What do you think of the story?

[Sheep]

The game's been out for a little while now and some (including myself) have already beaten the main story. Those who got through it all already, what did you think of it?

Please note this thread will obviously contain spoilers! I recommend marking any major/big spoilers in spoiler tags.

 

[Sandslash Fan]

I find myself distracted with exploring and filling the Pokedex, that I haven't really absorbed the story. I know there is something about the herb mystica and the final area of the game.

 

[Adam Levine]

Oh boy. Golly gee do I have some strong opinions on the way they handled the story here.

Here are my thoughts on Koraidon/Miraidon, in terms of their story presence:

Spoiler:

First, I wanna talk about how they handled Koraidon and Miraidon. These two are a breath of fresh air when it comes to boxart legendaries in SO MANY ways. First off, they're present throughout the entire game, not just at certain points obviously because they're the ride Pokémon,. Speaking of them being rides, that's also an interesting take: the game has you treat it as a companion rather than as a beast of immense power; they're not gods or guardians, but rather an ancestor/descendant of an already existing Pokémon that happens to be really strong, but you don't know this because they refuse to fight throughout most of the game. While I'm not sure if Koraidon and Miraidon are my favorites in terms of design, they're probably my favorite legendaries in terms of concept and execution, especially story-wise. They're possibly the most down-to-earth box legendaries so far.

Here are my thoughts on the three stories:

Spoiler:

Victory Road is really just your regular old Pokémon story. Obviously if the game was just this it'd be bland as hell, so I'm glad this is just a piece of the Paldean puzzle. The Gym Leaders themselves are charming characters and I like that they have roles in their respective communities beyond just running gyms, and Nemona is such a blast to be around. I know some people might not like hyper-energetic rivals who just like battling all the time, but Nemona's different in that she's literally been through this Victory Road song and dance before, and I like that she chooses to fight on your level and watch you grow instead of wanting to bowl you over with her Hall of Fame team. I really like that the Elite Four and Champion really are structured like a school test or a job interview (even if Geeta is an underwhelming champion...so far).

Starfall Street is probably the weakest story of the three in my opinion? Team Star is a pretty decent villainous team, don't get me wrong (the Starmobiles being exclusive to Team Star and feeling like traditional JRPG bosses is a nice touch), and I guess if you wanna be a nerd about it, the story is, dare I say, a critique on school bullying and the inefficacy of school authorities with regards to school bullying. But I guess I'm just not that interested in the Team Star bosses, and I think Penny being Cassiopeia was a pretty weak twist. I still enjoy Penny as a character, though, and Clavell masquerading as Clive throughout this entire ordeal is really funny. Love that guy.

I thought Path of Legends would be the weakest of the three, but as soon as the Arven and Mabosstiff stuff started, it began piquing my interest and hitting me in the feels. This storyline is also technically Koraidon/Miraidon's story arc, as while they don't get to do much in the story sense, the Herba Mystica unlock new movement options for them, which ties into SV's progression system quite nicely, and also makes Koraidon/Miraidon's power something you have to earn bit by bit instead of immediately with a regular Poké Ball.

Here's where the endgame stuff goes, plus some bonus thoughts:

Spoiler:

The Way Home is...weird. It almost felt like I was playing any other JRPG, not Pokémon. The almost alien, desolate atmosphere of Area Zero reminds me of endgame dungeons in other JRPGs I've played like Etrian Odyssey and Xenoblade. The peculiar geography almost like the Distortion World, the foreboding music, the Paradox Pokémon having an unconventional naming scheme, the weaving of the Terastal phenomenon to the story, the party of four consisting of you and the three rivals... It's all so JRPG-like. And the whole deal of Professor Sada/Turo actually being dead THIS ENTIRE TIME and having an AI take their place is so unlike Pokémon. Even the FINAL final battle plays out like I was playing Bravely Default/Second in how every option to fight is gone, except for your own Koraidon/Miraidon. God it's such a good ending to the story, and even if the fight is scripted so you can never lose, I was still on the edge of my seat (I love that the second Koraidon/Miraidon starts the battle using Taunt just to assert itself as the dominant dragon). I just...really, REALLY like how Pokémon just whole-heartedly embraced itself as a JRPG with The Way Home.

Something I also found interesting is that, except for in the Pokédex and in Pokémon availability, at no point in either game is it implied that there's a "second" version. Professor Sada and Turo are completely separate characters and never reference each other so whether Arven even has both a mother and father is left ambiguous, Naranja and Uva Academy never so much as entertain the idea of a competing academy, the Scarlet and Violet books never reference each other, Paradox Pokémon from the past are never seen/mentioned in Violet, the Paradox Pokémon from the future are never seen/mentioned in Scarlet, and there are two Koraidon/Miraidon per game instead of one of each. Neither game really teases you with "what if" scenarios such as "what if I could get that other legendary dragon?" I'm not sure how common this approach is in Pokémon, but usually a game like Sun and Moon teases you with the idea of Solgaleo and Lunala coexisting, but forcing you to have only either. I'm not preemptively saying whether I like this approach to Pokémon's paired games more, but it's interesting nonetheless.

If there's a complaint I could make, it's that there's absolutely zero dialogue for when you lose a fight. Considering how often I lose fights because of how challenging I make things for myself, it feels a little weird that they essentially send you back in time instead of treating you to some defeat-exclusive dialogue from the Gym Leaders and such. I guess that means losing at any point is non-canon to the story, though?

