Pokemon game based on religion?

[SuperiorSpidr]

Hello there,
I just happened to wonder about the pros and cons of a religion-based Pokemon hack.
Apart from the obvious problem of implementing a religion into a game, it would also cause many protests from those from that religion.
However, it could possibly raise more awareness and respect for those not in that particular religion. Or it may lead to people misunderstanding the whole religion in general...
Help would be greatly appreciated.

SuperiorSpidr

 

[Kabocha❤]

It depends on how you want to implement religion and which one. Obviously, fighting against Islamic believers with the intent of purging their religion wouldn't be very tasteful or tolerable. Give us some more specific ideas to discuss, religion is very broad and diverse. :v

 

[DizzyEgg]

It depends on how you want to implement religion and which one. Obviously, fighting against Islamic believers with the intent of purging their religion wouldn't be very tasteful or tolerable.

Deus vult

 

[Teh Blazer]

It's a pretty dank idea because it spreads awareness of religions through an interesting medium, but people are gonna be pissed no matter what. I'm assuming you'll get to pick your religion to play out as, which will be very time consuming to include all of the different alternate endings. It'd also be kinda hard to come up with an ending where every religion wins because having one win over the rest will undoubtedly rustle some jimmies. I personally like the idea, but it's really hard to do and still please everyone.

Plus, everyone seems to get something wrong about every religion, so you'd have to do a lot of research to make sure you don't get wrecked by religious scholars about something you put in.

 

[Deokishisu]

There is no winning with religion. People hold their spiritual opinions in with their sense of identity, and if you depict any religion above any other (or even on the same level as each other), criticize them fairly and legitimately, or make the tiniest mistake on how they're presented, you'll have a ton of people who've never read their own holy book shoving their nonsense down your throat. You will have to scrub all the imperfections from every religion and then try to present their perfect idealized state in your hack in a way that doesn't give legitimacy to any of the other religions (because every religion thinks that it's right, which mean no other religion can be right). It'll be a quagmire of awful.

If you want to handle religion, it's probably better to do it through a fictional analogue of a real world religion. Like, in Final Fantasy X, they criticized Catholicism and Islam through their fictional religion of Yevon. That gives your players a degree of separation from the subject matter and allows them to absorb it without their indoctrinated, religiously-motivated emotional defensiveness and allows you to take the kid gloves off. For example, the main characters in FFX find out that their religion is all made up and controlled by the will of those long past for no real reason other than consolidating their own power. This clear jab at religion didn't generate an uproar because it was a "silly made up religion" (the irony!) being criticized. The religious are usually too blind to see that the analogue is about them (instead pointing the finger at some other religion or not thinking about it at all) so they don't get offended, while you get to make your criticisms and air your grievances about the religion in question.

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

There is no winning with religion. People hold their spiritual opinions in with their sense of identity, and if you depict any religion above any other (or even on the same level as each other), criticize them fairly and legitimately, or make the tiniest mistake on how they're presented, you'll have a ton of people who've never read their own holy book shoving their nonsense down your throat. You will have to scrub all the imperfections from every religion and then try to present their perfect idealized state in your hack in a way that doesn't give legitimacy to any of the other religions (because every religion thinks that it's right, which mean no other religion can be right). It'll be a quagmire of awful.

If you want to handle religion, it's probably better to do it through a fictional analogue of a real world religion. Like, in Final Fantasy X, they criticized Catholicism and Islam through their fictional religion of Yevon. That gives your players a degree of separation from the subject matter and allows them to absorb it without their indoctrinated, religiously-motivated emotional defensiveness and allows you to take the kid gloves off. For example, the main characters in FFX find out that their religion is all made up and controlled by the will of those long past for no real reason other than consolidating their own power. This clear jab at religion didn't generate an uproar because it was a "silly made up religion" (the irony!) being criticized. The religious are usually too blind to see that the analogue is about them (instead pointing the finger at some other religion or not thinking about it at all) so they don't get offended, while you get to make your criticisms and air your grievances about the religion in question.

You make a valid point.
But making fake religion in game, only for the character to later realize it's false?
Too much work, not to mention it won't be popular nor original.
Should I scrap the whole idea?
unless...Arceusism.
Cult of Mew...
Worshippers of Darkrai...
Mewtwoists...

 

[Banz]

You could use completely made up religions with their own set of beliefs and deities. If you are using real world religions or elements of it, you'd have to be very careful. Make up a good story with a nice message though (all religions are equal or something like that), and people might like it.

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

How about this:

A mysterious Pokemon (Darkrai) wanders into Kanto, corrupting many Pokemon (and beliefs!) in the region. Many Pokemon become Dark Pokemon, thus scaring the people into worshipping it. Bug types are hunted down, Viridian Forest closes. Fighting pokemon are now popular. Prof. Oak gives you a Lvl 35 Scizor, one of the last Bug types alive. You travel across the region in hopes of finding Darkrai and ending him.

 

[Turjo12]

How about this:

A mysterious Pokemon (Darkrai) wanders into Kanto, corrupting many Pokemon (and beliefs!) in the region. Many Pokemon become Dark Pokemon, thus scaring the people into worshipping it. Bug types are hunted down, Viridian Forest closes. Fighting pokemon are now popular. Prof. Oak gives you a Lvl 35 Scizor, one of the last Bug types alive. You travel across the region in hopes of finding Darkrai and ending him.

This Idea looks good to me...You can change the story and add more twist...
That would be a lot better, other than that It is very good than the religion idea.

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

Ok then.
I'll post the dark sprites here as I make them.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Turjo12]

Nice Sprites...
I played a game which also had Dark Pokemons, but forgot the name.
Nice Dark Pokemons and keep up the good work.:)

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

Dark Pikachu, Mareep and Taillow sprites. Kinda look freakish but hey! It's meant to look evil, after all.

 

[BluRose]

question
do you plan on making the darkmon like purifiable in a sense? like shadow pokémon or...?

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

question
do you plan on making the darkmon like purifiable in a sense? like shadow pokémon or...?

No, because firstly, I don't know how to do that. Maybe it requires having a copy of the pure Pokemon in-game, which would take too long. Secondly, the Pokemon aren't corrupted behaviour-wise, only their typing and movesets are affected. Bug, Psychic, Ghost, Poison and Fighting types are immune to the gene corruption due to typing reasons.

 

[BluRose]

No, because firstly, I don't know how to do that. Maybe it requires having a copy of the pure Pokemon in-game, which would take too long. Secondly, the Pokemon aren't corrupted behaviour-wise, only their typing and movesets are affected. Bug, Psychic, Ghost, Poison and Fighting types are immune to the gene corruption due to typing reasons.

ohhh, okay~ the "meant to look evil" sorta threw me off i guess
good luck overall nonetheless!

 

[SuperiorSpidr]

Spearow, Whimsur, Hoothoot, Fearow and Noctowl.

Suggestions would be appreciated.