Because of the implementation of the Power Gauge system, more powerful moves cost a lot of Power while weaker moves can be used more often, resulting in less moves becoming obsolete during the game. Pokémon no longer naturally learn moves that have only non-1v1 battle applications.
Changing Moves
2 columns top: current move info – new move info
3 columns: Current move slot – Filter - New move
Evolution
Evolving Pokémon has always been one of the great draws of the Pokémon franchise, and rightly so. Although non-evolving Pokémon are still a lot of fun, seeing your tiny monster grow up into a powerhouse is a great feeling, this has factored into the Pokémon selection for Mythos. The implementation of evolution has not been without its problems however, and Trade evolution has been the main offender in this regard. It's understandable that GameFreak wants to promote trading between players, but witholding Pokémon from players that can't or don't want to trade is not an acceptable means to this end. So Mythos features no trade evolution. Location evolution (such as for Magnezone or Leafeon) and Move Evolution (such as for Mamoswine) has been removed as well due to its obscurity and confusion, seeing as the discovery of these methods is circumspect and unneeded. The final removal is stat evolution (such as for the Hitmons and Wurmple) because it is cumbersome and repels less meticulous players needlessly. Item Evolutions such as with elemental stones take center stage and have been expanded, although the needed Items for evolution are often different than before. In addition Item Evolution now requires the Pokémon to be of at least a certain level. The levels where Pokémon evolve have been completely redone as well. Breeding & eggs are there as before, but the Baby Pokémon have been turned into regular parts of evolution chains instead of a separate class. To aid in the Breeding process there are now 6 Incenses: 5 promote certain Natures (5 Natures per Incense) in bred Pokémon (95%), 1 promotes the retention of the parent's Nature in bred Pokémon (85%). Hatching eggs now depends on play time, not an amount of steps.
Item Evolution
Why do some Pokémon evolve with the use of items? The answer can sometimes seem obvious, such as in the case of the Eeveelutions or Gallade, but others are less clear, such as for Arcanine. It seems an arbitrary selection, based more on expedience than a semblance of logic. Mythos redoes the existing Item Evolutions, a number are removed, a number are added, but this time based on three sensible criteria and the Pokémon in question must adhere to one of these to get an Item Evolution rather than a regular one.
A Pokémon must fulfill at least one of these criteria:
1. The next evolution fulfills a specific, unique role within its context, such as becoming royalty or displaying singular leadership. See Pokémon such as Nidoqueen or Machamp.
2. The Pokémon has multiple evolutions, in this case all or the alternate(s) get an Item evolution. See Pokémon such as Combee or Snorunt.
3. The essence of the Pokémon, for example its Type changes, requiring an external input to facilitate the change. See pokémon such as Eevee or Steelix.
Happiness Evolution
Happiness Evolution is a strange thing; it goes up simply by keeping a Pokémon in your party for a while and using it, whereas it only goes down by using certain items on it; and there are no Frustration Evolutions abound. It has been implemented only in very specific cases now where the Happiness of the Pokémon is integral to its theme such as for Blissey, but is a rare phenomenon.
Mechanical Changes
Pokémon Mythos makes a large number of changes to the internal mechanics of the game, many of which are important to competitive play. These changes are implemented to limit the amount of randomness and handicap occurs to non-power players when playing the game normally while retaining the training aspects. This has been mitigated by not featuring Legendary Pokémon, but even then many Pokémon are simply bétter than others, having higher basic stats in a more favorable spread, often regardless of the power of the moves it can learn, Typing and Ability. Mythos brings the Pokémon power levels more into line with one another, balanced of course for their total context and moves interactions.
Base Stats
Mythos grounds base stats on the Pokémon's Stage in its evolution. Stage 3 is its final form, Stage 2 its intermediate form and Stage 1 is the basic form. Stage 1 gets a total of 420 points. Stage 2 gets 420 + 60 = 480. Stage 3 gets 480 + 60 = 540. Additional variance up or down depends on the Pokémons type, Ability or whatever else. Form 1 gains Exp at the Fast rate. Form 2 gains Exp at the Normal rate. Form 3 gains Exp at the Slow rate. This allows Pokémon at lower Stages to level up more quickly and catch up in power. Generally speaking, the lower a Pokémon's Stage, the earlier it learns moves.
IV's
Individual Values are random values that act is a randomizer in a Pokémon's prowess. Pokémon have always had naturally more or less total IV's than others, and this was an innate, immutable thing per Pokémon. In Mythos IV's are fixed at a total of 6 x 15 + 1 = 91, and the difference in IV's is in their distribution, not their total. Each IV stat has a value of 0 – 21. This means that players cannot accidentally catch a Pokémon that is patently weaker than others on a level that they cannot change. For power players it will remain important to catch Pokémon that have IV's that are spread out optimally for their purposes.
EV's
Experience Values are bonuses to certain stats that are gained through defeating certain Pokémon. By optimizing what kind of EV's a Pokémon gains it can become far stronger than Pokémon that have not been optimized in this way. This system is kept in place, but the access to items that change EV's has been greatly expanded, limiting the amount of grind needed for an optimal spread enormously. The Dojo Master allows players to shuffle around their EV spreads; allowing you to effectively retrain your Pokémon.
Natures
The effects of Natures have been reduced to a 5% increase and 5% decrease of stats.
