Saber
September 24th, 2006, 20:13
Well, I was inticed enough to play the game and interested in the story enough to get through it all in practically one sitting. Here's my 2 cents.
Gameplay - 5/10
While its a refreshing departure from the usual pokemon system, it's frankly overdrawn. The dungeons are completely randomized and often consist of levels numbering in the 20's to 30's near the end. A downside is that your team can only consist of 3 memebers. 2 of which are You, the partner you choose at the beginning of the game and anyone else you're able to recruit. Unfortunately, if either you or your partner die, you'll end up having to go through the whole thing over again from the beginning, with the added penalty of losing any equipped items you may have had and all of your currency. Another thing I felt needed improvement was the fact that healing is very limited. Orin Berries are the only things that can replenish HP short of an attack command (which themeselves are very rare). Later in the game, they pretty much stop appearing at all.
Attacks are made using the A button and they're unlimited in use. Special attacks, however, are gained in the same way as in the other Poke games. Through leveling and the use of Technique Machines. These are limited in the same way, using PP. They can be accessed from the menu (B button) or an equipped special attack can be used by pressing L+A. It can get annoying when you're in the 20th floor and all out of PP. All you can do is this weak little attack while monsters run you over. Overall, the experience is rather tedious.
Though, I did notice many similar elements in this game as I did in NetHack, so you may disagree.
Sound and Music - 7/10
The music is okay for a GBA game, although some of them can seem to get repetitive. The sound effects seem rather limited, though. Overall, nothing special, but not bad.
Story - 9/10 (Warning: The following probably has spoilers.)
Now this is really the only point in playing this game, in my opinion. The storyline is that somehow or another you are turned into a pokemon (which one is decided through a personality quiz, which I find is most excellent. In my case: Pikachu). You are then met with your storylong partner. This one you choose yourself (Mine: Charmander, which I nicked "Charlie". I'm going to refer to the partner as such from now on). From there, you're kinda pulled into rescuing a caterpie from being lost in the forest. Afterward, Charlie suggests the two of you start a rescue team. After that, you're given a mailbox where you can find rescue missions as well as a newspaper subscription.
After a few missions and odd dreams, however, Alakazam, a pretty well respected leader of a gold-rank rescue team, senses you aren't really a pokemon. So then your quest to find the reason behind your transformation and why the heck you're there in the first place begins. All in all it's a nice story of courage and daring. Charlie is rather endearing, albeit a bit of a crybaby. The ending gets pretty sappy, but all in all it's worth the bumpy ride.
Replay Value - 3/10
They have it set up so that after you beat the game and sit through all the credits, it goes into something of an epilogue mode where you can pretty much pick up your rescue team where it left off at the end of the game and go on more missions and find all available pokemon to join your team. (at this point it's abour 370 or something...). More features are unlocked, as well, such as evolution, and the ability to change the pokemon you control. However, after the breif cutscene, Charlie and any other pokemon you've gained become nothing more than avatars for you. All of their personality disappears. Major turn off for me. I didn't even complete one mission after the end of the game before getting bored. So unless you're determined to get all of the pokemon in the game, or you, for some reason, find the system itself enjoyable, then it's not really worth doing.
Overall - (5+7+9+3 = 24 / 4) = 6/10
The game system is interesting at first, but soon becomes hackneyed, but it's made up for that a bit with an interesting storyline, but not enough to give it a great score.
I would love it if they continued the Anime adaptation, but I honestly doubt they will.
Gameplay - 5/10
While its a refreshing departure from the usual pokemon system, it's frankly overdrawn. The dungeons are completely randomized and often consist of levels numbering in the 20's to 30's near the end. A downside is that your team can only consist of 3 memebers. 2 of which are You, the partner you choose at the beginning of the game and anyone else you're able to recruit. Unfortunately, if either you or your partner die, you'll end up having to go through the whole thing over again from the beginning, with the added penalty of losing any equipped items you may have had and all of your currency. Another thing I felt needed improvement was the fact that healing is very limited. Orin Berries are the only things that can replenish HP short of an attack command (which themeselves are very rare). Later in the game, they pretty much stop appearing at all.
Attacks are made using the A button and they're unlimited in use. Special attacks, however, are gained in the same way as in the other Poke games. Through leveling and the use of Technique Machines. These are limited in the same way, using PP. They can be accessed from the menu (B button) or an equipped special attack can be used by pressing L+A. It can get annoying when you're in the 20th floor and all out of PP. All you can do is this weak little attack while monsters run you over. Overall, the experience is rather tedious.
Though, I did notice many similar elements in this game as I did in NetHack, so you may disagree.
Sound and Music - 7/10
The music is okay for a GBA game, although some of them can seem to get repetitive. The sound effects seem rather limited, though. Overall, nothing special, but not bad.
Story - 9/10 (Warning: The following probably has spoilers.)
Now this is really the only point in playing this game, in my opinion. The storyline is that somehow or another you are turned into a pokemon (which one is decided through a personality quiz, which I find is most excellent. In my case: Pikachu). You are then met with your storylong partner. This one you choose yourself (Mine: Charmander, which I nicked "Charlie". I'm going to refer to the partner as such from now on). From there, you're kinda pulled into rescuing a caterpie from being lost in the forest. Afterward, Charlie suggests the two of you start a rescue team. After that, you're given a mailbox where you can find rescue missions as well as a newspaper subscription.
After a few missions and odd dreams, however, Alakazam, a pretty well respected leader of a gold-rank rescue team, senses you aren't really a pokemon. So then your quest to find the reason behind your transformation and why the heck you're there in the first place begins. All in all it's a nice story of courage and daring. Charlie is rather endearing, albeit a bit of a crybaby. The ending gets pretty sappy, but all in all it's worth the bumpy ride.
Replay Value - 3/10
They have it set up so that after you beat the game and sit through all the credits, it goes into something of an epilogue mode where you can pretty much pick up your rescue team where it left off at the end of the game and go on more missions and find all available pokemon to join your team. (at this point it's abour 370 or something...). More features are unlocked, as well, such as evolution, and the ability to change the pokemon you control. However, after the breif cutscene, Charlie and any other pokemon you've gained become nothing more than avatars for you. All of their personality disappears. Major turn off for me. I didn't even complete one mission after the end of the game before getting bored. So unless you're determined to get all of the pokemon in the game, or you, for some reason, find the system itself enjoyable, then it's not really worth doing.
Overall - (5+7+9+3 = 24 / 4) = 6/10
The game system is interesting at first, but soon becomes hackneyed, but it's made up for that a bit with an interesting storyline, but not enough to give it a great score.
I would love it if they continued the Anime adaptation, but I honestly doubt they will.