Welcome To The Horrors

Wed, Mar 25, 2026 Year 3, Autumn 12

Kevin explains the Pokopia lore to Jonnie

Timings

00:00:00: Theme Tune
00:00:30: Intro
00:01:12: What Have We Been Up To
00:13:52: Game News
00:31:31: New Games
00:36:10: Pokopia Lore
01:24:12: Outro

Links

Overthrown 1.0
Horticular on Switch
Luma Island “Spring” Update
Everdream Village 1.4 and 1.5 Updates
Abyss: New Dawn 0.3 Update
Terra Nil “Steam Deck and Controller Support” Update
Moonfrost

Contact

Al on Mastodon: https://mastodon.scot/@TheScotBot
Email Us: https://harvestseason.club/contact/

Transcript

Theme Tune

(0s) Theme Tune:

[Music]

Intro

(30s) Kevin:

Hello farmers and welcome to another episode of the pocoopia season and my name is Kevin I

(37s) Jonnie:

And my name is Jonnie. I come here occasionally.

(38s) Kevin:

Almost went for the here’s Jonnie thing, but here he is hello. Hello. I remember you. I think listeners might remember

(47s)

It’s good to see you again Johnny. Oh, but uh, oh, sorry. Let’s back up

(50s)

It’s over here to talk about cottage corgains with mostly pocoopia. Oh, yes, we’re here

(57s)

But seriously, yes, good to see you again Johnny. It has been a

(1m)

hot minute. We hope you’re here to talk about that. I’m going to talk about

(1m 5s)

Lauren’s story stuff. But we’ll get to that. We got news, got other stuff. But the

(1m 9s)

biggest question for me and listeners, how you’ve been Johnny, what’s been

What Have We Been Up To

(1m 14s) Kevin:

going on? Tell me about your week, your month life. It’s been a minute. Tell us.

(1m 18s) Jonnie:

Yeah, it’s been a while. We got my partner and I got kittens recently and they’re super super cute.

(1m 23s)

I’ll put some photos up of them in Slack. So they’re super crazy and just like super cute.

(1m 30s)

So if you hear pairing in the background, it’s because one of them has come in and decided to

(1m 31s) Kevin:

Ooh, lucky you, that’s a good position to be in.

(1m 35s) Jonnie:

partake in the recording. Yeah. And like probably the reason I haven’t been on the shows,

(1m 42s)

I just haven’t been playing much recently, but I do have a game that I want to talk about.

(1m 47s)

That’s the game I’ve been playing.

(1m 48s)

For a couple of years now, but it’s still in closed beta and it’s a game called Walkscape.

(1m 55s)

Kevin, do you know much about the landscape?

(1m 58s) Kevin:

I mean, yes. I’m familiar. I was there in when the ancient texts were written, whatever,

(2m 6s)

with the Narnia quote. I was there in middle school in RuneScape. I was playing it on the computer lab.

(2m 9s) Jonnie:

[laughter]

(2m 12s) Kevin:

The good old days, yes.

(2m 12s) Jonnie:

Yeah, so for those that don’t like it,

(2m 14s)

the game is built around insane rhymes, right?

(2m 17s)

So it’s a clicker.

(2m 19s)

The game plays not particularly deep or particularly

(2m 23s)

complicated, but it takes a long time.

(2m 26s)

And someone has taken that concept and said,

(2m 28s)

what if instead of clicking at the computer,

(2m 30s)

you were walking and your steps kind of contributed

(2m 33s)

towards those grinds?

(2m 35s) Kevin:

Wait, physical walking, real life steps?

(2m 35s) Jonnie:

and they were full. Physical walking. Yeah.

(2m 40s)

Like Pokemon go but not terrible.

(2m 40s) Kevin:

What is this nonsense?

(2m 44s) Jonnie:

So they just released sort of a decent update.

(2m 46s)

And they’re still in closed beta and probably will be for the next year or so.

(2m 50s)

But you can sign up through.

(2m 52s)

Patreon if you want to get on it.

(2m 55s)

And yeah, so they’ve just released two new skills into the game, hunting and tailoring.

(3m 1s)

And like the concept of the game is like you want to warp to a new town.

(3m 5s)

then that text steps. You want to do an activity at that town. It takes steps.

(3m 9s)

The whole basis of the game is based on those ideas of RuneScape grinds. There are some

(3m 14s)

grinds in this game that are crazy. A common friend of ours, Kevin, template, he’s also been

(3m 21s)

playing and he spent over a million steps in one location to get a single item to drop to give you a

(3m 28s)

sort of idea of the sorts of things that this game can do to you. I’ve been playing for almost two years

(3m 34s)

now and I just took my steps before and I’m at like six and a half million steps.

(3m 39s)

One of the like top tier achievements in the game is to get 12 million over 12 million steps.

(3m 44s)

So I’m probably another two years away from that, which is kind of crazy to to say out loud.

(3m 50s)

And I’ve kind of avoided talking about it because it’s in you know this closed beta, but the game is getting to a

(3m 55s)

state where it’s like, no, I want to start recommending this to people. It’s a great way to just encourage walking. I really, really like it.

(4m 3s) Kevin:

That’s that’s insanity for Nico frees bought for good. So you know good for good for those devs

(4m 9s) Jonnie:

Yeah

(4m 11s)

Exactly, it’s a great game that the one downside and it’s the biggest downside because I know else tried this game

(4m 16s)

And and this was the reason he he bounced off is the UI is really bad

(4m 22s)

It’s it’s a little bit hard to work out. It’s one of those things like now. It’s you know

(4m 26s)

It’s fine. I know where everything is so it’s easy to use, but like when you’re coming in fresh

(4m 31s)

It’s a little bit incomprehensible

(4m 31s) Kevin:

• Yeah.

(4m 32s)

[laughing]

(4m 34s) Jonnie:

But you know, that’s

(4m 36s)

Look, small teams making small games.

(4m 39s)

So I’m sure there’s a link in the show notes because it’s a great game.

(4m 43s) Kevin:

the game dev is hard. Every episode of the harvest season. Okay. That’s very cool. I have questions.

(4m 54s)

Okay. So, right. You know, Pokemon go being the standout like you walk steps or it’s not even

(5m 3s)

like walk steps to generate something. You just go to different areas for Pokemon to spawn or

(5m 7s)

whatever, right? Like that’s a thing. It’s that’s more of an area based games. Um, but like,

(5m 13s)

that’s, you know, that’s like, they’re the rest of the game. You catch Pokemon. They’re gyms, whatever.

(5m 18s)

How does like the game, the game part work, right? Because I understand, okay, you walk a million steps,

(5m 24s)

you get, like, you level up a skill or you get a knock on item or something like that, right? But

(5m 29s)

what are you doing with this stuff that you’re getting or I’m walking?

(5m 31s) Jonnie:

Yeah, so it’s kind of like gear grind, right? So at the moment, I’m doing hunting, I’m currently hunting deer, and hunting deer will give me two things. One, it will give me a bunch of resources that I can use for other skills, so I can like get their hides and turn them into leather and turn them into gear.

(5m 54s)

And then it will also level up my hunting skill because I want to get to a fire level hunting activities that drop.

(6m 2s)

There’s achievements in the game, so you might want to go for achievements, there’s collectibles in the games, you might want like butcher, you know, your kind of rarestrops that kind of don’t do anything, they’re more like trophies or whatever, so you might want to go and collect those.

(6m 15s)

The game will eventually have trading in some of those sorts of things, so you might want to be someone that like crafts, high tier items for selling to other people.

(6m 25s)

It’s a little bit of like what do you want to do, and it’s features in the game that are probably the three big features that…

(6m 31s)

I still have to come before they go into open beta combat, so that doesn’t exist in the game yet trading and quests, so there will be a range of things that you can do.

(6m 33s) Kevin:

Yeah.

(6m 44s) Jonnie:

So when I first joined the game, I was like, I really want to focus on the agility skill because that’s how you kind of get around the world, and I was like, if I focus on that for a bit getting around, it will be easier while I worked out what I wanted to do.

(6m 54s)

And I was like, I actually want to get achievements and collectibles, those are kind of my focus areas, so I’m more focused.

(7m 1s)

So other people at sort of similar stage in the game, a lot of them have better gear than I do because they’re focused on different things, and that’s really, I guess, the heart of the game is you kind of just pick what you want to focus on, and there’s some pretty crazy grinds almost, which ever way you want to go down that pathway and focus on that.

(7m 17s) Kevin:

Right man

(7m 19s)

That’s some

(7m 21s)

RuneScape sound no, it’s because I remember like after I learned RuneScape eventually like okay, you know what I’m gonna

(7m 29s)

I want to be a black smith king. I’m gonna focus on nothing else about my black smith and so I you know

(7m 35s)

I had to level up some stuff because I had to beat the big scorpions in the case where the good ore was but

(7m 40s)

But there was so much else I was not doing that’s that’s how that’s wow. I’m I’m

(7m 43s) Jonnie:

Yeah, that’s exactly it.

(7m 47s)

And one of the things I really like about the games is it’s like I’m like Pokemon go that you kind of have to be constantly checking in on this game goes through waves.

(7m 47s) Kevin:

That’s a fascinating design. Yeah

(7m 55s) Jonnie:

So you’ll have a time where, you know, you’re like, oh, I’ll, you know, constantly doing things. I’m going to walk to this town, do this thing.

(8m 2s)

They’re more to another town to do something else and you’ll be checking the game, you know, maybe a very couple of thousands tips or something like that.

(8m 10s)

but equally you can have days where you’re like okay I’m just sitting

(8m 13s)

at this activity I’m grinding it I need a rear drop I’m going to be here for a while and you could go for a couple of days without needing to check the app and and just you know when you when you connect all of those steps will log in and you’ll see your progress so it’s not something that’s kind of feels like it’s a demand on your time if you’re having a time you’re like well I’m not going to be able to check my phone.

(8m 33s)

That much then you can just park see yourself somewhere where it’s you know maybe a little bit of a crazy grind and just leave yourself there and see what happens when you come out the other side.

(8m 43s)

I’m traveling to China and a couple months time for about three weeks and I think I’m just going to work out like what’s the super insane grind that I would probably never do otherwise I’m just going to park myself at whatever that is for those three weeks and I won’t check it for those three weeks and we’ll come back and see what I open up to.

(9m) Kevin:

as you walk the length back and forth of the great walk.

(9m 4s) Jonnie:

Exactly, exactly right.

(9m 8s) Kevin:

Oh, that’s that’s wild nonsense.

(9m 10s)

So what do I, what do I say?

(9m 11s)

What a cool design.

(9m 12s)

What a cool idea.

(9m 13s)

Good for these devs.

(9m 15s)

Um, yeah, good stuff.

(9m 17s)

I’m, I’m, I’m at least curious to see what this looks like.

(9m 20s)

So I’ll, I’ll check out.

(9m 21s) Jonnie:

And if anyone does join, like if you join the slack, let me know because I’m keen to talk to more people about this game.

(9m 21s) Kevin:

I don’t know if there’s something interesting.

(9m 31s) Jonnie:

And like, yeah, it’s crazy. It’s super fun.

(9m 31s) Kevin:

And then me on the completely opposite end of the spectrum, I continue to live in the

(9m 34s) Jonnie:

What do we have to give?

