Poké-Month: Pokémon X (Part 1)

Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4

I dreaded talking about this one for a while… Might be why it’s taken me so long to cover another Pokémon game. I have rather… intense opinions of Gen 6, represented by the core Pokémon X/Y and the Gen 3 remakes Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. Then again, most fans do – it’s a surprisingly divisive generation of the franchise. The expectations were high after the excellent Pokémon Black & White and their sequels… perhaps too high, in hindsight. X and Y couldn’t keep up.

Kalos is downright beautiful, too.

Released on October 12th, 2013, the new games take place in the France-inspired region of Kalos and boast a total of… only 72 new Pokémon, which makes it the smallest Gen on that front. A bit unfortunate for collectors like myself, who play to complete the Dex. Hey, at least it brought the total number of Pokémon to 721. We were given the new Fairy type meant to rebalance the entire matchups chart, and we also have the fresh new concept of Mega Evolutions, introducing new forms to try out in battle. Furthermore, this is a Gen that attempts to reconcile all of the aspects of the series by letting each of these aspects (battling, collecting, breeding, caring or just playing with Pokémon) get a slice of the plot. Some of that appears through the introduction of the Pokémon-Amie, where you can bond with your Pokémon like never before, greatly aided by the switch to 3D models for all of them.

All of these are topics I just can’t wait to talk about! Let’s get into it, shall we?

(I would like to thank MunchingOrange for his Let’s Play, which was a valuable source for screenshots. Go check it out!)

The Land of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity

Adding player customization is one of the best
things about Gen 6.

We’re introduced to the world of Pokémon by Professor Sycamore, then choose our character – the male Calem or the female Serena. In a first for the series, we can choose the trainer’s starting appearance. Brown eyes and hair? Blue eyes and blond hair? Or tan? I think this is a very good addition to the franchise. And from the first screens, we can see the switch to full 3D for the world and its characters. Ah, that’s so nice to watch. Okay, the world is still rather obviously made like a grid, with all the spaces (like grass) shaped like squares, but you can walk in all eight directions. It felt like freedom.

Just an aside: Damn, I haven’t touched this game literally in years. Gen 7 rolled around, and I moved to Sun/UltraSun… probably because I did everything that could be done in X. Revisiting Kalos for the first time in so long feels peculiar. Also, for the sake of comprehension, since I originally picked Calem as my character, the rival was Serena, so I’ll use her name for the rival.

I just arrived and I've already made four
friends? Sweet!

The protagonist wakes up for their first full day in Kalos, freshly moved into Vaniville Town. On leaving the home, we meet Shauna, a neighbor, as well as Serena, the unused player character (if you chose her, you meet Calem instead). The two say that Professor Sycamore has a request for five kids, and the new kid is one of them. In the next town over, we meet the last two kids: Tierno, who loves dancing, and Trevor, who’s all about collecting. All five will travel around Kalos together. The team instantly decides to give the new kid a nickname. Tierno then shows the three Kalos Starters, and lets you pick first.

Your biggest decision? Probably.

Some people have the belief that your choice for a Starter reflects who you are, or what you are like. In my case, after a couple Gens spent picking the Fire and Water-type starters, I was due for some Grass. Oshawott in White, I never played Diamond/Pearl/Platinum, I think I had Torchic when I played my friend’s copy of Sapphire, I think I had selected Cyndaquil in HeartGold (before the cartridge’s battery died…), and Squirtle in FireRed. I also know that people gravitated a lot more towards Froakie or Fennekin. Well, let me tell you, I never regretted my decision. Love that little buddy. The Chespin line ranks among my favorite Pokémon of all time. 10/10, would pick for starter again.

After Serena picks a Pokémon, Trevor hands both trainers their own Pokédex. This is one of my favorite aspects of X and Y: The regional Dex is so large, at 457 Pokémon that can be found in the wild, that it had to be split in three parts. It’s the largest Regional Pokédex in a main series game, ever. With 721 Pokémon existing at the time, 63.83% of all known species were obtainable in Kalos without having to fish Pokémon out of other games. It’s a solid number, and I wished later Gens would keep Dexes this big, as it would give collectors like me a big challenge, while also offering a ton of options to competitive players.

Based on her performance in this debut, I doubt
she'll have a Pokémon-battling career.

And the battles, rendered in 3D, are a pure
treat to watch.

Before we can tackle the adventure, we must deliver a letter from Sycamore to the player character's mom, but first we’re challenged by Shauna, who chose the starter weak to the player character’s type. As an example, for my Chespin, she had Froakie (Serena chose the strong starter, so she picked Fennekin in my case). After an easy battle, we can go back to Vaniville, deliver the letter, and then return to Aquacorde.

