Due to Pokémon’s popularity, there are a plethora of fan games on the market that take from either RPG Maker or Mods. Their tone ranges widely from that of the original games to the standard edgy rival from an anime.
These duel Pokémon fan games more line themselves with edgy anime character but takes in every possible sprite and aspect of pokemon and puts it together with a much harder difficulty and a plot that makes Final Fantasy’s head spin. As a fan game, it’s bound for its ups and downs that come with the genre, it happens when you don’t have a fully-funded team behind you. So here are 5 things that are great about Pokémon Zeta and Omicron and 5 things that are awful.
10 Great: Over 650 Pokémon
This game includes all Pokémon up to gen 5 with a way to be able to catch them all, it even includes some of the roster from gen 6 (X and Y) and also all mega evolution. This is quite the benefit if you’re looking for a classic pixel art style Pokémon game that contains Pokémon from the 3D era. This game even features shadow Pokémon from the Gamecube XD series. Unlike with most Pokémon games, you can, in fact, catch them all except for a few Fakemon that are only obstacles n your way.
9 Bad: Buggy Multiplayer
Even in Beta the multiplayer features are barely working. Many of it was supposed to include the online trade system you see in other games but it does not work as it’s supposed to. A battle system was supposed to be implemented between player over online, but many bugs make it hard to enjoy, while Pokémon never had the best system for doing so, especially in the DS years, it could still work.
8 Great: Creative Non-HM’s
HM moves were always a pain and had a good reputation of ruining many of a good Pokémon for players who didn’t have the resources for the move deleter. This game fixes that with creative HM items. From Rocket boots to Blow up Pokémon shaped boats, it can be easy to see they are repurposed names of already existing assets but gives a whole different feeling of humor and enjoyment when using them. The Rocket boots are still Fly and the Boats are still Surf with all the animations, but it’s the thought of the main character staying there and puffing into a blow-up floaty just to continue their journey that really sells the idea.
7 Bad: Huge Difficulty Spike
The Pokémon Levels WILL jump up to astronomical levels early on. In most Pokémon games you never see a Pokémon over level 80 even during the end, in this game, you will see Pokémon on the new capped level of 120 early on and they will curb stomp you.
While cases like that are isolated, the difficulty will spike rather than naturally grow with you, it can go from a 20 level difference in a part of the game and keep growing from there. Doing the optional Nuzlocke with the game will pretty much end your run at that point.
6 Great: Parent Dynamic
In this game, it has the courage to actually give you 2 whole parents in a Pokémon based medium. Not only do you have two parents but they are both well-accomplished trainers with one being the champion and the other being in the elite 4, giving credibility to your character as the rising star and future champion per se you beat the game. It also gives a very interesting dynamic getting to the end of the league and having to prove yourself in an almost coming-of-age story way.
5 Bad: Over-Complicated Evil Twin Plot
This is where it gets Final Fantasy level bonkers when you have an evil alternate reality genderbenderd version of you character as the dues ex Machina to the main villain’s existence, who is also from an alternate timeline. WHile this concept was something almost explored in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon with an alternate timeline Giovanni coming in, this game takes it up to the second level by also introducing the player’s evil twin as a plot point. It was a bit too over the top and going on the cheesy side of the edgy storyline.
4 Great: Duel Regions
One thing that is well-beloved is the ability to visit two regions in a Pokémon game, it was something well hoped for out of Sword and Shield being main console games but many fans were disappointed by not getting. It was something only seen in Pokémon Gold and Silver and their remakes but not since. This game provides two regions plus the Battle Frontier for more content diversity, much like a Pokémon game on steroids.
3 Bad: Extremely Bug Ridden
This game can be extremely buggy. Even though it’s only in Beta, this lack of polish is something that can be seen a lot in fan games. It can be hoped for that many of these issues are reported on and fixed by the final patch but for most games it has to be understood that since there is no profit made the creators aren’t obligated to perfect it unless they have the time and want to do so, o what many fan games get left with is the final package. It can’t be attested that the Beta is final, but for what it is at the moment, with the dinner details not having gone over.
2 Great: Creative Ways of Grinding Levels
This game gives you plenty of options for grinding because you will need it over the course of the game. From being able to buy a trainer to grind within your secret base to be able to rematch gym leaders, both are well thought out ways of grinding out levels compared to modern Pokémon games that just give you a dumpster truckload of experience points and steroid candies. You will be spending hours doing it but many less than an old Pokémon game because this game will give you the ideal setup for doing it.
1 Bad: Edgy in the Oddest Ways
Remember the Edgy Anime Rival allegory? That is this game with making its story pg-13 at the oddest of points. From Professor Oak dropping four-letter words to trainers crying out in pain because you just murdered their whole team during a battle, to even a group of ninjas that will f-bomb you like crazy for beating them. It’s tonal rollercoaster compared to the usual with Pokémon games, this game is not unfamiliar with Rich and Morty levels of dark comedy.
NEXT: Pokémon: The 10 Most Powerful Water Abilities, Ranked