Catching Pokémon
In order to catch Pokémon, you first have to find them, a few things have changed here. The base encounter rate for encountering wild Pokémon in tall grass, water, etc while Sneaking has been greatly reduced to about 1/24 steps. While Walking it's 1/16 steps and while Running it's 1/9 steps. This rate can be heightened when desired through the use of Lure boxes, in which the player can place any Berry to increase the rate in a zone to about 1/3 steps (for each speed) for 3 hours. Fishing Rods have been removed from the game, instead walking in Shallows can trigger encounters with Pokémon. In addition, a number of factors influence the locations and levels of encountered wild Pokémon. First off, the level variance of wild Pokémon has increased, meaning that you have a chance of encounter both low and high-level of the same Pokémon in the same area randomly, up to a certain level cap. This cap is raised upwards by completing certain key events, meaning that in all areas you can encounter Level 1 Pokémon ((although that becomes more rare as your team becomes stronger (there is a hold item to increase the incidence of low-level encounters)). The locations of Pokémon are fairly dependable, but the times of the day and seasons affect their locations and incidence noticeably, including moving Pokémon (such as migrating ones) around.
At the time of writing there are 649 known Pokémon. That's a large number, especially considering the amount of Pokémon that are Legendary, Event, evolve by Trade or are version specific. Worse is the fact that a growing percentage of these Pokémon are essentially duplications, inflating the list far beyond the limits of actual creative innovation. Pokémon Mythos goes in its own direction by making a selection of 259 Pokémon of the 649 available, and adding only one Fakémon (Soleon) to achieve an extensive, balanced and diverse list of 260 distinguishable Pokémon to catch and raise. There are no Legendary/unique Pokémon in the game, none of the Starters are featured, there are no version-specific, trade or Event Pokémon. In addition none of the "modern" Pokémon (Porygon, Magneton etc) are included due to the setting. Many of the chosen Pokémon have undergone changes in their evolutions, learnsets, Abilities and even Types. This leaves you with a manageable catalog to discover while leaving room for a myriad of different teams and strategies to develop. Shinies have been rendered less special through the use of the Glimmer Guy who can make a Pokémon shiny once every 6 weeks or reverse it at any time. A new focus on Fossils has been implemented, with them taking less of the side-lines and becoming more of a visible element in-game. Almost all fossil Pokémon are collectible, but none can be encountered in the wild, instead the player digs them up with the Unearth Key Skill.
Fossils
Fossils can be found with the Unearth Key Skill through the Mining mini-game. A Fossil can be given to the Fossil Gal NPC who will take a day to turn your Fossil into an Egg for you which she'll send to the PokéService for you.
Abilities
Pokémon Mythos has completely redone the Abilities roster, and has worked to provide each Pokémon chain with its own distinct feel, not only through the selection of Pokémon, but also through what Abilities it can have. Different Ablities often mean greatly different play styles and focuses now, and Pokémon with unique themes embrace those themes more thoroughly now. Dream World Abilities have been completely removed, and Abilities can now be toggled at will by the Ability Switcher.
Moves
The Pokémon franchise has amassed an amazing roster of moves over the years, with tons of interesting effects and combinations. It is however also burdened with a lot of tradition, limiting the directions it can take any new moves. With Mythos came the opportunity to look once again at all the available Moves, rework, replace them where necessary, add a slew of new ones and bring the selection into the next generation. Because of the implementation of the Power Gauge system, more powerful moves cost a lot of Power while weaker moves can be used more often, resulting in less moves becoming obsolete during the game. Pokémon no longer naturally learn moves that have only non-1v1 battle applications.
Changing Moves
2 columns top: current move info – new move info
3 columns: Current move slot – Filter - New move
Evolution
Evolving Pokémon has always been one of the great draws of the Pokémon franchise, and rightly so. Although non-evolving Pokémon are still a lot of fun, seeing your tiny monster grow up into a powerhouse is a great feeling, this has factored into the Pokémon selection for Mythos. The implementation of evolution has not been without its problems however, and Trade evolution has been the main offender in this regard. It's understandable that GameFreak wants to promote trading between players, but witholding Pokémon from players that can't or don't want to trade is not an acceptable means to this end. So Mythos features no trade evolution. Location evolution (such as for Magnezone or Leafeon) and Move Evolution (such as for Mamoswine) has been removed as well due to its obscurity and confusion, seeing as the discovery of these methods is circumspect and unneeded. The final removal is stat evolution (such as for the Hitmons and Wurmple) because it is cumbersome and repels less meticulous players needlessly. Item Evolutions such as with elemental stones take center stage and have been expanded, although the needed Items for evolution are often different than before. In addition Item Evolution now requires the Pokémon to be of at least a certain level. The levels where Pokémon evolve have been completely redone as well. Breeding & eggs are there as before, but the Baby Pokémon have been turned into regular parts of evolution chains instead of a separate class. To aid in the Breeding process there are now 6 Incenses: 5 promote certain Natures (5 Natures per Incense) in bred Pokémon (95%), 1 promotes the retention of the parent's Nature in bred Pokémon (85%). Hatching eggs now depends on play time, not an amount of steps.