(9m 43s) Kevin:

give up machine that I call POCOPIA, where I just turn off the world and just live in my

(9m 50s)

virtual utopia because it’s, that’s all, all I’ve got, I, I planks so much, I’m hitting

(9m 57s)

milestones. I’m not intending to I so um

(10m 1s)

to give you played it all John here. I don’t know how much you’ve caught or anything yeah, I hope I

(10m 4s) Jonnie:

No, I don’t have a switch to and like I was kind of thinking about like is cocopia the game that makes me want to get a switch to and

(10m 12s) Kevin:

Yes, yes

(10m 13s) Jonnie:

I just haven’t played enough other games recently that I’m like that. It just I’m not there

(10m 19s)

So I feel like it’s a game. I honestly feel like the thing that’s gonna convince me to get a switch to is gonna be a new animal crossing

(10m 21s) Kevin:

Yeah

(10m 25s) Jonnie:

Then I can see myself when you know I get something like that getting again like a cocopia

(10m 30s)

He’s part of it for me with bakopia is like I don’t feel a

(10m 34s)

strong need to play it now. I was like this was Dragon Quest Builders 2.

(10m 39s)

It’s like I just played it when I had some time and I wanted to play that sort of

(10m 43s)

game and I was like ah this is great and I played through all of Dragon Quest

(10m 46s)

Builders 2. You know it’s not like a new main series Pokemon game where you

(10m 48s) Kevin:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You want to be part of the wave, the trend, the new hotness.

(10m 51s) Jonnie:

feel like there’s a huge need to be like oh yeah I need to play this while

(10m 56s)

different else is playing it. Exactly.

(11m 1s) Kevin:

Yeah. Nope. Yeah. I agree. Um, and thankfully, pakopia as, as Dragon Quest builders,

(11m 7s)

absolutely will be perfect forever. Right. So yeah, when you’re ready or when you want to,

(11m 11s)

it’ll be there suddenly. Um, okay. Well, I just wanted that reference to know what to

(11m 16s)

I’ll never explain to you, but I…

(11m 18s)

But anyways, so for a measure of where I am, there’s something called the environment level, where as you increase the happiness of Pokemon and then lead pretty up your town, because there’s a few different measures as you place more items or get rid of, like, destroyed and ruined blocks, so it’ll eventually go up.

(11m 39s)

So when you reach a new area, you know, you’re starting from level one, basically you have to hit around area five to progress to…

(11m 48s)

to finish that area, all their quests and whatnot, and then later area or environment levels, excuse me, it goes up to ten, max, but that requires effort and generally like intentional work to reach a…

(12m 4s)

I’ve hit environment level ten on two different areas, unintentionally.

(12m 9s)

I worked up to… I worked up to level seven or eight on most levels, or most areas, because as you increase the level…

(12m 18s)

it unlocks different recipes and items for you to use, and there were some good ones, like, oh, I want that, so I would make an effort to, you know, do stuff to increase that and reach it.

(12m 27s)

But once I hit eight or so, I’d be like, you know, I’m good on those, I’ll just do whatever.

(12m 32s)

So for the last week, I’ve kind of just been putts in around doing my own thing.

(12m 36s)

I spend a lot of time rebuilding, because, you know, there’s ruined structures and whatnot, and that’s kind of my jam.

(12m 43s)

Um, I’ll see like a broken down house and I like to figure out what it was supposed to look like and then fix it up.

(12m 48s)

Um, and there are some big big big, uh, big structures and buildings and locations. Um, you know, again, we’re a couple weeks in and so I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler, but, um, the SS and is in the game in a ruined destroyed state. So like I’m spending time fixing up and trying to lose lighter.

(13m 8s)

Um, stuff like that. Um, but yeah, it’s so yeah, but hope you that’s it. That’s it. That’s my life. It’s all I want. I still have not found the foundation bullock people.

(13m 18s)

who play the game note. That means it’s just like a simple block using some of the existing structures, just like a, like that ground foundation for the building. I have found it’s the pain of my existence. I mean agony every day. Anyways, yeah, you can see this game is a problem for me, but, uh, but that’s that’s all I’ve been matching. Yeah, but, uh, but we’ll get more into that.

(13m 37s) Jonnie:

Well, I’ve heard it from Al that we’re going to end this month with an intervention for you. We’re going to get together and we’ll have a co-parent intervention for you.

(13m 43s) Kevin:

Yeah, yeah, fine. We can make that an episode. That’s okay.

(13m 48s)

That’s okay, oh

(13m 50s)

But uh, anyway. All right. Um, all right. Before we get more into my

Game News

(13m 56s) Kevin:

We’re pulling life addiction. Uh-oh, let’s let’s talk about some of these other games that supposedly happen

(14m 1s)

Because I hear games are developers haven’t given up for some reason. They want to exist in the pokopia world

(14m 8s)

Let’s talk now. Oh, okay. Let’s talk about a fun one actually

Overthrown

(14m 13s) Kevin:

Over thrown you get a pass because you’ve been working at it for a while

(14m 18s)

The one point out. Oh is officially out now. We’re talking about it

(14m 22s)

And it is here. It is on sale on steam

(14m 26s)

From 25 USD to 15 USD of 40% discount

(14m 31s)

That’s pretty nice

(14m 34s)

Yeah, well, I tried this game if I ever thought playing pokopia. I don’t know maybe

(14m 38s)

But it’s it’s you know the high speed high chaotic physical

(14m 44s)

farming/throatbuilding throwing game. Um.

(14m 49s)

Very cool that they came out. They have airships. That is part of the 1.0 update.

(14m 55s)

Um, you can build your own air or you can get your own airship. I know you build it, but you can attack an enemy champs.

(15m 2s)

Whoa, that’s crazy, but they’re expensive. Um, and outlaws, I would say, assume like bad NPCs may have their own airships, so you can do battle.

(15m 11s)

That’s, that’s crazy. This game is crazy. Good for them for having this vision and actually doing it and coming out like an unreasonable time.

(15m 18s)

This feels like a forever project, but here we are.

(15m 20s) Jonnie:

Yeah, this game, this game looks pretty cool.

(15m 22s)

Um, uh, I know out the nips said on a while ago and, uh, when,

(15m 27s)

when him and I first talked about it and this was in the very early days.

(15m 30s)

One of the things I was like, looked as like, it seems like a cool idea,

(15m 33s)

but I wonder where they’re going to go with it.

(15m 35s)

And watching the, the one point of trailer, I was like, mm.

(15m 39s)

I don’t know that they really went anywhere because, you know,

(15m 41s)

the initial concept was like, you can throw tree at sawmill to cut down tree.

(15m 45s)

Also, you can throw sawmill at tree, um,

(15m 48s)

which is fun and funny.

(15m 50s)

But watching the trailer didn’t really see anything else that kind of hooked me in.

(15m 55s)

Like the combat looks pretty cool if you’re into that sort of things.

(15m 58s)

Like, you know, you run really fast, jump really high.

(16m)

Spin around a lot, all of that sort of stuff.

(16m 2s)

But I get the sense if you go back and listen to the episode I’ll did, which was a little while ago now.

(16m 8s)

If that makes it sound like a game that you would like, I think you would like it, I’m not sure.

(16m 13s)

Like the update sound fine, I guess.

(16m 17s)

Um, but I don’t know. I just I feel like

(16m 20s)

there is something that if every time I see this game is missing from the concept that like I just and I don’t I don’t know what it is. Um, I just want probably I think it won’t more chaos. It almost feels too too normal.

(16m 28s) Kevin:

Yeah, yeah, a little too grounded. I get it. I can agree with you. Well, here’s a thing for me. I look at, you know, the

(16m 41s)

Image the cover or whatever you want to call the image on Steam and there’s your, you know, your knockoff

(16m 48s)

Breath of the Wild Link character and a knockoff Hulu, right? Like they’re clearly

(16m 53s)

leaning on a lot of existing tropes or ideas and just adding in

(16m 58s)

their someone said hey what if we had brought the wild but you could throw all these things at people really far in my opinion um so you know that’s only gonna get you so far I agree um but uh at the same time they made it right they had an idea they’re going for it maybe they weren’t shooting for the moon but if this does well I mean they’ve been you know working hard at it maybe they’ll get see more stuff and it’ll

(17m 20s)

a little summer but uh but I agree it should have more chaos and I think they can kind of get that sense because the game’s already so chaotic so maybe

(17m 28s)

we’ll see um maybe they’ll do more um but we’ll find out either way go ahead yeah exactly as I would say it’s but I had to do it’s way at 1.0 which in this I mean I know it’s really a lot of being that in general but like it feels like especially in in the cottage court space like oh my gosh it’s so hard to get there for so many people so good for you are throwing hit 1.0 you’re out

(17m 33s) Jonnie:

Yeah, and like, oh, it’s just, it’s a 1.0 ride,

(17m 36s)

which is just huge, huge achievement.

(17m 58s) Kevin:

you did it you made a game good for you um go check it out in steam if you’re so inclined to have now to run and throw a building at a outlaw which you know is it’s oh no matter what else that does sound like fun oh okay um speaking of things that come out or particular coming to the Nintendo switch on April 30th 2026 excuse me um we have uh yeah this is uh sorry I have to refer

Horticular

(18m 28s) Kevin:

us myself to say they’ve got it’s a metric I guess yes you call it grid based um kind of uh yeah

(18m 34s) Jonnie:

Yeah, this is like a very cozy, gutted builder is kind of hard to describe.

(18m 39s)

This is one that’s been on my radar for a long time.

(18m 41s)

Like, I think visually, very appealing, like kind of more relaxed vibe

(18m 47s)

and watching through the trailer.

(18m 48s)

Like, I’ve got different ecosystems and stuff,

(18m 50s)

it’s been a while since I looked into what they were offering.

(18m 56s)

You know, I’ve seen like, I guess skill trees or upgrade trees,

(18m 59s)

some of those sorts of things.

(19m)

Like, this is one that I think I will give a go

(19m 4s)

on Switch, like, it seems like a perfect sort of switch/dingdix style game.

(19m 8s)

So I think it’s just good to see what’s coming out on the Switch,

(19m 11s)

because that’s where a lot of us play our games.

(19m 15s)

And it looks, I don’t know, it just looks, it looks way deeper than I ever expected

(19m 20s)

based on what I saw when I first saw a trip is for this game.

(19m 23s) Kevin:

Yeah, this, this may be what I wanted Garden Galaxy to be.

(19m 29s)

For Galaxy Guard, what are that game it’s called?

(19m 29s) Jonnie:

Yeah, I think that’s a good comparison for the expectation level.

(19m 35s) Kevin:

Yeah, yeah, that’s the sense I’m getting.

(19m 38s)

But yeah, I like the visuals.

(19m 40s)

Like, it’s, you know, obviously it’s bright pics.

(19m 42s)

I’m thrown into that, but it’s very polished.

(19m 44s)

Like, there’s a lot of attention to detail, like,

(19m 47s)

some of the splashing effects and then just little stuff like that.

(19m 51s)

I’ll see you later.

(19m 53s)

You know, this one looks relaxing and dare I say cozy, so check it out. Yeah, good switch game. Like I said April 30th about a month from reporting or police, whatever

(20m 6s)

So check it out if you’re so inclined. It’s on sale right now on steam. I don’t know when this ends, but for our 10 bucks on steam if you’re inclined

(20m 14s) Jonnie:

Yeah, actually, I hadn’t thought about this, but now just kind of looking back,

(20m 14s) Kevin:

USD 50% off

(20m 18s) Jonnie:

it kind of is giving me, you know, like rollercoaster tycoon style vibes, but you’re just building

(20m 24s)

a garden, you know, like the, it has the, I’ve been trying to think about that sort of camera angle,

(20m 25s) Kevin:

Yeah!

