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Not sure which thread to post this in but I suppose the newest one is the better one to choose from. Anyways, I was doing a livestream so here are my thoughts starting with the long essay of rants:
My computer really doesn't want me to listen to the soundtrack of the game.
Rant over.
Where do I even start? I guess I should say that I know have gone 2 hours into the game and am finally getting pretty close to the first gym badge. So basically I'll talk about my thoughts on getting to the first town. The best way to describe it is that my nostalgia vibes are kicking in and I'm loving it. So one thing that this game does that I really like is the fact that the story doesn't overstay its welcome. You get a Pokemon and you're off on the start of your journey. There's more to it than that, but it feels so cut down compared to the dragged out starts of most of the recent fan-games. Most intros are 10 minutes while Clockwork's is basically like 2. Once I got on route 1, I experienced something I haven't felt in a long while: I was playing a Pokemon game. The little changes done to the game go a very long way. Pokemon that were bad may actually be good and some are still meh. These little changes make this feel like a new but still familiar experience. I picked up a few oldies I knew about and I got a pleasant surprise on the grind post livestream: Butterfree learned Burn Powder right away. There's nothing drastic but the little changes make you go "wow, that's so cool it's this now or learns this move" when you find one with small changes.
The game itself looks great and there's no lag. I'm not sure if there are that many custom graphics or not, but it all looks like it fits. It looks like a Pokemon game. I'm actually flustered a bit with the music issue because the music selection is really good. Animations are also fine as while they aren't a boatload there's enough to tide you over in battle. I'm not going to get into story because...I haven't seen much of it. If something annoys you a little bit, it doesn't overstay your welcome...unlike certain character in certain games...so it's not that much of an annoyance then.Most of the time spent playing the gamewas mostly just me wondering around like an idiot and loving it. One of my favorite things to do in a game is just wander around a bit. I also like seeing my options in the grass and just going on a while. I have a team of 5 picked out right now, but that's likely to change as I find more options.
As for faults or complaints, I really don't have any that I didn't mention previously. I remember some people complaining about the forest, but I personally found it rather easy to navigate. The heal was a welcome as well since my Pokemon were damaged a bit. I could see why Route 2 could receive some complaints since trainers are strong, but you get 3 potions, 3 super potions, and 2 oran berries which is more than plenty to get through. Just come back to the route after reaching the town. The strong trainers push to make you use your resources wisely which I feel is a good mechanic. The level curve is a little on the high side as well, but it doesn't bother me (in fact, I really liked it since I had to use...le gasp...strategy) and led to some hilarious moments like me getting owned by a Hopip and then almost KO'd by a Skitty. Fun fact: If you get KO'd, your Mom will give you 2 Super Potions. I also disagree with the inclusion of a breeder for grinding. I personally prefer grinding on wild mons and I didn't see anything where you really needed to grind. I chose to grind since I was using a really big party for this point in time. As long as the wild Pokemon remain decent levels, I much prefer using that as the option.
Honestly, this might end up being my favorite Fan-game. It pretty much filled a thirst I've been wanting for a while. Is it the best fan-game ever? Oh heck no. I generally prefer gems over popular games any day. I think I am going to keep doing a livestream of it every Tuesday during the 10am-2pm EST if anyone wants to watch. Though it's probably going to have to be silent in order to stop the sound distortion fun times. The only thing I ask is to not tell me what's coming ahead or I need to do something. By doing that, you are taking that experience away from me and that can actually ruin someone's game experience. If that becomes a common occurrence, I'll just then give only blog updates like these.