Item Evolution
Why do some Pokémon evolve with the use of items? The answer can sometimes seem obvious, such as in the case of the Eeveelutions or Gallade, but others are less clear, such as for Arcanine. It seems an arbitrary selection, based more on expedience than a semblance of logic. Mythos redoes the existing Item Evolutions, a number are removed, a number are added, but this time based on three sensible criteria and the Pokémon in question must adhere to one of these to get an Item Evolution rather than a regular one.
A Pokémon must fulfill at least one of these criteria:
1. The next evolution fulfills a specific, unique role within its context, such as becoming royalty or displaying singular leadership. See Pokémon such as Nidoqueen or Machamp.
2. The Pokémon has multiple evolutions, in this case all or the alternate(s) get an Item evolution. See Pokémon such as Combee or Snorunt.
3. The essence of the Pokémon, for example its Type changes, requiring an external input to facilitate the change. See pokémon such as Eevee or Steelix.
Happiness Evolution
Happiness Evolution is a strange thing; it goes up simply by keeping a Pokémon in your party for a while and using it, whereas it only goes down by using certain items on it; and there are no Frustration Evolutions abound. It has been implemented only in very specific cases now where the Happiness of the Pokémon is integral to its theme such as for Blissey, but is a rare phenomenon.
Mechanical Changes
Pokémon Mythos makes a large number of changes to the internal mechanics of the game, many of which are important to competitive play. These changes are implemented to limit the amount of randomness and handicap occurs to non-power players when playing the game normally while retaining the training aspects. This has been mitigated by not featuring Legendary Pokémon, but even then many Pokémon are simply bétter than others, having higher basic stats in a more favorable spread, often regardless of the power of the moves it can learn, Typing and Ability. Mythos brings the Pokémon power levels more into line with one another, balanced of course for their total context and moves interactions.
Base Stats
Mythos grounds base stats on the Pokémon's Stage in its evolution. Stage 3 is its final form, Stage 2 its intermediate form and Stage 1 is the basic form. Stage 1 gets a total of 420 points. Stage 2 gets 420 + 60 = 480. Stage 3 gets 480 + 60 = 540. Additional variance up or down depends on the Pokémons type, Ability or whatever else. Form 1 gains Exp at the Fast rate. Form 2 gains Exp at the Normal rate. Form 3 gains Exp at the Slow rate. This allows Pokémon at lower Stages to level up more quickly and catch up in power. Generally speaking, the lower a Pokémon's Stage, the earlier it learns moves.
IV's
Individual Values are random values that act is a randomizer in a Pokémon's prowess. Pokémon have always had naturally more or less total IV's than others, and this was an innate, immutable thing per Pokémon. In Mythos IV's are fixed at a total of 6 x 15 + 1 = 91, and the difference in IV's is in their distribution, not their total. Each IV stat has a value of 0 – 21. This means that players cannot accidentally catch a Pokémon that is patently weaker than others on a level that they cannot change. For power players it will remain important to catch Pokémon that have IV's that are spread out optimally for their purposes.
EV's
Experience Values are bonuses to certain stats that are gained through defeating certain Pokémon. By optimizing what kind of EV's a Pokémon gains it can become far stronger than Pokémon that have not been optimized in this way. This system is kept in place, but the access to items that change EV's has been greatly expanded, limiting the amount of grind needed for an optimal spread enormously. The Dojo Master allows players to shuffle around their EV spreads; allowing you to effectively retrain your Pokémon.
Natures
The effects of Natures have been reduced to a 5% increase and 5% decrease of stats.
Catching Pokémon
In order to catch Pokémon, you first have to find them, a few things have changed here. The base encounter rate for encountering wild Pokémon in tall grass, water, etc while Sneaking has been greatly reduced to about 1/24 steps. While Walking it's 1/16 steps and while Running it's 1/9 steps. This rate can be heightened when desired through the use of Lure boxes, in which the player can place any Berry to increase the rate in a zone to about 1/3 steps (for each speed) for 3 hours. Fishing Rods have been removed from the game, instead walking in Shallows can trigger encounters with Pokémon. In addition, a number of factors influence the locations and levels of encountered wild Pokémon. First off, the level variance of wild Pokémon has increased, meaning that you have a chance of encounter both low and high-level of the same Pokémon in the same area randomly, up to a certain level cap. This cap is raised upwards by completing certain key events, meaning that in all areas you can encounter Level 1 Pokémon ((although that becomes more rare as your team becomes stronger (there is a hold item to increase the incidence of low-level encounters)). The locations of Pokémon are fairly dependable, but the times of the day and seasons affect their locations and incidence noticeably, including moving Pokémon (such as migrating ones) around.
6. Combat
Spoiler:
Engagement & Defeat
As is usual most battles a player will fight will come from random encounter with wild Pokémon that jump out at them during their journey. But, battles with other Trainers are still the order of the day. Many in-game people will want to fight to train their Pokémon or gain prestige, or to gain money from a challenge. Pokémon Mythos introduces the option to refuse many battles, preventing you from getting jumped by a battle you weren't ready for. Getting beaten in a battle no longer halves your money total, instead you simply lose the amount you would've gained from beating your opponent. It is not possible to use items on Pokémon during battles, neither for the player nor for NPCs.
Battle Variants
There are many different formats to have PokéBattles in, and all have their different pros and cons. Mythos makes sure to include enough variety in its battle formats, regularly switching up the old tried-and-true 1on1's with Double, Triple and Rotation battles, and mixing in a number of Tag battles during story events and Side Quests so there's plenty of variation to experience. During game play, it's possible to have rematches with a large number of Trainers (rematches are tracked by the PokéService) and seeing as battles earn only meager financial reward—if any—it'll be tempting to get in on the higher stakes they afford.