(20m 30s) Jonnie:

the slightly angled one, because it’s another game, I think we’ll talk about later that has a similar

(20m 34s)

camera point of view, and I was trying to think of what I remember reminded me of and now that I’m

(20m 37s)

what I’m thinking about.

(20m 38s)

I think it’s that sort of roller coaster tycoon style.

(20m 41s) Kevin:

Oh my gosh, I haven’t thought about it. You’re right. Intention or not. It’s all rooted in there. All those isometric games

(20m 47s)

You’re right. Wow. Um, yeah, I guess you could argue. It’s a sort of

(20m 53s)

You know say management game

(20m 56s)

But it’s it’s still so it’s actually because gardening is nice and

(21m 1s)

And I will say like I don’t know obviously I haven’t played this yet

(21m 5s)

But what when you’re watering stuff or placing stuff right like there’s an element of that

(21m 11s)

In in farming gardening that’s you know, it’s more of a little puzzle to solve or you know to optimize how you want it

(21m 18s)

That the maybe not in save rollercoaster tattoo or you can just kind of build whatever but I don’t know. We’ll see either way

(21m 25s)

Particular look at looking all right

(21m 28s)

Like I said April, but was it 30th? Yeah, coming out soon on switch

(21m 34s)

Alright, um, so let’s see your next one

Luma Island

(21m 37s) Kevin:

Let’s talk oh my gosh

(21m 41s)

It’s a time of year a time for all the Easter themed updates to be dropping everywhere

(21m 45s) Jonnie:

[laughs]

(22m 1s) Kevin:

at Luma Island’s coming out with their Easter egg hunt for Easter eggs you meet the

(22m 11s)

of many luma fairy blossom items picnic baskets all the you know all the

(22m 17s)

classic all the hits chicken all those boxes and you know a couple of other

(22m 23s)

updates on their dude looks like a movement to managing like control

(22m 28s)

scheme on the inventory that’s always a nice one but yeah that is again Luma Island

(22m 34s)

are you know for three to gain the visuals are quite nice especially those lights

(22m 38s)

It’s looking at them at night.

(22m 40s) Jonnie:

Yeah, and just looking at the screen shot for this one. I’m like, oh, I want to get back into the island was like my personal game of the year in 2024. I really enjoyed it. And I kind of probably bounced off.

(22m 41s) Kevin:

Check it out.

(22m 53s) Jonnie:

I think we did like I played it a lot, leading into the episode that we did on it. And then I kind of just bounced off and like looking at the screen shots and how full it looks.

(23m 8s)

Like probably a lot has been added since I lost

(23m 10s)

played so I think this is what I’m gonna jump in.

(23m 12s) Kevin:

Yeah, that makes sense. All right. Good. Wait, do we have a date for that up there that out already? Oh, it’s here already. No, no, we don’t go wrong think

(23m 21s)

Let me see. Oh, it is like. Yes. I’m sorry. Okay. Well, hey, there you go update. Yeah, one point 1.8. I don’t know when you

(23m 22s) Jonnie:

Mmm…

(23m 25s)

Yeah, now live. Yep.

(23m 27s) Kevin:

But oh go check it out. There are probably a lot of updates. You know how these games are always adding nonsense next up

Everdream Village

(23m 35s) Kevin:

Speaking of updates next update those two ever dream village

(23m 42s)

Something I don’t we why would you announce update 1.14 and 1.1 five to the state I

(23m 50s)

Don’t know, but they’re saying two updates at once, but anyways first off we get just a big quality of life stuff

(24m)

Like actually there’s dinosaurs in this game. I’m reading the list

(24m 5s)

Yeah, adding some new tutorials

(24m 7s)

Giving clarity to items and so on let animal breeding stuff. Let’s

(24m 12s)

see General Gameplay redesigned the cooking mini-game way. You should probably talk about that

(24m 19s)

a little more. A seed system. Oh, they can now have separate seeds and harvest

(24m 27s)

double produce. I’m just reading down this list. There’s a lot of interest. This is a very big

(24m 30s)

meaty update.

(24m 32s) Jonnie:

Yeah, it’s a lot in this update, but the summary to these seems to be a if you tried this game and you bounced off because you found it a little bit hard to get into it looks like that’s where they focused a lot of their intention attention is on, you know, like focused on tutorials, you know, there’s a part as part of the 1.15 which is to updates, but you know, that the headline there is first 30 minutes of gameplay are even more polished.

(24m 55s)

So if you started and you bounced off quickly because you felt like for whatever reason this game was a bit.

(25m 2s)

too hard to get into, maybe worth trying. This is not this game unfortunately for me falls into the category of my time in Porsche.

(25m 13s)

You know, I know that game was really successful, but like that game did not do anything for me. So now all of the games that are sort of emulating that style immediately I kind of just my brain switches off.

(25m 24s)

So I don’t think this is one that I will try, but it’s a big list of quality of life updates. So if that was your issue with the game.

(25m 32s)

And probably worth jumping back in.

(25m 34s) Kevin:

Um, yeah, no, uh, it looks like a hardy update, you know, the onboarding, you know,

(25m 41s)

first impression things super important, sort of good for them for emphasizing that.

(25m 44s)

Uh, but PCOPI exists.

(25m 46s)

So I have no, no, no time nor love for, you know, they’re cottage.

(25m 51s) Jonnie:

[laughter]

(25m 52s) Kevin:

I’m kidding.

(25m 52s)

Now I’m sure I already know it’s fine, but anyways, yeah, I won’t be hopping in

(25m 56s)

anytime soon, but go check it out or if you’re interested, probably a better time

(25m 59s)

to check it out.

(26m)

Uh, also on sale on steam as the time recording for 20% off.

(26m 4s)

Um, 16 USD, um, anyway, um, speaking of updates.

(26m 11s)

Well, okay.

Abyss New Dawn

(26m 13s) Kevin:

This next one, it sounds like a, okay, we’re going to talk about abyss new lawn.

(26m 17s)

Uh, big update 0.3.

(26m 19s)

So yeah, okay, the 0.3 for that early, you’re probably making big updates, but, uh,

(26m 25s)

they are, uh, the updates called Elder Grove Reborn.

(26m 29s)

They have just updated the entire world kind of rebuilt it.

(26m 34s)

That’s kind of big, or the starting world, I should say, that’s what they call the Elder Grove.

(26m 42s)

That’s a big, sounds like Final Fantasy XIV, the reboard.

(26m 48s)

So yeah, they’ve just redone this whole starting year.

(26m 50s)

They split up into three regions, I’m not going to get too much detail of each of them.

(26m 56s)

But a whole bunch of other bug fixes and some content stuff.

(27m 1s)

I mean, I’ve got a man.

(27m 4s)

I don’t remember this game talking about it.

(27m 6s)

You’ve got to write dinosaurs here.

(27m 7s) Jonnie:

Yeah, that’s a I was watching the trailer. That’s what stood out to be in like the the more look how like this game looks early

(27m 9s) Kevin:

Very cool.

(27m 15s) Jonnie:

but

(27m 17s)

And like it’s got a little bit of that sort of you know

(27m 19s)

Breath of the wild thing going on like kind of huge world, but like you know

(27m 24s)

There’s like a stone way will fly in around like some pretty big zones, so

(27m 29s)

Probably could the day focusing on giving them personality cuz I think it gave you an eye for a vima to most outspoken and talk about other

(27m 37s)

Games and like you know, you’re gonna have a big world. It’s got to have stuff in it, right? Like it’s got a personality. So

(27m 38s) Kevin:

Yeah, you make me care about the world, you know, yeah, yeah, I’m you know what, I’ll give you some

(27m 44s) Jonnie:

Yep, so sounds like we may be focused on the right thing

(27m 50s) Kevin:

free advice of this new donde who that people work clearly listening to this episode on your on

(27m 56s)

your splash cover image. You want to put yourself riding the dinosaur. I’m just saying you probably

(28m 2s)

want people to know that one first. Yeah, anyways, but yeah, good on you. Yeah, not a bad

(28m 8s)

start to this game. It was your point three who knows when that one point old drop, but they’re

(28m 12s)

working on it. They’re working on oh, they’re, I mean, wait, no, that was the release date for their

(28m 16s)

start. Oh, okay, I don’t know. Either way, that update is out now. Oh, that’s a on sale on steam as well,

(28m 27s)

30% offer about the 16 USD and some change. Okay, lastly, one more update said I saw this one,

(28m 39s)

on my hard start racing, but sadly, it’s a minor update. Uh, tared nil, uh, beloved little cozy game

(28m 45s)

of mine, um, that I go to frequently. Um, it’s a steam deck and cult controller support. Um,

(28m 52s)

I, I don’t know why you would use a controller. This is not a controller, but it’s out if you do

(28m 59s)

so want it unless, um, but steam deck, that’s a fun one. You know, that is probably a decent use

(29m 4s)

case to play it on the Steam deck, anyways, that is-

(29m 7s) Jonnie:

Yeah, I think somewhere I just heard our screen finally because we all know we all know his baseline position on this

(29m 8s) Kevin:

Oh, no. Yeah. Yeah, no, that’s fine. That’s fair. Oh, either way. I know. Only for 10 U.S.T.

(29m 18s) Jonnie:

But they do say that this is their last ever update. Yeah, and this is their last ever update. So that’s it.

(29m 23s) Kevin:

Wait, what? I don’t read that part! Wait, that’s okay. That’s okay. This new teranel too. Give me my-

(29m 30s)

Wait, oh no. Wait, oh no.

(29m 33s) Jonnie:

Well, hopefully they are working on something new

(29m 35s)

because I think they’ve done a great job with this game

(29m 38s)

and continuing to add to it since we’ve just covered it.

(29m 39s) Kevin:

They have- Well, I wonder what happened, because I think they were absolutely planning to add more,

(29m 45s)

‘cause in the game menu, when you select the area, you can like rotate this globe, and they had the

(29m 51s)

entire back half like there, but not selectable. There’s nothing there. They were gonna- I felt like

(29m 57s)

they’re gonna add more. Darn. Darn. Oh, well. Hopefully it comes out this sequel. Teranel, you guys did great.

(30m 3s)

Good for you guys, I applaud you.

(30m 7s) Jonnie:

Yeah, and like I think they’ve added a lot since, um, uh, since initial launches might just be that,

(30m 13s)

you know, ultimately at some point you kind of run out of ideas or probably I think what,

(30m 18s)

what tends to happen more is actually the ideas are like actually not feasible in the, the game,

(30m 23s)

you know, system as it was an originally built in design. So, um,

(30m 23s) Kevin:

I don’t know. I don’t know, I don’t want to think about this. I’m getting I’m getting

(30m 37s) Jonnie:

Yeah

(30m 43s) Kevin:

essentially terrified. But with that, let’s talk about other essentially terrified things because

(30m 48s)

that’s all our news and now um oh wait no I’m sorry no I’m skipping

(30m 50s) Jonnie:

That’s not a bad use.

(30m 53s) Kevin:

of the new games that was all the updates um oh I’ll put a little reminder here though

(30m 58s)

for copia and I should have I’m sure they should have said this um actually day all it’s going to

(31m 3s)

be too late if oh no maybe depending on the time uh Wednesday the 25th is the last day for the hop

(31m 10s)

event uh people who know I believe you can buy the materials and do get the spawns later for the

(31m 15s)

pokemon but just if you haven’t done it it’s really easy go out well find your little dandelion

(31m 21s)

and see it’s go, go by stuff from our bit.