You also start the game with a Holo Caster. Developed by Lysandre Labs, these devices allow you to communicate with others, their body displayed as a hologram. It’s cool… but there will be a lot to unpack about this one.

New skates, new Gym, new ‘Mon, new Type!

Wheeeeee! Oh wait we're in "France".
Ouiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!

On Route 2, we get the mandatory Pokémon-catching Tutorial from Serena. Shauna, meanwhile, asks a lot of dumb questions, as she is probably meant as a stand-in for the very inexperienced players. From there, we get our first patches of grass, then the first trainer battle, and then we head into Santalune Forest. Past Route 3, in Santalune City, we get our quicker means of transportation. A bike? No – roller skates. Outdoors, you’ll instantly switch to them after moving for a while. They have advantages over bikes, but I also felt they weren’t as wieldy. Maybe it’s because of the possibility to move in eight directions, something absent of previous gens, but as I came back to the game, I felt it was tricky to stop exactly where you want to.

Here is also the first Pokémon Center, fitted with a changing room so that the player can change their character’s outfit, and the Poké-Mart in the back. Next to it? A clothing store. From there, we can access Détourner Way (Route 22), with some new Pokémon to be found, such as the adorable Litleo. Love these little cubs, they’re so cute – and their evolved form, Pyroar, differs greatly between its male and female forms. Alas, Route 22 leads to Victory Road, which we cannot access yet – come back when you have eight badges, kid.

As for Santalune City, this is also the location of the first Gym, home of Viola, a Bug-type expert. Of course, being the first, she isn’t too difficult, with only a Surskit and a Vivillon to her team. Vivillon is another cool idea among the new Pokémon this gen, a butterfly whose wing design changes depending on the geographic location of the Nintendo 3DS in which it was generated.

I hope there will be a photo finish
on the winning blow!

Cuter than Butterfree and Beautifly!

There’s a lot of excellent ideas in the new Pokémon of Gen 6. I know I once made an article about gimmick Pokémon that I despised, but there are few here that I could say I really dislike – then again, many of these are only form changes or alternate versions, not affecting gameplay – like the Flabébé that comes in five different colors, Furfrou and its haircuts, or Gourgeist coming in four different sizes, with alterations to its base stats based on its size. The new Pokémon also take great advantage of the new Fairy type, omnipresent among the fresh faces. The type was created to rebalance the game after Gen 5's massive number of Dark- and Dragon-types threw everything out of whack. Pokémon players already know, but as a refresher, the Fairy type is strong against Dark, Dragon and Fighting, and is weak against Steel and Poison, two types that needed a little helpful push to become more viable. Dragon-type attacks do nothing to Fairy-types.

Before we move on to Route 4, Viola’s sister gives the player an Exp. Share, which is now a Key Item that gives the bonus EXP to all of the Pokémon in a team. It can be turned on or off, depending on the level of difficulty you’d like. At the end, we meet Dexio and Sina, who discuss the Fairy type with the player, then take him to Sycamore’s lab. Thus, past the gloriously gorgeous Route 4 we see the gloriously gorgeous… Lumiose City.

The Metropolis

I can probably squeeze in some time for
a couple side-quests...

Lumiose City is, according to the Pokémon Wiki, the largest and most populated city in the entirety of the Pokémon series, with over 400 NPCs to talk to. It’s also very easy to get lost in. It’s a metropolis. The city, shaped like a circle with an Electric-type Gym in the center, five plazas and several streets, can take you a few hours to visit the first time. It’s also a visual tour de force, the border of the city being two large streets with several smaller streets converging to the center. I dare anyone to play X or Y for the first time and not be wowed by the place.

A not-fun fact, however, is that on the game’s release, saving in the city’s North and South Boulevards and quitting would cause the game to not reload properly, with the player incapable of moving. The glitch was quickly fixed in a patch. Guess some Trainers just wanted to stay there as long as possible!

For plot contrivance, the power is out in half the city, so we’re railroaded into seeing the Pokémon Lab, where we meet Professor Sycamore. He talks about how he chose the five kids to be his research assistants across Kalos, and how he particularly has an interest in the player character, since he or she moved in to Kalos from a distant land. He challenges the player to a battle, using the three Kanto starters – good old Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. He will then give one of them to you – and you get to choose, no less! On my playthrough, I had chosen Charmander. Finally, when the whole team has arrived, Prof. Sycamore tasks them with figuring out the secret of a new form of evolution, the Mega Evolution, which can only take place during battle, giving them Mega Stones to investigate. He then suggests they head over to Camphier Town, where some of the secrets of Mega Evolution might be found.