Power Gauge
One of the strange things in the Pokémon game has always been the dissonance of Pokémon being able to use enormously powerful moves over and over again, until suddenly losing the ability when PP ran out. Pokémon Mythos makes a fundamental change by removing PP altogether, and putting in place a Power Gauge system instead. Each Pokémon has a total of 20 Power on their Gauge at the start of battle. Each move uses up an amount of Power, and at the start of each turn recovers a bit. Battling Pokémon can choose to give up their move (Pass) for a turn to recover Power—6 points per Pass—quickly. The effect of this change is that low or medium-power moves retain their usefulness, and powerful moves must be used as finisher moves rather than the automatic choice for higher level Pokémon. Clever players will switch in a Pokémon, have it go to town, then switch to a defender to stall while the other Pokémon are recovering Power, which expands the uses for defensive Pokémon. This changes the functioning of moves such as Hyper Beam, which will not require giving up a turn, but will simply cost too much Power to use successively.
Enemy Trainers
The Pokémon franchise has always had terrible AI; trainers and wild Pokémon have always been terrible at choosing which move to use, and can get stuck in loops of Protect while getting whittled down despite a strong advantage. To compound this, most trainers and areas feature Pokémon of only 1 or 2 types, putting very little pressure on players to raise balanced teams or forcing them to switch around during battles. Pokémon Mythos attempts to make battles more of a challenge by changing three things. First off, trainers are no longer sorted by which type they use, and any trainer can and will have multiple types of Pokémon with different niches (no more processions of Magikarp). Secondly, areas have a far greater diversity of Pokémon you can encounter, even early in the game, meaning it becomes very hard to anticipate your battles (you need to be able to handle more than Geodudes and Zubats). Finally, the moves that trainer Pokémon have have customized move sets; sometimes enemy trainers can have moves far before their level, or ones that can only be gained from Tutors. Moves are selected to challenge the player and provide them with surprises during battles, while limiting the odds of enemies Growling continually at your Special Attacker. Battles should be a test of preparation, skill and adaptability, not one of endurance.
Encountering Wild Pokémon
The areas where players will encounter wild Pokémon have changed considerably. Most area types now has spots where Pokémon wíll and will nót attack, and these are clearly distinguishable. Usually a safe path is visible in an area, and straying from that path will put you at risk. Any area now carries a chance of triggering a wild double battle (if the player has multiple Pokémon), dark tall grass has been removed.
Status Effect Changes
When Pokémon are poisoned, the damage they receive is always doubled after consecutive turns. There is no more distinction between 'poisoned' and 'badly poisoned'. Infatuation is no longer bound to gender, Pokémon can become infatuated by Pokémon of the same gender, and genderless Pokémon are also affected. Infatuation is now set up as based on affection, friendship or endearment in addition to love or attraction.
Combat Style Default
The default combat setting is now Fixed rather than Shift. Playing in Shift gives players a large advantage over enemies.
As is usual most battles a player will fight will come from random encounter with wild Pokémon that jump out at them during their journey. But, battles with other Trainers are still the order of the day. Many in-game people will want to fight to train their Pokémon or gain prestige, or to gain money from a challenge. Pokémon Mythos introduces the option to refuse many battles, preventing you from getting jumped by a battle you weren't ready for. Getting beaten in a battle no longer halves your money total, instead you simply lose the amount you would've gained from beating your opponent. It is not possible to use items on Pokémon during battles, neither for the player nor for NPCs.
Battle Variants
There are many different formats to have PokéBattles in, and all have their different pros and cons. Mythos makes sure to include enough variety in its battle formats, regularly switching up the old tried-and-true 1on1's with Double, Triple and Rotation battles, and mixing in a number of Tag battles during story events and Side Quests so there's plenty of variation to experience. During game play, it's possible to have rematches with a large number of Trainers (rematches are tracked by the PokéService) and seeing as battles earn only meager financial reward—if any—it'll be tempting to get in on the higher stakes they afford.
Power Gauge
One of the strange things in the Pokémon game has always been the dissonance of Pokémon being able to use enormously powerful moves over and over again, until suddenly losing the ability when PP ran out. Pokémon Mythos makes a fundamental change by removing PP altogether, and putting in place a Power Gauge system instead. Each Pokémon has a total of 20 Power on their Gauge at the start of battle. Each move uses up an amount of Power, and at the start of each turn recovers a bit. Battling Pokémon can choose to give up their move (Pass) for a turn to recover Power—6 points per Pass—quickly. The effect of this change is that low or medium-power moves retain their usefulness, and powerful moves must be used as finisher moves rather than the automatic choice for higher level Pokémon. Clever players will switch in a Pokémon, have it go to town, then switch to a defender to stall while the other Pokémon are recovering Power, which expands the uses for defensive Pokémon. This changes the functioning of moves such as Hyper Beam, which will not require giving up a turn, but will simply cost too much Power to use successively.