(31m 23s)

It might be back later. I don’t know.

(31m 25s)

People already date of mine. There’s going to be more stuff, so we’ll see.

(31m 28s)

Okay, so let’s last of the updates.

New Games

(31m 32s) Kevin:

Alright, let’s talk about some new game announcements.

(31m 36s)

Let’s talk about Moonfrost.

Moonfrost

(31m 40s) Kevin:

Sorry, one second. I spoke with my tabs on myself. Good job, me.

(31m 45s)

Okay, so all right, reading the blurb.

(31m 50s)

Let’s see how many buzzwords we can check off here.

(31m 53s)

Moonfrost is a cozy life sim RPG, sat in a world ravaged by constant meteor storms.

(31m 59s)

You’re not media storms. That’s all right.

(32m 1s)

Farmfish, craft and build your dream home as you restore a village in ruins.

(32m 5s)

Find friendship or love and unravel the mystery behind the second move that looms above us.

(32m 12s)

All right, you know what?

(32m 14s)

There’s a couple words in there that caught my eye.

(32m 16s)

Second moon, that might be a concern.

(32m 19s)

Yeah, shoot, so let’s see here.

(32m 23s)

So it’s, yeah, a ravaged world. It’s isometric.

(32m 27s)

We’re, you know, about the grid-based building, farming.

(32m 31s)

You’ve got to town, people you’re interacting with.

(32m 34s)

You’ve got dungeons. I’ll say the meteors drop in.

(32m 37s)

Looks pretty cool. The visuals are pretty nice.

(32m 41s)

But, yeah, we’ve got no ETA against me. It’s nearly announced.

(32m 49s)

• Yeah, I don’t know what your thoughts are, Johnny.

(32m 52s) Jonnie:

Yeah, so visually this looks like it’s like in the middle ground between

(32m 56s)

Stardew Valley and Coral Island

(32m 59s)

It’s kind of like if those two were a spectrum. It’s kind of sitting right in the middle

(33m 5s)

and

(33m 6s)

I don’t know like does this look like a good game? Yeah, probably

(33m 11s)

Does it look like doing anything?

(33m 13s)

particularly unique or interesting. I’m not seeing it yet

(33m 18s)

Like I think at the moment it feels like a lot of games leaning into

(33m 22s)

the like unraveled the mystery as like the hook for like some sort of story element as like the hook for

(33m 29s)

the game and

(33m 31s)

I don’t really play these games for the story from being honest like that’s a side piece

(33m 35s)

Like as well I liked things like Carl Island where it’s like, yeah, just clean up the island and there’s a thing going on with cooperation

(33m 41s)

But really just clean the island like just do your fun stuff like and that’s all really good

(33m 46s)

So look we’ll follow this one as it as it develops, but

(33m 52s)

It like it looks good

(33m 54s)

But you know TBC right like what’s it what’s the hook?

(33m 57s)

What’s different to this like why why would I play this over just going back and starting a new save on Stardew Valley?

(33m 59s) Kevin:

Are you not interested in discovering romance again Johnny?

(34m 5s) Jonnie:

Yeah, that’s that’s not

(34m 11s)

Absolutely not honestly now what I see that and like oh do we have to

(34m 12s) Kevin:

So, I’m sorry, I apologize.

(34m 19s) Jonnie:

Because the answer is usually, yes, in fact, you have to.

(34m 29s) Kevin:

Don’t know where you’ve got this from, but I’ll post it a little interview type question or an answer from the devs that is worth note here.

(34m 39s)

The question being asked, Moonfrost have NFTs running blockchain features.

(34m 45s)

We’re in twenty twenty six, why are we asking?

(34m 49s)

They are very clear, no, they do not have NFT blockchain features and never will.

(34m 55s)

Oh, man, uh, I did it.

(34m 57s) Jonnie:

I think it’s important to know as part of the answer of the game initially had that as part of the concept so it might be a based on whoever the developers were there was part of their initial.

(35m 4s) Kevin:

• Yeah, yeah.

(35m 7s) Jonnie:

And it’s all pitch but they’re being very clear that no it doesn’t mind, although I will say like you know if that was ever in your your work map or plan then you know it just puts me off slightly right because it’s like so what is the next type train that you’re going to jump on.

(35m 12s) Kevin:

Yeah

(35m 24s)

Yeah

(35m 27s) Jonnie:

and try and stuff into this game in order to make money.

(35m 28s) Kevin:

No, the AI features that are excited for co-pilot

(35m 36s)

That might not be up to them that might be depending over the release

(35m 36s) Jonnie:

We don’t we don’t have three hours for me to go on on that rant. So let’s just let’s just

(35m 45s) Kevin:

But that is kind of wild they had the blockchain early on in development, but they stepped away from it

(35m 50s)

So, you know, maybe leadership should add a note, but they made a pivot.

(35m 54s)

It’s possibly safe, but you’re right. You don’t know what the future holds.

(35m 59s)

Yeah, all right, there you go. That’s that’s moon frost. That’s our only new game announcement. Oh

(36m 5s)

Keep on eye on it. If nothing else, you might see some chaos happen over there.

Pokopia Lore

(36m 10s) Kevin:

All right, now we can get to pakopia corner. Ew, pakopia time

(36m 17s)

At this point, I should have like a jingle ready just just for which to the pakopia

(36m 24s)

So we’re going to talk about lore. I’m going to say quote unquote story.

(36m 28s)

This is full spoiler warning for people. I’m going to think about how to approach this.

(36m 35s)

Yeah, I’m going to talk about every area and not not in detail like the map or whatever,

(36m 40s)

but just just kind of the progression and what happens and discuss some of the NPCs and characters and then kind of the

(36m 46s)

the final questline. So there’s going to be full spoilers, but like because I’m going to try to break it down by area so you can hop off

(36m 53s)

Wherever you feel, come.

(36m 54s)

You know, I’m comfortable, dear listener, but let’s cut into it. So first of all, um.

(36m 58s) Jonnie:

and maybe, maybe hold on, I’m going to, I’m going to interrupt you and throw your plan totally off.

(37m 1s) Kevin:

Yep.

(37m 2s) Jonnie:

So as a starting point, uh, zero ditto, right? That’s, that’s kind of what I know. But like, so just,

(37m 3s) Kevin:

Go for it.

(37m 5s)

Yes.

(37m 8s)

Yes.

(37m 9s)

Yeah.

(37m 10s) Jonnie:

just set the context in terms of why does the ditto turn into a train.

(37m 13s) Kevin:

Okay.

(37m 15s)

Okay. Well, that specific question is a little still.

(37m 20s)

fuzzy let’s say I’m okay so yes I

(37m 24s)

right for people I’m familiar let’s just go right back to beginning since John E.M. played the starting of

(37m 29s)

part point of the game is literally a did a wakes up from sleep whatever they wake up they are in an

(37m 36s)

unfamiliar location they happen to find a polka decks nearby that has an image of the dido and their trainer and for

(37m 47s)

whatever reason the dido is motivated to transform into a monstrous human

(37m 54s)

nightmare dido thing and and that’s just it’s kind of motivated to do do so itself yeah

(38m 3s)

there’s I don’t know why it just it sees it in a copy’s it basically and so yeah where the

(38m 10s)

trainer is where anyone else is that at that that’s very unclear but then minutes after you

(38m 18s)

or seconds after say you run into professor Tangro the tangro with

(38m 24s)

glasses hang around his neck a CD on his head and somehow his vines are gray but he is professor

(38m 31s)

Tangro and he runs into he finds you he’s he’s kind of shocked because he has not found any

(38m 38s)

Pokemon or humans recently and obviously more shocked because you’re a dido transforming into a person

(38m 44s)

somehow and so the two of you venture out of the little thing that you’ve you’ve awoken in and you are

(38m 54s)

anything else any other Pokemon side people or anything you run into a squirtle a woken from a nap as well the

(39m 6s)

portal also does not know where they are and abused by way there’s no other people are Pokemon the

(39m 12s)

squirtle the dido transform into the squirtle and you learn the copy its ability of being able to

(39m 19s)

project out vomit with water gun and water the grass which turns it nice green and vibrant

(39m 25s)

and in doing so and cleaning up the area little just just to make things nicer you attract the

(39m 32s)

Bulbasaur and you learn the ability from Bulbasaur to a called leafage that grows grass and then you

(39m 39s)

realize you can start creating areas that attract Pokemon and so in kind of discovering all this

(39m 46s)

char mander join your little crew all of you guys start to die to start reinvigorating

(39m 54s)

the the the environment the level around you who are around you to uh to kind of attract Pokemon and

(40m 1s)

hopefully people back because nobody knows what’s going on or where is anyone and that’s kind of the

(40m 7s)

starting point for the game you have any questions so well okay all right yes yeah nobody knows where

(40m 10s) Jonnie:

Uh, no, that, that I think is good accounting.

(40m 14s)

So it was starting with a big mystery, right?

(40m 19s) Kevin:

anyone is why everyone is disappeared but that is um that

(40m 24s)

kind of the mission.

(40m 26s)

Let’s mix up the world to see if we can find people,

(40m 29s)

more people, and Pokemon.

(40m 31s)

And, and so you start your journey in the area

(40m 36s)

called the Withering wastelands.

(40m 38s)

It is a green, well, quote unquote green.

(40m 41s)

Everything is dried out sort of area,

(40m 43s)

but a lot of green, you’re a lot of trees

(40m 45s)

and grassland type area.

(40m 47s)

There’s some ruined structures.

(40m 49s)

Oh, one of the big ones you guys find,

(40m 50s)

a Pokemon Center.

(40m 52s)

Professor Tang growth recognizes what it is.

(40m 54s)

It is that it was a building where many people and Pokemon together.

(41m)

So one of the main objectives is, hey, let’s restore this Pokemon center.

(41m 6s)

I might get part of that mission just trying to clean everything up.

(41m 9s)

And so going back to, that’s when the game kind of opens up.

(41m 13s)

You get, you know, sandboxy and really up to you how you want to go about it.

(41m 17s)

But you’re creating new habitats as they’re called to attract Pokemon.

(41m 22s)

local months habitat or home.

(41m 24s)

So that’s that’s kind of the rhythm of the game, right? Just go about building stuff up, make Pokemon happy environment level goes on.

(41m 48s)

Around environment level five, that’s when you unlock the environment level.

(41m 54s)

The ability to restore the Pokemon center. So like I said, that’s kind of the point where you can clear the area.

(42m)

There are still some main quests per area in the withering wastelands. The big kind of like issue is it’s a very dry area. There’s no rain. Everything has dried out.

(42m 10s)

So you want to create humidity as Bulbasaur now, the engine is taken by storm. Let’s get humid. Let’s get this area humid.

(42m 21s)

and uh… you want to introduce rainback

(42m 25s)

so you you go about uh…

(42m 28s)

you go about uh…

(42m 30s)

right in a track water pokemon

(42m 32s)

you try to attract a slow poke who’s known for making rain

(42m 36s)

you set up a little rain temple and so on and so forth

(42m 40s)

uh… all in hopes of of bringing rain to the area

(42m 44s)

uh… and so as you do that uh… you know like I said you can water gun stuff

(42m 48s)

yourself or and and brighten it up but

(42m 51s)

the overall objective trying to hit that range?