 

[Squirtkipfan01]

I played violet so ill talk by the regard

The three roads

Spoiler:

Unrelated but i love how the box legendaries are around from the start and they even get you attached to them by showing just how powerful it is and having it save you. As for the three roads they dont really have awe inspiring stories, more-so the characters related to them and getting to like them, which i think was pretty good overall. Nemona is a supportive rival want an equal/friend, arven wants to save his trusted companion and gets a new one in you, and you eventually help all of team star through there own inner story.

End game

Spoiler:

This one get props for how unique it is. We find out that arvens father is the professor, whom actually died awhile back. We also are introduced to the concept of future pokemon and the professor made a time machine to bring them to present, which the ai wants to stop. A emergency overide is attempted and the true final boss is revealed; the Pokémon professor, which is a take I definitely approve of. Im skipping alot of points but overall the endgame was a great time with alot of interesting twists

Overall rather than being a coherent a to b story its about the individual moments. Those moments i think are interesting enough to care interest throughout

 

[Sweet Serenity]

I'm still too busy exploring with my friends and catching as many Pokémon as humanly possible. Catching as many Pokémon as possible has always been my favorite part of a Pokémon playthrough. When I was playing Pokémon Sword and spending time in the wild areas, I was in Heaven. I am definitely in Heaven in the Paldea region. Until I actually get tired of the Pokémon catching and freedom, I probably won't be concerning myself with the story anytime soon.

 

[Devalue]

Simple, but good execution. Might be the best among mainline games.

Spoiler:

Victory Road: The weakest of the three. Was not particularly drawn in by the gym leaders. Never really liked Nemona. Failed to shake the iffy first impression. Displayed a lot of enthusiasm for battling and not much else. Learned a bit more in A Way Home, but still not tons.

Could have been interesting to make Nemona a creepily friendly rival (on purpose). May not have been a better story, however.

Path of Legends: Wanted this dog to get better. Sold it really well with Arven's dialogue. Seemed genuine with each small improvement in health, along with the backstory of Professor Sada (as a Scarlet player) being absent.

Kind of liked Arven's antagonism towards Koraidon. Represented his mother's neglect. Conveyed the resentment well.

Starfall Street: Would have liked more subtlety. Guessed Penny to be the boss immediately. Still felt like a nice story of inviting bullied kids back to the academy.

Appreciated Director Clavell's role in the story. Brought some good levity. Introduced a tiny shred of doubt with claiming to be Cassiopeia at the end. Was not really swayed by it.

Felt like less of a slog than every other evil team storyline. Streamlined the "beat 10+ grunts" part with auto battles. Pruned a lot of dead weight off the story while still retaining the feel of a multi-person organization.

A Way Home: A little surprising in the twist. Suspected something strange with the four locks, given Sada's considerable influence on the area's machines. Guessed possession by one of the Paradox Pokemon to free everyone. Poured it on too thick in the fourth Research Station.

Shed a bit of light on others' backstories. Said nothing groundbreaking. Acted as a nice time filler on the way down.

 

[NoobMaster_6ix9]

Pokemon Black/White is the best for me & the sequels. Black/White 2

 

[Nah]

I made it to the postgame last night, would say that this is probably the best we've had since the whole of Gen 5

Spoiler:

It does hit all the same notes that we've been doing over and over again since Gen 3: person new to battling sets off on journey, takes on the gyms and becomes Champion, fights against the group with Team in their name, saves the world. But it was all framed in a nice and somewhat different way in that--up until you get most of the way through Area Zero--the plot is basically "go out there and find yourself, have fun, make friends" and that was kind of a nice change of pace from the usual.

The implementation of the box legendaries was great too. Typically all they've really been is some powerful thing that only appears late in the game that the antagonist team wants to make use of but then is caught by the player. Here though they're a companion you get in the beginning, and the interactions you and the other characters have with Miraidon/Koraidon kinda give it personality and character development, which is something most Pokemon never have. Another thing is how Pokemon has for years gone on about the bonds between trainer and Pokemon and makes that sound like the reason for the player's success, but it never really felt like it until Scarlet/Violet's final story battle. Watching Miraidon regain the will to fight, knowing that it is literally its friend's only hope, and then defeating the Pokemon it lost to before, precisely because of the bond you formed with it over the game, was a pretty cool moment.

Several characters also get some character development too, which is something that characters in Pokemon games have often been lacking. They're not all winners in this regard, as the majority of the Gym Leaders and Elite 4 are still just little more than some boss you fight once and move on from, for example. But at least the teachers, Clavell, and Arven/Nemona/Penny get something (though with Nemona and Penny you kinda have to wait until late in the game for it) and have more involvement than characters usually do.

think I'm forgetting something, but yeah

 

[Master Of Disaster]

Still not done with the main story. I'm coming back as soon as I am done :)

 

[Diamond 97]

really liked Nemona and her storyline. Having a rival who just wants a good challenge is great. I don't think Pokémon's done that before, which makes it a nice change of pace, especially compared to the other main rivals from the last two gens (Hau and Hop) who were both not very good at battling in-lore. I wanted to fight Nemona not because I hated her or we were vying for the same position, but because I liked her and wanted to give her a good fight.

Penny and Team Star was an interesting idea to me, but suffered in a execution. The majority of the interesting parts take place in the past, which makes it more of an exposition dump than anything.