Enemy Trainers
The Pokémon franchise has always had terrible AI; trainers and wild Pokémon have always been terrible at choosing which move to use, and can get stuck in loops of Protect while getting whittled down despite a strong advantage. To compound this, most trainers and areas feature Pokémon of only 1 or 2 types, putting very little pressure on players to raise balanced teams or forcing them to switch around during battles. Pokémon Mythos attempts to make battles more of a challenge by changing three things. First off, trainers are no longer sorted by which type they use, and any trainer can and will have multiple types of Pokémon with different niches (no more processions of Magikarp). Secondly, areas have a far greater diversity of Pokémon you can encounter, even early in the game, meaning it becomes very hard to anticipate your battles (you need to be able to handle more than Geodudes and Zubats). Finally, the moves that trainer Pokémon have have customized move sets; sometimes enemy trainers can have moves far before their level, or ones that can only be gained from Tutors. Moves are selected to challenge the player and provide them with surprises during battles, while limiting the odds of enemies Growling continually at your Special Attacker. Battles should be a test of preparation, skill and adaptability, not one of endurance.
Encountering Wild Pokémon
The areas where players will encounter wild Pokémon have changed considerably. Most area types now has spots where Pokémon wíll and will nót attack, and these are clearly distinguishable. Usually a safe path is visible in an area, and straying from that path will put you at risk. Any area now carries a chance of triggering a wild double battle (if the player has multiple Pokémon), dark tall grass has been removed.
Status Effect Changes
When Pokémon are poisoned, the damage they receive is always doubled after consecutive turns. There is no more distinction between 'poisoned' and 'badly poisoned'. Infatuation is no longer bound to gender, Pokémon can become infatuated by Pokémon of the same gender, and genderless Pokémon are also affected. Infatuation is now set up as based on affection, friendship or endearment in addition to love or attraction.
Combat Style Default
The default combat setting is now Fixed rather than Shift. Playing in Shift gives players a large advantage over enemies.
7. Design
Spoiler:
Avatar
It's kind of surreal that Pokémon games have never allowed you to change the appearance of your player avatar, especially considering the amount of interesting sprites available for enemy trainers. Pokémon Mythos finally makes the plunge of allowing players to change their appearance. At game start, players will choose a gender, body type, skin color, hair style and outfit. During game play players will be able to change their hair style and outfit by making use of the services of the Stylist and Tailor NPCs, and later on can change their outfits in the Wardrobe in their Home Base.
Interface
The Pokémon franchise has a tendency to act very carelessly with their interface, often making poor use of available space either by leaving essential things out or overstuffing screens and menus. Cutting down a tree, healing your Pokémon, ending your battle turn while it's raining, saving your game, these are examples of game elements that are dragged out senselessly and that become a serious nuisance over time. The bottom screen menu is only occasionally efficient, and even then never without its problems. After 15 years of trying some lasting progress isn't a lot to ask for. Pokémon Mythos' menu looks most like HG&SS's PokéGear, but adapted to setting and changed in a few ways. The PokéDex is gone, seeing as it's a modern instrument, instead there is the PokéLog. The layout of the touch screen menu is a 3x3 grid with the Key Skills Tab and 3 Functions Tabs available from top of the screen's the right edge.
Menu
Top Row
1. PokéLog: All information about Pokémon the player has access to.
2. Passport: All information about the player is listed here.
3. Map: The Map of the world is shown, it is the main source of information for the overworld.
Middle Row
4. Pokémon: Access your team, see their Summaries, change their order etc from here.
5. Quests: This is essentially a memo which reminds you of unfulfilled tasks to help you on your way.
6. Bag: All items the player is carrying are listed here, the bag is subdivided as detailed below.
Bottom Row
7. Save: Players can save their progress at any time outside of combat and story events.
8. Connect: Players can connect to the internet or other players locally at any time from here.
9. Options: All settings and optional features are selected from here.
Tabs
10. Key Skills: Survey your available Key Skills here, and select them for use.
10. Functions: Special functions such as toggling movement speed or quick access to Key Skills can be placed here, there are three slots to fill.
10. Items: quick access to some items such as Bitter Scent or Escape Rope can be placed on a Tab for easy access.
PokéLog
For obvious thematic reasons the PokéLog is quite unlike the PokéDex, but the changes are in most ways aesthetic. It should be noted that there is no Regional and National Log, all Pokémon in the game are obtainable before completing the main storyline. The PokéLog looks like a simple journal in which systematic record is kept (the player used to be a clerk right?) of all the Pokémon encountered and caught, the locations they were encountered and any information the player has on them. NPCs can also provide information about Pokémon and their locations, and these are noted in the Log as well. The PokéLog has tight integration with the Map, and the information regarding Pokémon locations (among other things) including any moves the player knows it can learn is displayed on the Map as well, making it easier to find Pokémon or prepare your team for certain wild encounters.
Bag
1. General: All regular items such as Apricorns, Mulches and value items are stored here.
2. Health: All items that affect the health of Pokémon, including Dishes, are collected here. Berries are stored separately because they are also Held items.
3. Berry: All Berries are collected here.
4. Held: All items that must be held to activate their effects but that are not Berries are grouped here.
5. ApriBalls: All ApriBalls the player has are stored in this pocket.
Autostock
If activated in the Settings menu, when you use up one-use items during battle, the game can automatically equip the Pokémon in question with the same item, if you have enough in your Bag. In addition, if a Sweet or Bitter Scent wears off, the game will ask you whether or not you wish to use another, if you have extra in your Bag.