(42m 54s)

Once you work enough quests and get to a certain point, you actually attract

(43m 2s)

Hyoga, the legendary Pokemon, and as Kyoga does, he brings rain onto the area, so you know myth and met.

(43m 15s)

Actually Kyoga is very funny, he has a southern draw in this game, but yeah, he has a southern draw and is more

(43m 22s)

more than happy to help you guys out.

(43m 24s)

And and as the rainstorm happens, it rain will in fact turn areas of dry grass into wet areas and so on.

(43m 35s)

And yeah, mission meant right like that’s the main objective and then once you’ve hit that and you’ve restored the Pokemon Center.

(43m 43s)

That’s kind of it for the the weather and wastelands in terms of the main quest.

(43m 48s)

Now, here’s the thing we’re not just with this area, the whole game is a whole the quantum puts.

(43m 54s)

the story is very simple, generally speaking.

(43m 57s)

It’s a very like here’s this problem, let’s solve it, let’s you know play the game and increase the habitat level, the environment level, all that stuff.

(44m 6s)

And yeah, that’s also like I mentioned last week story wise it’s it’s very simple to technically the events the plot there’s not too much going on.

(44m 16s)

But as you’re exploring you’ve start to find like said, there’s a lot of ruin structures and buildings and things.

(44m 24s)

You find notes and hints as to what on earth has actually happened, because here’s the kicker as you go through the story, the characters don’t actually learn the truth.

(44m 37s)

You the player learn the truth, but as their Pokemon and they can’t read human writing, they actually don’t get the answer.

(44m 44s) Jonnie:

Ah, interesting.

(44m 45s) Kevin:

It is so looking at withering wastelands, one of the things you find in abandoned building that’s that’s fairly.

(44m 54s)

It’s not terribly taken a lot of these notes and areas are sometimes fairly deep in just the other day I actually found a new cave I’d never found in one of these areas, but when you investigate the little notebook there you learn you are actually in use your city from the Kanto region.

(45m 14s)

And not only that, but evil I players like our mutual friend Greg will observe this is not just Kanto this is Kanto from.

(45m 25s)

Pikachu and Eevee. Because a lot of the tile sets, the art and the layout are very closely

(45m 31s)

matching the let’s go game switches, such a fascinating. I am not played a let’s go game. So I

(45m 38s)

didn’t catch this at all, but it’s all based off let’s go which is that one fascinating choice,

(45m 44s)

but to the fact that they dedicated to that like very impressive, very cool. But anyways, yeah,

(45m 50s) Jonnie:

Yeah, that’s really, that’s really interesting.

(45m 51s) Kevin:

It is. Yeah. Um, and like I said, uh,

(45m 55s)

you know, I’m not playing it and don’t have strong feelings on the game,

(45m 58s)

but medication to at least one interpretation of the can to region.

(46m 1s)

I think it is a very cool choice. No. Um, so yeah, so you, um,

(46m 7s)

so you start learning. Uh, I would say there’s every area.

(46m 11s)

I think has basically three general cracks of the sort of notes can find one.

(46m 16s)

You find just snare or stuff about the area specific like in future city.

(46m 23s)

You learned yes, the rain has stopped.

(46m 25s)

Environment has gone into chaos because it’s it’s right out. There’s this drought going on.

(46m 29s)

Right, you learn, you learn little notes like, yeah, here’s where coga lived or whatever, right to confirm where you are.

(46m 37s)

I’m just a little hint in odds in a lot in a lot of cases. Sometimes when you find certain note, you’ll actually learn,

(46m 43s)

either an emote you can do, as dido, as a human, you can learn, you find new outfits or hair to change your appearance, you actually can get coga’s ninja outfit,

(46m 55s)

a very cute, and so on and so forth. So a lot of, let’s say, I guess, call it flavor, right, flavor for the area and the game is all of them.

(47m 3s)

But there are two other, what I call, I would categorize this as types of notes. One is the overarching like issue, as you learn that yes, the environment has gone into chaos and what more people going to start doing about that.

(47m 20s)

And, too, you got notes from a team rocket member.

(47m 26s)

And how that member and the organization is responding to the chaos as well.

(47m 32s)

I’m going to get into those a little before the end because I think it ties more towards the final quest than the credits.

(47m 40s)

But, again, these all spread throughout the whole game and throughout the whole world in a non-linear fashion.

(47m 47s)

But, so, the more you explore, the more you’re rewarded.

(47m 50s)

But, yes, I’ll get to that.

(47m 53s)

But yeah, like I said

(47m 55s)

it’s a future city mode just ravaged by drought primarily and that’s why, you know, again, the Pokemon trying to bring rain unintentionally knowing that was the root cause, but they just obviously see it’s too dry. So and they succeed him bringing Kyogur and

(48m 10s)

Aza once you’ve and then at that point you can fix up the Pokemon Center and you hit a point where you can move on to a different area. Do you have any questions or any comments before I move on?

(48m 25s) Jonnie:

No, look, I’m really curious as to where this is going.

(48m 32s) Kevin:

ha ha ha ha oh yeah oh just you I just bubble okay um oh gone so okay after you complete the main

(48m 42s)

objectives for the uh the withering wasteland area you can go to actually to troll you have an

(48m 48s)

option you can there’s two gates as they’re called doorways to a different areas that you can pick

(48m 54s)

um you can go to a beach area or a rocky mountain area uh ones called leek beach the others

(49m 2s)

rocky ridges I will go in the yard again totally up to you and and really you don’t know which

(49m 7s)

one you kind of pick a gate and you just go um I happened to end up at the rocky ridges first

(49m 12s)

so i’m so i’ll go into the discussion of that um do you end up in this mountainous area

(49m 18s)

called the rocky ridges um where everything is or a vast majority of the location is also covered

(49m 25s)

in volcanic ash you can see that there’s been a major eruption in the area and has kind of just

(49m 32s)

covered everything in ash so that’s kind of our uh um you know chaotic root cause issue here

(49m 39s)

right um you uh so as you start again going about you find the pokemon center and just like

(49m 46s)

area area yeah say okay let’s start bringing this place back let’s start attracting pokemon

(49m 52s)

um and and and fixing up the pokemon center um and now in the rocky ridge um you meet uh

(50m 2s)

full of npc’s this is where we start meeting some of our yeah full on characters you meet uh as

(50m 7s)

you progress you meet chef vente um I don’t have you seen any images of these characters are you familiar

(50m 14s)

with chef dente johnny okay i’m gonna show you the images okay um oh you know what i’ll show you

(50m 15s) Jonnie:

No. No, I am not.

(50m 19s) Kevin:

professor tank growth too just so you can see um one second um oh you have seen okay

(50m 23s) Jonnie:

The professor I have seen, like I saw, you know, some of the trailers.

(50m 29s) Kevin:

I’ll question.

(50m 30s)

Here’s your shirt.

(50m 32s)

All right, so you meet Chef Dente, an ingredient with a pot in their head and far in cooking

(50m 40s)

utensils all over.

(50m 43s)

They, like everyone else don’t know how they wake up from a nap and are wondering where

(50m 45s) Jonnie:

[laughs]

(50m 50s) Kevin:

the humans are.

(50m 51s)

Chef Dente in particular had a trainer companion they were close to who was a chef.

(50m 57s)

And so that’s where they picked up the cooking.

(51m)

Chef Dente is actually female.

(51m 2s)

And she’s a sweet lady, but he teaches you how to cook and you know the benefits of that from the gameplay wise and whatnot.

(51m 12s)

And around the same time, you also meet a fantastic addition to the game, a new Rotom form.

(51m 21s)

You meet DJ Rotom, excuse me. It is a Rotom who has possessed a…

(51m 32s)

stereo system. And they are about bringing music and liveliness to the environment in the party.

(51m 42s)

And so with these two characters, the kind of like the overarching mission is, hey let’s bring, let’s lighten up the place with a big old party.

(51m 53s)

You go about trying to set up an entire big feast, set up a party area and bring out music with DJ Rotom.

(52m 3s)

And so you’re just trying to create little happiness and celebration here.

(52m 7s)

And as you do so, finally when you reach the end of the questlines, you’re rewarded with the appearance of Volcanion who continues to not care about humans whatsoever as other appearances.

(52m 22s)

But they are impressed by everything you guys have done and it shows you how to make fireworks and you have a lovely little fireworks play as you end your little cast of Pokemon.

(52m 32s)

And have a little party and food.

(52m 35s)

So, lower-wise, story-wise, not too much going on in the Rocky Bridges, to be honest. What is interesting, again, is kind of the background stuff and really the gig in truth for the whole game.

(52m 46s)

So as you bow through the area in Rocky Bridges, you find information you are actually in Tudor city.

(52m 54s)

Mt. Moon has erupted and destroyed everything.

(53m)

And so that’s why the…

(53m 2s)

The area has become abandoned clearly. You find blocks outfit, you find some mines and so on and so forth.

(53m 12s)

So, again, just kind of chaotic where all the people don’t know what’s going on, but again, little clues as to where you are, what’s been going on.

(53m 22s)

And what’s interesting, though, with these NPCs, particularly Chef Dente, towards the end of the game, you can come back and get a sort of…

(53m 32s)

secondary quest to chef dentate to learn more about them. You learn a final recipe that they

(53m 38s)

want to master. And in doing so, you find more information on their trainer who’d written journals

(53m 43s)

about chef dente and how they’re teaching them to cook and how much they care for them. And

(53m 47s)

you learn chef dente actually had a nickname from the trailer, trainer named and her name is

(53m 52s)

Charlotte and it is the most heartwarming, heart-destroying little mention of just

(53m 58s)

waiver of the how much this trainer care for this little greed and

(54m 2s)

And sadly again all the characters completely unaware since they can’t read anything

(54m 9s)

But yeah, there we are um, that’s that’s the rocky ridges

(54m 14s)

Over in the other area that you you could go to

(54m 18s)

bleak beach

(54m 21s)

This one’s interesting because you can tell right away where you are because you’re in this beach seaside town area

(54m 28s)

But often in the distance you see a big cruise line

(54m 32s)

And you know at this point, you know most people know they’re in kanto

(54m 35s)

You know right off the bat. You are in for million city. That is the SS and in the background, which is very cool

(54m 41s) Jonnie:

Amazing, that’s cool to see.

(54m 42s) Kevin:

Yeah, it’s it is so awesome because you see like the silhouette and then when you can approach it later you see it’s all destroyed

(54m 50s)

Anyway, so yeah, you are now in bleak beach now the

(54m 56s)

prices going on here

(54m 58s)

there’s a

(55m 2s)

Great. It is completely overcast always

(55m 6s)

And then the town has been dark and obviously the electricity is down so you spend a lot of time going through the town trying to

(55m 14s)

Bet electricity to generate

(55m 16s)

During this area you meet hee-hee-hee-hee-hee

(55m 20s)

um a hee-hee-hee-hee-hee that is very pale

(55m 24s)

In its complexion like all the other characters. They’re very

(55m 29s)

very defined personality care.

(55m 33s)

He’s very proper and caring.

(55m 36s)

And I think I mentioned this last week, but a couple weeks ago.

(55m 40s)

The reason Pikachu is so pale in its complexion.

(55m 43s)

It actually spent all of its electricity to save its friends who are getting sick, I believe.

(55m 49s)

So, Pikachu at this point is unable to generate their own electricity.

(55m 54s)

Sadly.

(55m 55s) Jonnie:

It’s super cute. This color scheme is really nice. I like it a lot.

