You should be playing Pokémon Alden

This Dungeons and Dragons-inspired fan game by solo dev u/pokeAldenDev is one of the most thoughtful and detailed I've ever played. Every tweak feels carefully considered and balanced, and all the new Pokémon, moves, and mechanics open up many new strategies to win. Take advantage of new statuses like Fright and Fear to overcome your opponents, catch an Ancient-Type Pokémon with thematic moves like Chronomancy and Curse of Ages, or use the Swampy Terrain to buff your Poison and Dark-Types!

The story follows a a young Trainer helping Professor Wisteria study a mysterious illness affecting Pokémon while rumors of strange portals throughout the region begin popping up... portals that might connect to the past. As you progress, you will encounter various factions that want your help, such as the friendly Rangers, the refined Thaelian Society, and the Pokémon League itself! Or you can choose to ally with more nefarious groups like the punky Team Gold, the underhanded Team Plunder, or the crime syndicate Silver Marshals. Your reputation with these groups will impact the story and the side quests you can access along the way.

The dev has also provided a ton of options for teambuilding. In addition to new weathers/terrains to build around, most regional Pokémon have signature moves or signature abilities, and most vanilla Pokémon have been buffed and had moves/abilities updated. Whether you like glass canons, tanks, sweepers, status-blasters, or just enjoy playing with cute creatures, there are a ton of options for your preferred playstyle. Most Pokémon have a niche, and it's really fun to play with a Pokémon long enough to discover its potential!

Now is a great time to get in on the action. Currently Pokémon Alden is early in development, with 5 badges in the current release out of 18 in the planned final state. But there's so much side content, optional areas, and hidden gems to discover that I'm still having a blast 6 months after reaching the end of the current demo. And a new release is due in Spring 2025 with another gym and new areas!

Join me on the discord here: https://discord.gg/XXqr9K84 (link is good until 1/24/25)

Other QoL improvements:

  • Q to speed up
  • Key Items that replace HMs
  • Pokémon from Gens 1-8 + some paradoxes as evolutions (Gen 9 planned for future)
  • Higher shiny rate
  • Following Pokémon
  • A crafting system based on dropped items from wild encounters
  • Many regional Pokémon with unique sprites (not just recolors)
  • A time travel mechanic that is actually fun
  • Pokemon from Gens 3+ (such as Duskull and Patrat) have Gen 2-style sprites in the past
  • Most routes have a trainer that will rebattle you as often as you want
  • Expansive quest system with moral choices that impact the game
  • Curated soundtrack from a variety of games/sources
  • Min revives, early legendaries/UBs, rebattling gym leaders, beta Pokemon, and more!