Controls
A, B, X, Y
A: Interact
B: Back
X: Toggle Menu mode
Y: Pokémon select
Start, Select
Start: Pause & Save menu
Select: Options menu
Shoulder buttons
L: Toggle showing the Map
R: Toggle Sneak, Walk & Run
Companion
We've all enjoyed it, we've all missed it. Pokémon Mythos offers players the option to let the first Pokémon in your party follow you around. This feature can be turned on and off with the Options Menu. Pokémon that are not normally able to walk are animated as being in a little wagon pulled by the player. Pokémon that are very large will not visibly follow you around inside buildings.
Seals
ApriBalls can be outfitted with Seals in the ApriBall Workshop in the player's Home Base. Seals are cosmetic animations that are displayed when a Pokémon is sent into battle. Seals are free, but the animations—such as letters, sparkles or fog—you put on them must be found or bought during game play. A player can have a unique Seal for each Pokémon, and save up to 6 templates at a time.
Speed
The Pokémon series has always taken its sweet time with resolving dialogue, often cluttering the game with superfluous, repetitive and overly drawn out dialogue. This is compounded by long battle animations and the same animations that are displayed over and over again such as the exchange when healing Pokémon. Mythos speeds up all these processes, partly by keeping dialogue and exposition more on point and diverse, and partly by cutting out many of these things or offering the option to do so. This adds up to many hours saved per play through on simple tedium, leaving more time for actual game play.
Icons
To augment this process Pokémon Mythos introduces a number of icons into game play, most during noticeably combat. Rather than through repeated dialogue, many effects such as for the effectiveness of attacks, weather effects and resolving statuses are quickly resolved through icons that are shown on-screen and their effects applied automatically. Repeated over world effects can be skipped through.
Graphics
While recent Pokémon games have been trying to spruce up their visuals, the franchise has never been known for high-end graphics. And that's fine. Pokémon is all about game play coupled with a semi-retro aesthetic. Processing power devoted to visual flair is usually better spent on that famous game play or improved sprite implementation. Mythos therefore cuts out 3D effects in favor of focusing on perfecting the 2D elements such as implementing battle backdrops with actual scenery, more or better sprites and animation and good field design and flow. Pokémon Mythos includes tonnes of new trainer sprites, Pokémon animations (including when Pokémon get hurt). Many of the alternate (shiny) color schemes are redone so they all look plausible and nice. Shiny is now simply an effect, and the color scheme of Pokémon is an additional random effect.
Sound
Nostalgia is cool and all, but to properly convey the athmosphere of Pokémon Mythos the game's music must be sufficiently unfamiliar and exotic to create a very different feel from the normally very modernist Pokémon games. The music should feel neither electronic nor orchestral, opting rather for an eclectic minimalist score with an emphasis on string instruments.
It's kind of surreal that Pokémon games have never allowed you to change the appearance of your player avatar, especially considering the amount of interesting sprites available for enemy trainers. Pokémon Mythos finally makes the plunge of allowing players to change their appearance. At game start, players will choose a gender, body type, skin color, hair style and outfit. During game play players will be able to change their hair style and outfit by making use of the services of the Stylist and Tailor NPCs, and later on can change their outfits in the Wardrobe in their Home Base.
Interface
The Pokémon franchise has a tendency to act very carelessly with their interface, often making poor use of available space either by leaving essential things out or overstuffing screens and menus. Cutting down a tree, healing your Pokémon, ending your battle turn while it's raining, saving your game, these are examples of game elements that are dragged out senselessly and that become a serious nuisance over time. The bottom screen menu is only occasionally efficient, and even then never without its problems. After 15 years of trying some lasting progress isn't a lot to ask for. Pokémon Mythos' menu looks most like HG&SS's PokéGear, but adapted to setting and changed in a few ways. The PokéDex is gone, seeing as it's a modern instrument, instead there is the PokéLog. The layout of the touch screen menu is a 3x3 grid with the Key Skills Tab and 3 Functions Tabs available from top of the screen's the right edge.
Menu
Top Row
1. PokéLog: All information about Pokémon the player has access to.
2. Passport: All information about the player is listed here.
3. Map: The Map of the world is shown, it is the main source of information for the overworld.
Middle Row
4. Pokémon: Access your team, see their Summaries, change their order etc from here.
5. Quests: This is essentially a memo which reminds you of unfulfilled tasks to help you on your way.
6. Bag: All items the player is carrying are listed here, the bag is subdivided as detailed below.
Bottom Row
7. Save: Players can save their progress at any time outside of combat and story events.
8. Connect: Players can connect to the internet or other players locally at any time from here.
9. Options: All settings and optional features are selected from here.
Tabs
10. Key Skills: Survey your available Key Skills here, and select them for use.
10. Functions: Special functions such as toggling movement speed or quick access to Key Skills can be placed here, there are three slots to fill.
10. Items: quick access to some items such as Bitter Scent or Escape Rope can be placed on a Tab for easy access.
PokéLog
For obvious thematic reasons the PokéLog is quite unlike the PokéDex, but the changes are in most ways aesthetic. It should be noted that there is no Regional and National Log, all Pokémon in the game are obtainable before completing the main storyline. The PokéLog looks like a simple journal in which systematic record is kept (the player used to be a clerk right?) of all the Pokémon encountered and caught, the locations they were encountered and any information the player has on them. NPCs can also provide information about Pokémon and their locations, and these are noted in the Log as well. The PokéLog has tight integration with the Map, and the information regarding Pokémon locations (among other things) including any moves the player knows it can learn is displayed on the Map as well, making it easier to find Pokémon or prepare your team for certain wild encounters.