(55m 55s) Kevin:

It is adorable and that expression it has.

(56m 2s)

It is just as sweet and delicate as it looks.

(56m 6s)

In this area, you meet the second character that NPC you meet.

(56m 12s)

Here we are.

(56m 15s)

Mosslax.

(56m 16s)

A Snorlax who has been asleep for so long.

(56m 19s)

They are covered in moss.

(56m 23s)

And so, again, kind of the whole object here to light up the town to bring, you know, clear the skies again.

(56m 30s)

and in part to wake up Mosslax again.

(56m 33s)

And so as you do so, you know, you find ways to generate electricity, different structures.

(56m 40s)

You eventually even meet towards the end of these questlines, you meet Riku.

(56m 46s)

I’m an appropriate, you know, electric Thunder Pokemon and they help bring illumination.

(56m 52s)

Actually Pikachu plays a big role because even though they can’t generate electricity, they can absorb and charge it and let it out in a giant flash.

(57m)

that which is, you know, very

(57m 2s)

sweet that is trying to do all it can’t even with its sort of disability, you know what I’m going to say because you can say for limitations at least. But yeah, you do so.

(57m 13s)

And now Moss Lacks is interesting. Obviously, why is it covered in Moss? Here’s the thing. So, as I mentioned with all these other Pokémon, you know, yourself included, they don’t remember how they got there.

(57m 30s)

wake up, well, they say, I just woke up from now.

(57m 32s)

I don’t know where they are, how they got there.

(57m 37s)

Mosslax is not the case.

(57m 39s)

Mosslax actually remembers how it fell asleep.

(57m 43s)

And it remembers being with humans.

(57m 45s)

It remembers if fought some very…

(57m 47s)

It went to sleep because it had a fight with a very strong Pokémon.

(57m 53s)

It essentially served as a sort of a protector for the town.

(57m 57s)

People would give it food.

(57m 59s)

And at one point if I go on.

(58m 2s)

So powerful that it went to sleep and set for an unknown amount of time could be months, years, who knows, but so much that Moss has grown on it.

(58m 15s)

But it’s just interesting because you get the, you know, it’s very different.

(58m 19s)

Feeling from all these Pokemon that basically have amnesia, but this Moss likes no slough about the before times. And, and, and so yeah.

(58m 32s)

other character NPCs, you can get some late-game quests to go to find out a little more

(58m 38s)

Pikachu. You actually meet the friends. It’s a bunch of small electric Pokemon. I think it’s a

(58m 44s)

Pikachu or Toxel and a Dennie that it cared for and then protected them and gave up its electricity

(58m 50s)

to keep them safe. And MOSLACS, you just kind of learned that backstory of fighting. Again,

(58m 59s)

again finding a very strong Pokemon just going to sleep for a long time.

(59m 3s)

So yeah, very very, uh, I boss like I found particularly interesting because of that kind of difference, but yeah, you have any questions so far, Johnny, I know I’m going just on and on here, so please.

(59m 14s) Jonnie:

No, no, keep that and keep going. This is really interesting.

(59m 15s) Kevin:

Okay. Yeah. Okay. Um, okay. So the last area once you clear both the beach and the rocky ridges, you unlock the fourth area and it’s called.

(59m 28s)

“Fimmering Skylands”.

(59m 31s)

Now this is the one that…

(59m 32s)

that made me go “Whoa” because this is the first one that I didn’t quite guess where

(59m 39s)

he were.

(59m 40s)

You basically encountered this area that is a bunch of floating islands, there’s like mountains

(59m 48s)

of Bristol and it’s all broken up and upon entering this area, you discover something pretty

(59m 56s)

surprising to me.

(59m 57s)

I just caught me off guard and you discover, because… let me back up.

(1h 2s)

Another thing, Ditto, you know, being human-saved and having the transformed capabilities,

(1h 7s)

it’s clearly doing stuff that other Pokemon can’t do, right?

(1h 10s)

It’s the one crafting everything, building everything, learn doing all these things, right?

(1h 14s)

Upon entering the shimmering skies, you discover evidence of another Pokemon that has been

(1h 19s)

crafting and building things.

(1h 22s)

Because you see, not run down, but like make if structures, let’s call it right, like it

(1h 30s)

It’s hobbled together from different materials.

(1h 32s)

But you see structures, you see some machinery, there’s a lift that will carry you from your end starting area to a central island.

(1h 40s)

So you know, you’ve got you in prefer to tank or realize, oh, dang, there’s another Pokemon it can craft around here.

(1h 47s)

And so, you know, you get started kind of like you do in the other areas. You have the Pokemon center, your work and try to store the habitats, and soon you meet.

(1h 1m 1s)

ah baby.

(1h 1m 2s)

Welcome un-responsible for the stuff going on, ah, the best NPC in the game hands down,

(1h 1m 8s)

the other ones are great, but there is no competing with the Tinkmaster. Um, new here,

(1h 1m 11s) Jonnie:

[laughing]

(1h 1m 16s) Kevin:

let me show you their image. They are a inkaton who loves to craft, they have modified

(1h 1m 23s)

their hammer to have an array of, or it was like a wrench and a saw, and they love to build. Um,

(1h 1m 26s) Jonnie:

Amazing. Yeah.

(1h 1m 31s) Kevin:

They are charming, they are sweet.

(1h 1m 32s)

And they are all on board on repairing and building stuff and so it is great.

(1h 1m 39s)

So as you explore the Shimmering Skylands, you realize this was a big city.

(1h 1m 45s)

There were basically broken down skyscrapers and roads like asphalt roads going through

(1h 1m 49s)

the city or through these different areas.

(1h 1m 54s)

And there is one particularly big building that Tinkmaster wants to reconstruct.

(1h 2m 2s)

So the kind of the overall story here is rebuilding this huge tower.

(1h 2m 7s)

And this one is actually a lot like Dragon Quest Builders kind of.

(1h 2m 11s)

As you remember Johnny, you would have these big builds and you would gather materials

(1h 2m 15s)

and all the Pokémon characters would help build them for you.

(1h 2m 21s)

And it is very similar to that as you are restoring this building because this one is broken

(1h 2m 24s)

up in parts.

(1h 2m 25s)

Basically gather the different materials, find certain things and then build this next

(1h 2m 29s)

area of the building.

(1h 2m 32s)

4 or 5, that is it takes to restore the building.

(1h 2m 37s)

And once you do so, yeah, you have built this huge skyscraper.

(1h 2m 42s)

It is actually very lovely in how Tinkmaster has built it.

(1h 2m 46s)

There is like a restaurant, an office area, a play area, very, very fun to see this building

(1h 2m 51s)

come to life’s level by level.

(1h 2m 54s)

And anyways, so when you complete it, everyone is celebrating.

(1h 2m 58s)

Then you get, again, you get your.

(1h 3m 2s)

legendary encounter and this one’s interesting because basically a whole opens up in the sky and so you go to the top of this big building constructed and what comes down from the whole but a master of all the first ever pokeball like or you see of this nature in the game and out of the Pokeball comes Mewtwo who was just been alerted to this construction and is checking in to make sure you know humans aren’t up to scientific nonsense again.

(1h 3m 33s)

and he’s like, “Okay, cool, very hot and just disappears.”

(1h 3m 36s) Jonnie:

[laughing]

(1h 3m 36s) Kevin:

But it is fascinating because you see a master ball.

(1h 3m 40s)

Again, I mean, you see Pokeball is like,

(1h 3m 42s)

the items you pick up, but it’s more of a game thing,

(1h 3m 46s)

not actually Pokeball, it feels like, but yeah.

(1h 3m 49s)

But that’s interesting because, again,

(1h 3m 50s)

that’s kind of like an instance of,

(1h 3m 52s)

okay, that new two clearly had human interaction

(1h 3m 55s)

or whatever and in different sort of environment

(1h 3m 59s)

than the rest of these Pokemon.

(1h 4m 1s)

• And so.

(1h 4m 3s)

As for the area itself,

(1h 4m 5s)

it took me a second to figure out,

(1h 4m 7s)

because in Kanto, right, there’s the two big cities.

(1h 4m 10s)

They’re celloed on, and then they’re saffron city.

(1h 4m 13s)

At points, it felt like there was this weird mashup

(1h 4m 15s)

with the two, because some areas felt like celloed on.

(1h 4m 17s)

But after talking it over and looking over the notes

(1h 4m 20s)

and everything, you realize it’s saffron city.

(1h 4m 23s)

You find Sabrina Kim, again, heavily inspired

(1h 4m 26s)

off the Let’s Go look.

(1h 4m 28s)

It has a very distinct cyber futuristic,

(1h 4m 31s)

colorful look.

(1h 4m 33s)

So you see that the building you restored is clearly the self building and the Mewtwo spawning there is a reference to that and then there’s a few things you see the fighting dojo and so on and so forth so yeah that one’s very interesting to dig around and really interesting.

(1h 4m 58s)

Um, I’m going to all the details in the environment, but, um,

(1h 5m 3s)

but yeah, you learn about that. You learn all the details of what’s going on.

(1h 5m 8s)

You learn a lot of rocket stuff because it’s rocket had some presence to their team rockets and presence there.

(1h 5m 13s)

Um, but, uh, yeah, um, they’re a very, very cool area.

(1h 5m 18s)

Uh, Tinkmaster, again, phenomenal character and they have an incredible ability.

(1h 5m 22s)

Every Pokemon has like an ability as you can imagine, right? You know, some of water, some will burn things, some will help plants grow.

(1h 5m 29s)

Think Master has a unique ability called Engineer.

(1h 5m 33s)

Think Master will, if you bring it to a building project,

(1h 5m 36s)

will reduce the time significantly.

(1h 5m 40s)

Some buildings won’t struck until the next calendar day.

(1h 5m 44s)

Think Master can produce it to about an hour or so.

(1h 5m 48s)

Very cool, very awesome Pokemon. I’m absolutely a door tank master.

(1h 5m 53s)

And you see like this tower, they kind of built in the middle and their own little home.

(1h 5m 56s)

I just, I will think Master so much. Anyway, so yeah.

(1h 6m 3s)

That’s, that’s kind of the gist of the whole plot because the Shimming Skylands is the last area.

(1h 6m 11s)

And again, kind of that same rhythm of find the area of restore the Pokemon center,

(1h 6m 14s)

fix the big problem and you’re done with the areas.

(1h 6m 18s)

So again, in terms of like the characters, that’s kind of it for them.

(1h 6m 22s)

They don’t get a lot of closure. They don’t really get an answer to what’s going on.

(1h 6m 28s)

But to you, the player, as you’ve been going on, you, you will find, again, find these notes.

(1h 6m 28s) Jonnie:

Do we get an answer?

(1h 6m 33s) Kevin:

Because again, they’re spread out and you find them.

(1h 6m 37s)

But the final piece of the puzzle is one more separate quest line in the Withering Wasteland.

(1h 6m 44s)

There is this structure that looks like a lighthouse covered in sand.

(1h 6m 49s)

You discover it early on in your Withering Wasteland.

(1h 6m 53s)

And it’s, you, you approach the building and it starts, a message starts playing.

(1h 7m)

And you’re inducted into this program.

(1h 7m 3s)

It’s called the team initiation challenge and this voice is asking you to bring a number of items to the to this building.

(1h 7m 14s)

And so this is kind of like a long term.

(1h 7m 17s)

West line because you you encounter very early on, but a lot of the materials as you progress you can’t access into later areas and so on.