Another thing I love about Prof. Sycamore is that he instantly shows his colors: He wants to instill the passion of Pokémon into the five trainers. When Trevor has a question about filling the Dex, the professor encourages him to keep working at it. In fact, each character represents an aspect of the franchise, and Sycamore supports them all. This is the Gen that attempted to emphasize that, indeed, "there is no wrong way to be a Pokémon trainer".

I like this guy. He validates everyone's way to play.

-The player character, as the protagonist of the story (Calem in my case), represents people who play the game to do a little bit of everything. Try stuff out, usually over thr course of the plot.

-The rival (Serena in my case) represents people who play for the Pokémon battling. She grows into a very competitive person who tries to one-up the player in battle, only to be disappointed when she fails, but strives to improve.

-Shauna is the type to care for her Pokémon. Her talent in leading her Pokémon in combat is lacking, but she loves to tend to her new friends. Gen 6 made this a lot easier, as well, thanks to the addition of Pokémon-Amie, and as a result caring for one’s own Pokémon is a lot more involved process than it had ever been before.

-Trevor is the collector/Dex-completionist type. People like me, who play the game to do this, try to find every Pokémon available in the region and beyond. It’s a play style that encourages exploration, checking out every nook and cranny of every area to find something that hasn’t been found yet.

-Last but not least, Tierno, with his desire to dance with his Pokémon, represents players who get caught up in any of the side-activities offered by the franchise – Contests in Gens 3 and 4, mining the Underground in Gen 4, Musicals in Gen 5, and so many more I’m forgetting.

Notable design, but dressed in all red and
black. I'll place my bet; that's no good guy.

As we leave the Lab, we meet on ground floor a dapper fellow with a mass of bright orange hair. Not red; orange. The man, an ex-pupil of the Professor who presents himself as Lysandre, has also grown a vested interest in the five children chosen by Sycamore. He goes on about “building a brighter, beautiful world”, then leaves.

This man needs no further presentations; anyone with the slightest bit of Pokémon knowledge would know that they’ve just met the villain. Needless to say, there is a lot more to him, but that’ll be a long and serious discussion when I get there. Let’s just say… my analysis is going to go to DARK places.

New and returning special battle styles!

Notable design? I bet she has no significance whatsoever.

Speaking of, we’re also railroaded by Trevor into visiting Café Soleil, where we stumble upon Lysandre again, talking to Diantha. From the rival, we learn that Lysandre is the creator of the Holo Casters through his labs, and Diantha is a movie star. Lysandre displays some worrisome ideas about “beauty”… then leaves. Again. With this roadblock out of the way, we can go on to Route 5.

This dude is almost creepy in how he keeps
popping up throughout your adventure.

In the gate leading there, we meet Mr. Bonding, who introduces the new concept of O-Powers. These are items that you can activate to gain bonuses of various kinds. At release, the cool thing about these was that if you played while the 3DS was connected to the Internet, you using an O-Power would make your icon flash in the PSS (Player Search System), and others would be able to activate the same O-Power for free by tapping your icon. You can also upgrade these O-Powers by using them frequently, making them have better effects (at the cost of recharging more slowly). It’s a nifty little feature, but its downside is that its connectivity bonus would only really be useful in the early days of the games’ release, where the most people would be playing it. Nine years later… yeah, the O-Powers are good if you use them, but that connectivity feature is pretty much gone.

On Route 5, we’re accosted by a Lucario and his trainer Korrina, the Gym Leader of Shalour City. She presents herself, says we’ll meet her for a battle soon enough, then leaves, with her Lucario lingering some more before leaving.

...Hey, I think he likes me!

I caught this entire team of Scraggy with
their pants down.

This Route allows us to see other battle features. Twins challenge the player, showing that Double Battles are back again. This is also where we can have our first Horde Encounters, a type of wild battle that unfortunately hasn’t made a comeback yet (but should; it was an awesome idea). In short: Instead of a single regular-level Pokémon, you meet five low-leveled ones. Sometimes, hordes include more than one species, like Plusle and Minun working together, or less-friendly forms withh the rivgaling Zangoose and Seviper Later in the game, we also discover Sky Battles, which can only be done with most Pokémon that are partly Flying-type, as well as a few others who have the ability Levitate.

On this Route, we’re also challenged by Tierno, the player’s friend and dance enthusiast, showing that we’ll often have friendly battles against the other members of this group of friends throughout. The rival will challenge the player more often, of course, but Tierno, Trevor and Shauna will also battle for fun.

Alright, I think we can close here for today. See you soon for Part 2.