Bag
1. General: All regular items such as Apricorns, Mulches and value items are stored here.
2. Health: All items that affect the health of Pokémon, including Dishes, are collected here. Berries are stored separately because they are also Held items.
3. Berry: All Berries are collected here.
4. Held: All items that must be held to activate their effects but that are not Berries are grouped here.
5. ApriBalls: All ApriBalls the player has are stored in this pocket.
Autostock
If activated in the Settings menu, when you use up one-use items during battle, the game can automatically equip the Pokémon in question with the same item, if you have enough in your Bag. In addition, if a Sweet or Bitter Scent wears off, the game will ask you whether or not you wish to use another, if you have extra in your Bag.
Controls
A, B, X, Y
A: Interact
B: Back
X: Toggle Menu mode
Y: Pokémon select
Start, Select
Start: Pause & Save menu
Select: Options menu
Shoulder buttons
L: Toggle showing the Map
R: Toggle Sneak, Walk & Run
Companion
We've all enjoyed it, we've all missed it. Pokémon Mythos offers players the option to let the first Pokémon in your party follow you around. This feature can be turned on and off with the Options Menu. Pokémon that are not normally able to walk are animated as being in a little wagon pulled by the player. Pokémon that are very large will not visibly follow you around inside buildings.
Seals
ApriBalls can be outfitted with Seals in the ApriBall Workshop in the player's Home Base. Seals are cosmetic animations that are displayed when a Pokémon is sent into battle. Seals are free, but the animations—such as letters, sparkles or fog—you put on them must be found or bought during game play. A player can have a unique Seal for each Pokémon, and save up to 6 templates at a time.
Speed
The Pokémon series has always taken its sweet time with resolving dialogue, often cluttering the game with superfluous, repetitive and overly drawn out dialogue. This is compounded by long battle animations and the same animations that are displayed over and over again such as the exchange when healing Pokémon. Mythos speeds up all these processes, partly by keeping dialogue and exposition more on point and diverse, and partly by cutting out many of these things or offering the option to do so. This adds up to many hours saved per play through on simple tedium, leaving more time for actual game play.
Icons
To augment this process Pokémon Mythos introduces a number of icons into game play, most during noticeably combat. Rather than through repeated dialogue, many effects such as for the effectiveness of attacks, weather effects and resolving statuses are quickly resolved through icons that are shown on-screen and their effects applied automatically. Repeated over world effects can be skipped through.
Graphics
While recent Pokémon games have been trying to spruce up their visuals, the franchise has never been known for high-end graphics. And that's fine. Pokémon is all about game play coupled with a semi-retro aesthetic. Processing power devoted to visual flair is usually better spent on that famous game play or improved sprite implementation. Mythos therefore cuts out 3D effects in favor of focusing on perfecting the 2D elements such as implementing battle backdrops with actual scenery, more or better sprites and animation and good field design and flow. Pokémon Mythos includes tonnes of new trainer sprites, Pokémon animations (including when Pokémon get hurt). Many of the alternate (shiny) color schemes are redone so they all look plausible and nice. Shiny is now simply an effect, and the color scheme of Pokémon is an additional random effect.
Sound
Nostalgia is cool and all, but to properly convey the athmosphere of Pokémon Mythos the game's music must be sufficiently unfamiliar and exotic to create a very different feel from the normally very modernist Pokémon games. The music should feel neither electronic nor orchestral, opting rather for an eclectic minimalist score with an emphasis on string instruments.
8. Diversions
Spoiler:
Pokémon games traditionally have two story lines that drive you through the game: the desire to beat all the gyms and become the world's best Trainer around, and the need to defeat evil organization X or Y that wants to steal Pokémon for some reason. Mythos is already very different from those story lines, but even with a different story it can become monotonous to do nothing outside of the main activities. Mythos includes a range of side activities and diversions to change things up, but always ties the achievements in these activities back into the main game, at the very least by catching Pokémon, training, unlocking features or simply earning money (which is so much scarcer in Mythos).
Growing Apricorns & Berries
Players can grow Apricorns and Berries in the over world, and also in their Home Base. Apricorns are used to make ApriBalls, and Berries can be used for a number of things. To aid these two in growing and offering a good yield when they are ready to harvest players can help by applying Mulches and watering Apricorn trees and Berry plants. A Berry can be planted in an empty plot, and normally yields more than 1 new Berry. Apricorns normally cost about 5 real-time days to grow and be ready to harvest, depending on the season and your growing practices; a tree yields about 4-7 Apricorns. Apricorns normally cost about 3 real-time days to grow and be ready to harvest, depending on the season and your growing practices; a Berry plant yields about 2-5 Berries.
Side Quests
During the adventure the player will come into contact with side quests pertaining to regular people in the game world or of side characters. Some of these simply require you to defeat an opponent or retrieve an item, others will ask to perform a certain task or solve a puzzle or riddle etc. The quests are all optional, although they often spice up things you already want to do, and can provide valuable information and more.