(1h 7m 25s)

And it comes in eight steps. As you complete them, you receive a badge.

(1h 7m 33s)

There’s like the first one’s called a boulder like badge. I think it’s just the kanto badges, but it’s just a little decorative item pretty much.

(1h 7m 41s)

But there’s eight steps to this quest line. I call it quest line. There’s not much going on. You’re just interacting with the voice coming out of this structure and you’re just giving it items.

(1h 7m 53s)

Now this it’s very clear like this team initiation challenge is team rocket.

(1h 8m)

going back to the team rocket notes as you discuss your

(1h 8m 3s)

actually finding the notes of the member who was kind of responsible for the

(1h 8m 7s)

structure in these recordings. Um, basically with the, um, well, actually, you know

(1h 8m 12s)

what? Let me step a, those step back with the other notes that you’ve been

(1h 8m 16s)

discovering. You’ve learned that the environment has gotten so bad that humans

(1h 8m 21s)

have elected to evacuate into space. Um, straight up, that’s this is the under

(1h 8m 25s) Jonnie:

Okay. Oh.

(1h 8m 31s) Kevin:

relying nonsense behind Pukul.

(1h 8m 34s)

I’ve decided to go into space. So now, from here, right, once you learn that kind of not insane

(1h 8m 40s)

truth, there’s there’s there’s two, there’s the team rocket thing, and then there’s the conservation

(1h 8m 45s)

because here’s the thing as Pokemon is people are trying to get into space already a huge endeavor.

(1h 8m 50s)

A lot of people are wondering, okay, what about the Pokemon? You know, a lot of people care

(1h 8m 54s)

about the Pokemon. And so you find one researcher scientist and Deborah Ringo, it’s called the

(1h 8m 59s)

Pokemon Conservation Project, he’s figuring out a way.

(1h 9m 4s)

How can they help the Pokemon while they’re gone, because the environment is still so broken down and hopeless.

(1h 9m 14s)

And then on the other side of the team rocket, you learn about this team rocket member.

(1h 9m 18s)

Team rocket because of their shenanigans they’ve done are not being allowed to join other people in space.

(1h 9m 25s)

So the team rocket and this member are endeavoring to build their own little rocket ship

(1h 9m 26s) Jonnie:

Things reasonable.

(1h 9m 32s) Kevin:

Um, and evacuate.

(1h 9m 35s)

So, um, as you’re learning all these pieces, you’re starting to get the picture of what’s going on.

(1h 9m 40s)

The Pokemon Conservation Project, it’s really fun to actually mention the Aether Paradise to the Aether Foundation from Sun and Moon, helping them out too.

(1h 9m 49s)

The plan is this. They are going to put all the Pokemon in a giant PC system. This is the plan.

(1h 9m 58s)

At first, I thought this was the game. I thought we were inside the PC simulation world.

(1h 10m 4s)

Because things were starting on. There was a point where things weren’t fully making sense. Um, but I think that was just a function of like the game mechanics or whatever limitations of the games.

(1h 10m 16s)

But you learned the system that the Pokemon Conservation System is only set the last a certain time. Eventually the Pokemon are going to have to come back out.

(1h 10m 28s)

So this you start to get the clear picture on what’s on Earth with all the Pokemon. Why are they waking up with amnesia?

(1h 10m 34s)

They are finally being spit out by the Pokemon Conservation System. And Ditto is one of the very first Pokemon to do so because of its transformation abilities, very adaptable.

(1h 10m 46s)

So that’s why you’re one of the very first to ever come out. And then you get like a squirt or water Pokemon that can shoot out water and make that scroll.

(1h 10m 54s)

And this also starts to make some of these other differing stories make a little more sense. For instance, Professor Tang growth actually avoided the Pokemon Conservation.

(1h 11m 5s)

You in the backstory that you learned throughout the different notes. It was actually a tangle. It was the researchers trained tangle. But it escapes the scientists who are going to put it in the giant PC.

(1h 11m 17s)

And so Professor Tang growth has more or less been just wandering the landscape on its own for years.

(1h 11m 22s)

It eventually evolved into a tang growth and its hair started to gray that their vines started to gray. That’s why it’s somewhat knowledgeable about the world.

(1h 11m 31s)

and has been lonely for such a long time.

(1h 11m 35s)

I don’t know about Mewtwo, but at least Mewtwo was able to…

(1h 11m 45s)

I might just be in the mashable the whole time, but it has some awareness.

(1h 11m 49s)

Kyogre was at the bottom of the ocean, so on and so forth.

(1h 11m 52s)

A couple of Pokemon slip by, but a lot of these other Pokemon that are just spawning.

(1h 11m 57s)

They’re coming out of a giant computer system.

(1h 12m)

Yeah, that’s going on with the Pokemon, and again.

(1h 12m) Jonnie:

interesting. It’s it’s a really clever story like trying to come up with a

(1h 12m 4s) Kevin:

Team Rocket on the Earth. It is. It is.

(1h 12m 9s) Jonnie:

way to do it that’s not too dark is difficult, right? Like it’s like the you

(1h 12m 17s)

know it’s like the since you started I mean kind of waiting for the like is

(1h 12m 21s)

everyone did right? And then when you said they’ll lift the spaces like well

(1h 12m 23s) Kevin:

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

(1h 12m 25s) Jonnie:

that’s good but like it’s also pretty grim that they’re like we’re just

(1h 12m 28s)

going to peace out I’m going to

(1h 12m 30s)

just gonna leave all the Pokemon here to, you know, die and say, well, no, they kind of like,

(1h 12m 37s)

I mean, it’s not great, right? Like, they kind of did the Wally thing of we’re going to just jump

(1h 12m 41s)

on the spaceship and we’ll work it out later. But at least it was like a, a reason, right? Like,

(1h 12m 46s)

they hit, they hit some of the level of thought. So that’s, that’s quite fascinating. And like, it’s a,

(1h 12m 50s)

it works really well in terms of like, because I hate amnesia in games. It’s like, what is what,

(1h 12m 57s)

like, why has everyone forgotten? It’s like, well, actually this is like…

(1h 13m)

pretty good reason, yeah.

(1h 13m 2s) Kevin:

Yeah. Yeah. And so fascinated because again, the structure of this is all nonlinear.

(1h 13m 7s)

It’s as you’re exploring if you happen to find these things. Right? Um,

(1h 13m 12s) Jonnie:

Yeah, like I hesitate to say this is a good story, but it’s like,

(1h 13m 17s)

you know, the standards being what they are.

(1h 13m 21s) Kevin:

Yeah. Yeah. No, no, no, certainly not, right? It’s, it’s engaging enough, right? Um,

(1h 13m 22s) Jonnie:

You know, it’s certainly not a bad story.

(1h 13m 30s)

And it’s the right sort of story for this game where it’s like, okay, so

(1h 13m 34s)

you explore and you discover and just like, do you need it? No.

(1h 13m 40s)

but does it make it better? If it

(1h 13m 42s)

exists? Yes. And now, looking at all of the images of the NPC, the Pokemon with the actual characters like,

(1h 13m 51s)

“Oh, these are all really cool variations.” To me, this is what variations of Pokemon,

(1h 13m 57s)

I hate regional forms. I find them super inspiring and they just don’t really make a lot of sense in my mind,

(1h 14m 4s)

compared to these versions that do make sense.

(1h 14m 8s) Kevin:

Mm-hmm. Well, yeah, I mean, I can get the regional form like they are just

(1h 14m 13s)

Recycling right or just basing off stuff, but but these I mean these are characters. That is a not just variation

(1h 14m 18s)

They they are full-on characters with stories how they go. They’re what they look like that. Yeah, I understand that

(1h 14m 24s)

Yeah, no, but I mean it’s all well done and

(1h 14m 27s)

Wanted to call it well paced because it’s so again off the beaten path in a lot of cases where you find a little hints and things

(1h 14m 33s)

I haven’t found all the pieces yet

(1h 14m 38s)

There’s still plenty of notebooks and things. I have to discover but like I get the general just a bit right from destroying so much

(1h 14m 44s)

But anyways going back to the team initiation challenge because that’s really the final quest the the team initiation challenge the the last

(1h 14m 53s)

The last delivery you have to do is a set of items that you only get from clearing all the other areas

(1h 15m 3s)

Right like the last night when you clear the Sherman’s Skyland area you get

(1h 15m 8s)

recipe for a game boy a classic game boy system and and that’s one of the items you have to deliver so you can’t beat it until you beat all the other areas so

(1h 15m 17s)

once you deliver all that um actually the I say that was the last one that’s the semi to last one the last item you deliver is actually a photo you

(1h 15m 26s)

have to take a photo and they specifically say like a very cherished photo for someone you care about

(1h 15m 33s)

It’s very touching and sweet and so you know you go take a

(1h 15m 38s)

picture who you want I rounded up the three starters you start off with Professor Tang growth and took a picture of us and you give it to the to the lighthouse and as I’m sure you summarize at this point.

(1h 15m 50s)

You turns out this lighthouse is in fact the team rocket rocket and it starts an initiation sequence by chance, Professor Tang growth actually accidentally triggers it with some party poppers.

(1h 16m 3s)

Um, but the rocket’s build up.

(1h 16m 8s)

And then you get your charming very, very charming and touching credit sequence of basically paper cutouts of the rocket flying through space and avoiding planets and asteroids and getting hit and getting banged up, and at the end of the credits you find a little space station area with a ditto plushie in the window and an astronaut comes out and meets this rocket.

(1h 16m 39s)

Oh, I should mention, uh, I completely forgot, but when you clear each Pokemon center you find a record from what is clearly ditto’s trainer, which is very cute and sweet.

(1h 16m 48s)

Um, there’s not too much in terms of like story, but it’s just heartwarming to see the the trainer that ditto also clearly cares about.

(1h 16m 55s)

Um, and then in post games like, you know, the minutes after you clear the game, you get the what I would call the real final piece of the puzzle.

(1h 17m 4s)

possibly a final to a team rocket journal entry.

(1h 17m 8s)

mentioning how they had built this project, and they actually gathered a surplus of fuel because that was one of the challenges for the whole space idea of it was coming back so they decided to get a surplus of fuel to kind of hopefully read wine good graces, as they bring it up to space so the implication that you know, one day people will possibly come back here, but that’s kind of it.

(1h 17m 38s)

that’s that again, a little bit of open ended story ending, but a little hope, which is very nice.

(1h 17m 43s) Jonnie:

I, yeah, I coming into this was not expecting a good story.

(1h 17m 49s)

I was expecting like just some nonsense.

(1h 17m 52s)

The kind of doesn’t make sense, but it’s good enough for a game like this to get through,

(1h 17m 55s)

which I think would be totally fine, right?

(1h 17m 57s)

Like the game like this doesn’t need to have a good story, but like hearing that it does.

(1h 18m 3s)

And like I’ve listened to the last few episodes that you’ve done on the game,

(1h 18m 6s)

it’s making me really want to play it because this is the sort of thing that I look for in a game,

(1h 18m 11s)

like this where it’s like a little thought it’s gotten to MS.

(1h 18m 13s)

there’s not that important to the overall experience of the game.

(1h 18m 18s)

But if being there does make the experience better for some number of people,

(1h 18m 24s)

like is this sort of thing that makes me want to play it?

(1h 18m 27s)

Because there’s a level of detail that’s gone into something not critical,

(1h 18m 31s)

then everything else should probably be pretty good, right?

