The actual Storyline?

[NightmareClown]

So it is well known about the traditional storyline. Train pokemon, become surprisingly good(according to the gym leaders), have a mysterious bad guy team chase you, reduce master ball, defeat bad guys, catch legendary, BOOM! Game gets a bit boring.

But what if this isn't the storyline. What if you are captured by the bad guys and forced to work for them. What if you are actually viewing the game from a pokemons perspective and have to assist the trainer (sound familiar?). What if you never receive a master ball, is no bad guys and most importantly... No pokemon?

Think about it, a AMAZING plot twist would be that there isn't any pokemon and the time is set before (but not too far) pokemon were discovered by intelligent humans. You would have the challenge of befriending a team of pokemon without the assistance of poke balls.... Kind of what N did. And then when a scientist guy discovers the pole all... BAM! Story ends and the mystery continues......

But this is just one crazy idea for a plot twist and one weird idea for an actual game... So I want to know what crazy plot twists you can come up with that may very well be the actual game design!

 

[Ho-Oh]

It's not really the storyline, it's more the formula. Like there's always a different storyline, but Pokemon traditionally follows the same formula, no matter what the storyline is. As cool as that sounds, it definitely sounds more along the lines of a spinoff rather than something in the game. While small things are altered, I can't see something that huge happening. It would definitely be a cool concept, being set before the world of Pokemon comes together but one major flaw is the Pokemon would be limited. Only ancient Pokemon would be available, and it wouldn't allow for the creation of a new Pokedex. So unless it was set in an alternate reality (which would work perfectly for a spinoff, not a mainstream game) it probably wouldn't be viable. Too many changes to the formula means people might be less likely to buy the main games, and they'd rather make the riskier things spinoffs so they can be written off if they're failures. The majority of the money comes from the mainstream games so I don't think they'd be willing to take that risk. Interesting though!

 

[NightmareClown]

Yeah, like I said very far fetched idea. But I totally agree that it wouldn't be a proper game and only a spinoff if actually made... BUUUUUUUUUUUUT..... U haven't listed your idea on what the storyline or 'formula' could be.

 

[Abby]

Well this is a main series game, the formula with pokéballs and the like isn't going to change.

 

[illumine]

So it is well known about the traditional storyline. Train pokemon, become surprisingly good(according to the gym leaders), have a mysterious bad guy team chase you, reduce master ball, defeat bad guys, catch legendary, BOOM! Game gets a bit boring.

You mean after you finish it? Clearly it was found interesting, then.

What if you are captured by the bad guys and forced to work for them.

That's D/P.

In any case, no need to introduce such a plot if the player isn't even supposed to want to do so, or identify with the organisation. No need to put the player into a thing, and then assure them that they dislike it.

In any case, the general format of an open adventure rather than manufacturing plot by having the player be manhandled by the game is probably preferable for this series.

What if you are actually viewing the game from a pokemons perspective and have to assist the trainer (sound familiar?).

I'm sure that ideas of being a Pokémon in a game or RPG context were popular back in the day, there were some very well-liked ones on MSN Groups and so on.

That said, usually you might expect them to be in the wild or such, otherwise it's hardly an alteration to the normal game, just a more limited role due to the generic trainer. There's really no point to it in the form suggested.

What if you never receive a master ball, is no bad guys and most importantly... No pokemon?

Then it would probably be a different series. Like, it's a Pokémon game. It's going to have Pokémon in it. Might as well skip to the important part.

But this is just one crazy idea for a plot twist and one weird idea for an actual game... So I want to know what crazy plot twists you can come up with that may very well be the actual game design!

That wouldn't be a plot twist. It would just be a scenario. There would be no plot made so far to have any twists in it.

 

[MarinoKadame]

I could see that.

 

[Soopa Derp Cat]

How about no story at all?

No seriously. Not that I particularly dislike the stories to Pokémon games, I just find them really, really, really, really unnecessary. Pokémon is about being the very best, like no one ever was. That is, making your way to the Pokémon League and beating the champion. Anything more, while mildly entertaining, feels kind of silly in my opinion. The stories almost feel kind of...forced in, in a way. Like they came up with a formula and then thought, "Hey, you know, narratives. People like them."

I mean, Pokémon battling is basically just an alternate-reality sport. A sport which, no matter how evil a villain may be, he never breaks, not even for his desperate final battle. because of that, no matter how important a moment is contextually, it never actually feels that important. An online battle that I get disconnected from halfway through should not be more emotionally intense than the "final boss."

And it doesn't help that the main villain is generally fought before you reach the Pokémon League. So basically, you save the world, and the game just sorta says "Good on ya, mate. You used the power of love and teamwork to stop Mr.Evil from killing things. Now carry on."

 

[NightmareClown]

Please guys no hate. I just wanna hear your ideas!

 

[Purist of Black Water]

Pokemon as people said, has always followed the same storyline
and it works, so they keep it.

Having your MC work for the bad guys isn't as fun as beating them imo.
A plot based on the pokemon contests would be nice, if only.

 

[Soopa Derp Cat]

Please guys no hate. I just wanna hear your ideas!

I'm not "hating", I'm saying that a simpler and less extravagant story would be a refreshing change. I think the experience would actually be a lot more immersive if they cut back a bit on the spectacle. The only major villain group that I'd say actually fits in and has anything at all to do with the overall point of Pokémon is Team Plasma, and even then, they weren't really...necessary.

The main problem with the story formula they adopted way back in Ruby and Sapphire (I think that's where it started, anyway) is that while the story is about taking down a group of big baddies bent on world domination/destruction/not goodness, the actual goal of the game is to beat the champion and become the best trainer in your region. As a result, you end up with this weird setup where the story arc and the actual game itself are about two completely different and unrelated things, and it just sorta leaves me wondering, "so...WHY exactly was that whole Team Flare thing a thing again?"

 

[LilBueno]

I haven't played Black/White, but I heard that they shifted the focus of the game so stopping the villainous team was the primary quest and becoming Champion was the secondary quest. I'd prefer something like that. Stopping the evil team is inherently a motivation: saving the world. Going through the Pokemon League never seems like something the protagonist has an actual reason to do.

 

[NightmareClown]

I just want to say that I wasn't accusing Soopa Derp Cat hating. I actually like the idea of no storyline.