Catching Contests
The most famous of these is the Bug-Catching Contest, and although far more informal due to the setting, players can once again compete in catching certain types of Pokémon within a time limit to receive sometimes-fabulous prizes. It's simple, fun and beneficial.
PokéAthlon
When you get into contact with the upper echelons of society in the Mythos world you will be able to participate in an all-new PokéAthlon for their amusement and a range of benefits and prizes.
Tourneys
Like an old-fashioned joust, Tourneys are a new-ish presence organized regularly in several places where you simple participate in a series of elimination matches where you can win secrets, money, prizes, and Experience of course.
Treasure-Hunting
Once you unlock the Unearth Key Skill you will be able to go hunting for treasure. In Caves and Deserts you can search around, and through the Mining mini-game try to find a range of items. The items groups are: Gems (common), Evolution items, worth items to sell for a profit, Fossils(!) and even some nice Decorations. The Mining mini-game is essentially the same as in the Pokémon DPP gamesbut with different items to uncover. In addition, there is no Underground, and the mini-game can triggered at any spot that is properly marked. There are a few instances where the Unearth Skill is used to discover new pathways or tunnels.
PokéLog Completion
Completing the entire PokéLog is an attraction in itself for many players, and Mythos makes sure to provide recognition and benefits for those players who decide to catch 'em all. With the help of a select number of the Collector NPCs there are a number of objectives to complete and rewards to gain.
Growing Apricorns & Berries
Players can grow Apricorns and Berries in the over world, and also in their Home Base. Apricorns are used to make ApriBalls, and Berries can be used for a number of things. To aid these two in growing and offering a good yield when they are ready to harvest players can help by applying Mulches and watering Apricorn trees and Berry plants. A Berry can be planted in an empty plot, and normally yields more than 1 new Berry. Apricorns normally cost about 5 real-time days to grow and be ready to harvest, depending on the season and your growing practices; a tree yields about 4-7 Apricorns. Apricorns normally cost about 3 real-time days to grow and be ready to harvest, depending on the season and your growing practices; a Berry plant yields about 2-5 Berries.
Side Quests
During the adventure the player will come into contact with side quests pertaining to regular people in the game world or of side characters. Some of these simply require you to defeat an opponent or retrieve an item, others will ask to perform a certain task or solve a puzzle or riddle etc. The quests are all optional, although they often spice up things you already want to do, and can provide valuable information and more.
Catching Contests
The most famous of these is the Bug-Catching Contest, and although far more informal due to the setting, players can once again compete in catching certain types of Pokémon within a time limit to receive sometimes-fabulous prizes. It's simple, fun and beneficial.
PokéAthlon
When you get into contact with the upper echelons of society in the Mythos world you will be able to participate in an all-new PokéAthlon for their amusement and a range of benefits and prizes.
Tourneys
Like an old-fashioned joust, Tourneys are a new-ish presence organized regularly in several places where you simple participate in a series of elimination matches where you can win secrets, money, prizes, and Experience of course.
Treasure-Hunting
Once you unlock the Unearth Key Skill you will be able to go hunting for treasure. In Caves and Deserts you can search around, and through the Mining mini-game try to find a range of items. The items groups are: Gems (common), Evolution items, worth items to sell for a profit, Fossils(!) and even some nice Decorations. The Mining mini-game is essentially the same as in the Pokémon DPP gamesbut with different items to uncover. In addition, there is no Underground, and the mini-game can triggered at any spot that is properly marked. There are a few instances where the Unearth Skill is used to discover new pathways or tunnels.
PokéLog Completion
Completing the entire PokéLog is an attraction in itself for many players, and Mythos makes sure to provide recognition and benefits for those players who decide to catch 'em all. With the help of a select number of the Collector NPCs there are a number of objectives to complete and rewards to gain.
9. Multiplayer
Spoiler:
Jump In
With the updated multiplayer integration players can not only instantly get into PvP matches with other players from their touchscreen menu, but they can also allow other players to jump into the role of enemy or allied trainers during battles locally. They can disconnect the other player at will.
PvP
Player versus player battles are one of the great draws of the Pokémon franchise, and Mythos has worked to continue that grand tradition. It is possible to play all battle types online, and players can compete in 2v2 Team battles as well.
Trading Pokémon
Trading Pokémon is fun and a useful feature, but the trade Experience bonus is imbalanced and senseless. This bonus has been removed altogether. In addition it is now possible to change the nicknames of traded Pokémon (Leeky just isn't a name everyone would choose).
With the updated multiplayer integration players can not only instantly get into PvP matches with other players from their touchscreen menu, but they can also allow other players to jump into the role of enemy or allied trainers during battles locally. They can disconnect the other player at will.
PvP
Player versus player battles are one of the great draws of the Pokémon franchise, and Mythos has worked to continue that grand tradition. It is possible to play all battle types online, and players can compete in 2v2 Team battles as well.
Trading Pokémon
Trading Pokémon is fun and a useful feature, but the trade Experience bonus is imbalanced and senseless. This bonus has been removed altogether. In addition it is now possible to change the nicknames of traded Pokémon (Leeky just isn't a name everyone would choose).
10. PokéDex, AbilityDex, MoveDex & ItemDex
Massive Update Madness!!!
I've removed the old PokéDex and replaced it with pretty-much the final version! 269 Pokémon made the cut, have a look at this.
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