Just beat Dragonsden TRE for the first time! My review.
Sorry guys, I forgot to mention in the title that I beat the KANTO part only.
I know I’ve got a long way to go and this is just the beginning, but I couldn’t help myself from commenting on this gem of a game!
I am honestly so impressed… playing this game gave me a very specific feeling from my childhood ; the feeling of reading an exceptionally well written fanfiction and wishing it was canon.
I started off playing this game thinking “hey, it might be fun playing as Team Rocket”. I did not expect that halfway through, I would actually be rooting for them and saying to myself “I’m exactly where I want to be” and completing the missions because I’m wholeheartedly on the side of Team Rocket. That’s just how well written this game is, it will change your entire perspective and make you question a lot of things which you never even thought of questioning before.
One of those first moments for me is when a character in the game brings up this point ; when scientists take fossils from Mt. Moon it’s for the sake of research, when trainers take fossils from Mt. Moon it’s for the sake of completing the Pokédex, BUT when Team Rocket takes fossils from Mt. Moon it’s theft and robbery. That dialogue really opened my eyes and made me go “wait a damn minute”.
Also I love how the game portrays what it’s like to move up the ranks in such an organization. I honestly found the game a bit difficult when starting out as a rookie grunt. The level curve was annoying and the opponents seemed overpowered. However, as you move up the ranks, the game also becomes a whole lot easier, symbolic of the “luxury” and comfort of being higher rank. I loved that. That part was very well done. I really like Andra as well, she’s a real one! The side characters are very interesting.
Another one of my favorite moments was that final plot twist related to Red at the Hall of Fame. I literally wanted to throw my phone in shock! Great writing all around. If you love a story based game then this is the one for you.
I guess some of the minor things I could complain about include the fact that the English is not so great, but hey, I grew up playing Pokemon Quartz and Pokemon Naranja - this is like a literary masterpiece in comparison. 🤣 Also I wish we could play as the female character, but that’s also a very minor complaint. All in all, it’s a 9 out of 10 from me! I’m so glad I discovered this game and I’m so excited to play through the rest of it.
Also if anyone’s curious, I completed the Kanto segment of the game with the following team: Crobat, Donphan, Magnezone, Blastoise, Houndoom and Primeape.