(1h 18m 35s)

And I think this is my constant argument with Pokemon,

(1h 18m 37s)

like everyone’s sort of, you know, that the trees argument, right?

(1h 18m 40s)

Yeah, but if the trees are ugly,

(1h 18m 43s)

like how much like how much care has gone into the rest of the world and the rest of the game and that’s what I feel like is missing and that’s like hearing this makes me feel like it’s there and it’s not just that the story is logical.

(1h 18m 44s) Kevin:

It’s a… Yeah. Yeah.

(1h 18m 55s) Jonnie:

The characters like the the the mossy snow legs or whatever like they feel like good real characters for this world.

(1h 19m 5s) Kevin:

Yeah, I mean, I fully agree right like care cares the operative word right like that’s

(1h 19m 9s)

You know all the recent output of Pokemon I agree like that’s that’s been problem right like they there’s stuff

(1h 19m 13s)

I like but there’s you feel the limitations right like how much care is going into there right especially from the biggest

(1h 19m 20s)

Media franchise in the world right like you have infinity dollars to maybe put air and attention into every detail and you’re not right

(1h 19m 27s)

So I that’s it’s disappointing

(1h 19m 31s)

But that’s not the case at all in Pocopia as I mentioned so

(1h 19m 35s)

If you look if you know those little statues at Pocahontas a little like substitute doll looking dinosaur thing if you look at that compared to the let’s go one it’s one to one it’s the same statue like they put caring to everything in this game it’s it’s phenomenal.

(1h 19m 41s) Jonnie:

hmm

(1h 19m 45s)

hmm that’s so good

(1h 19m 49s) Kevin:

It’s incredible, I was going to get never played it so when red showed me the images like wow that is just from let’s go.

(1h 19m 58s)

I’m absolutely brilliant and I’m not surprised right this is again the dragon quest builders team.

(1h 20m 5s)

There was a lot of care and love into that game so I’m not that was my expectation fully met I said this a couple weeks ago but it’s and it’s not just me I think the reviews say it all this I think this is easily to say the best game with Pokemon in the title hands down it’s it’s it is it’s just incredible like I mean it’s all Lauren what now but like I don’t know if I said this on the show but I think.

(1h 20m 35s)

that pokemon’s biggest strength is the pokemon for lack of better way of putting it right like the designs are always great but how do you interact with them how do you play with them right.

(1h 20m 43s)

tour the main games you go through your battle and that’s something but.

(1h 20m 47s)

Pokemon early on the 90s like they introduce an anime a card game you know pokemon stadium pokemon say all these different ways you can play and interact with them and.

(1h 20m 58s)

You know when they do that well it’s it’s phenomenal and and that’s all this game is it’s just.

(1h 21m 5s)

hanging out with all these pokemon and build stuff um it’s it’s a normal and yes and then then then survive this insane essentially horrifying story here’s yeah you’re right it is wallie I didn’t think about that but that it is.

(1h 21m 16s) Jonnie:

Yeah, yeah, that was the first thing I thought of when it’s like, yeah, we’re just going to leave the bladder.

(1h 21m 23s) Kevin:

it’s wal-e with the little accent on it from the it’s walley in the pokemon logo or font um yeah but anyways i’m scared because.

(1h 21m 35s)

they’re reading plushies of some of these MPC characters so i’m i’m i’m i’m done for funny it’s over from me yeah actually they’re doing p2 and muslikes but yeah i’m scared.

(1h 21m 43s) Jonnie:

Yeah, yeah, I

(1h 21m 47s)

Oh

(1h 21m 48s)

Those feel like the right ones to be doing. I would get like the rest of those and I would even play the game

(1h 21m 51s) Kevin:

yeah yeah yeah what’s nice um and and there’s because they’ve still left it so open um there’s room for expansion which obviously i’m going to be a sucker and buy right.

(1h 22m 5s)

away um like I mentioned we only do four cities there’s only more cities we didn’t do lavender town um maybe what is it uh tell other than.

(1h 22m 16s)

The place missy’s from um not sell it on it’s really it’s really in city and that with the put with the big cave next to it like there’s there’s room there’s stuff to explore and see more of.

(1h 22m 26s)

Like I said each of the environments kind of have their own thing all I forgot to mention staff on the reason so crazy it’s tics on it’s earthquakes just.

(1h 22m 33s)

with the pitted city.

(1h 22m 35s)

And there’s a lot more like I haven’t talked about all the locations and sites to see and there’s still a lot of environmental storytelling just just looking at the land and figuring what’s going on.

(1h 22m 53s)

But it’s, you know, we can say that for another time. But yeah, no, it’s it’s fantastic. This story that literally people.

(1h 23m 5s)

I’ve, everyone was dead was close. I thought Pokemon and the PC was, was up there, but still they went places. They weren’t afraid to go places. And that’s this game with their story. So yeah, welcome to the Horsey. Oh, cool, cool. All right. But that’s it. I’ve said my piece again for the third week in a row and I will continue to dance. So long as I’m on here. Do you have anything else to add or questions, Johnny?

(1h 23m 31s) Jonnie:

No, I think that’s like, it was a really good summary of like, like I said, I think for me,

(1h 23m 36s)

it’s made me want to play the game more like it’s, it’s really satisfying just to hear that

(1h 23m 41s)

it’s a story that makes sense. Um, and it also like based on what I know of this sort of game and

(1h 23m 47s)

like, you know, having played Dragon Quest Bill is too and and some things like that. Like knowing

(1h 23m 51s)

the story will probably change your enjoyment of the game zero, right? So if you’ve listened to

(1h 23m 56s) Kevin:

Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, four score. Yeah, I mean, like the story’s great. All the that’s just one element like game. So I got I’m going at this heart still, but I also had just clearly have issues. So, you know, all right.

(1h 23m 57s) Jonnie:

that’s, you know, like, “Oh, should I play it?”

(1h 23m 58s)

“I will be answers probably still, yes.”

Outro

(1h 24m 13s) Kevin:

So with that said, um, thank you, Johnny, for joining me on this little journey as I talked about the horrors of Pocopia, the underlying doors and thank you listeners for joining me. Thank you all for having me on.

(1h 24m 26s)

Do you have anything you’d like to share or plug or whatever?

(1h 24m 29s) Jonnie:

No, look, I think just if you can join this like it’s good time. We we chat about all things. I’ll post kitten photos there

(1h 24m 35s) Kevin:

Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I mean, I’m Cooper as wherever, like, I, I don’t have anything interesting.

(1h 24m 38s) Jonnie:

So

(1h 24m 39s)

Yeah, that’s that’s the main thing for me. What about you kid? We can people find you

(1h 24m 47s) Kevin:

I live in Pocopoebe worlds. Once I get, oh my gosh, I didn’t even talk about palette

(1h 24m 51s)

town. There’s a place called Pallet Town. Let’s smell like art palette. Um, it’s, it’s

(1h 24m 56s)

basically the creative mode. Like it’s a super flat huge area. That’s where you can build.

(1h 25m 1s)

Once I get that going I’ll share pictures of that and slap a guy I haven’t even

(1h 25m 5s)

touched it yet anyway, so if i’m Cooper press wherever you care it’s it’s

(1h 25m 10s)

oh when I have interesting things to share i’ll bring it up but whatever but as

(1h 25m 15s)

Tony said all the podcasts because that’s always interesting we’re on tumblr

(1h 25m 19s)

and blue sky at chs pod go to harvest season dot club to bear to see links to

(1h 25m 25s)

all the stuff we’re talking about in the show or to give us feedback we can we

(1h 25m 31s)

like to read that I like to read the feedback here the feedback and talk about it

(1h 25m 35s)

be on the show get a tension and then if you really want to you know see

(1h 25m 42s)

that see the woods still in that it’s all good but do you want extra bonus

(1h 25m 47s)

stuff go to patreon.com/ths pod where you can support the show just for a

(1h 25m 52s)

couple bucks a month it’s it’s it you guys do you I’m not forcing you but I’m

(1h 26m)

more I personally am always more than happy to support the show and if you do you

(1h 26m 3s)

You get some goodies, you get acts.

(1h 26m 5s)

And we talk about the show and all that good stuff, and you also get acts as to the greenhouse, where we talk about all sorts of non-cudded towards topics and things.

(1h 26m 26s)

I have ideas.

(1h 26m 28s)

Actually, Johnny, we need to do, Ronnie, one with you specifically.

(1h 26m 33s)

We need to do a…

(1h 26m 35s)

I think we both had a few issues with the best games of 2025, so I think you and I need to do a round two of that one.

(1h 26m 45s) Jonnie:

We’ll see what we can make happen.

(1h 26m 46s) Kevin:

At some point.

(1h 26m 49s)

But anyways, too.

(1h 26m 50s)

And we’ll let you guys know we have other stuff.

(1h 26m 52s)

We’ve got plenty of ideas just times hard.

(1h 26m 56s)

Anyways, well yeah, that’s all we got.

(1h 26m 58s)

Thank you, Johnny, for being on.

(1h 27m)

Thank you all for lending us record and doing this whole thing.

(1h 27m 3s)

editing. Thank you all.

(1h 27m 5s)

Thank you for watching. I’m Paul for listening and until next time. Have a good harvest in space because you abandoned her.

(1h 27m 9s) Jonnie:

Have a good harvest.

(1h 27m 11s) Theme Tune:

The Harvest season is created by Alma Henry, with support from our patrons, including our

(1h 27m 20s)

pro farmers, Kevin, Stuart and Alisa.

(1h 27m 24s)

Our art is done by Micah the Brave and our music is done by Nick Burtis.

(1h 27m 29s)

Feel free to visit our website, harvestseason.club for show notes and links to things we discussed

(1h 27m 34s)

in this episode.

(1h 27m 44s) Jonnie:

wonder what they harvest in space?

(1h 27m 46s) Kevin:

I don’t know, I don’t know, beans and wheat and tomatoes.

(1h 27m 48s) Jonnie:

Someone needs to make that statue valley clone, where it’s just everything is like a regular

(1h 27m 54s)

farming game, but it’s moon carrots and moon potatoes and moon cows and moon chickens.

(1h 27m 58s) Kevin:

wasn’t that a game? It’s a game. It was a cold. It had space cows. I’m looking you know, hold on.

(1h 28m 2s) Jonnie:

Ah.

(1h 28m 8s) Kevin:

It had aliens and uh, oh my god. Oh gosh. I can’t find it. I’m gonna hate it. It’s astro something,

(1h 28m 19s)

I think. Astro. Yeah, nope. I can’t find it. Oh, well, there was definitely a game with space

(1h 28m 26s)

• I’m just cussed. - Um.

(1h 28m 29s)

Yeah, anyways. Okay.

(1h 28m 30s)

That was going to be the post credits, but I feel they couldn’t find it.

(1h 28m 33s)

[laughs]

(1h 28m 34s)

Oh, I’ll say, love you.

(1h 28m 35s)

Um.

(1h 28m 36s)

Oh, yeah.

(1h 28m 37s)

All right.

(1h 28m 38s) Jonnie:

I’m Googling Space Farm again. Let’s see. No, I found one cool. Oh, one line in the outpost. Was that it? That was it?

(1h 28m 38s) Kevin:

Vee-vis, thank you, Donald.

(1h 28m 43s)

That’s the one.

(1h 28m 44s)

That’s the one.

(1h 28m 45s)

Stop recording.

(1h 28m 45s)

But yes, that’s the one.

(1h 28m 46s)

One moment I’ll post.

(1h 28m 47s)

That’s the one.

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