>>57695781I have seen comments on the topic of Amethyst's hang-ups manifesting in Pokémon Reborn’s characters in obtrusive ways. This is a minor issue, but true. I like Cain as he is basically a loyal and kind character if you get past the exaggerated flamer behaviour, but his lewd jokes, often made around child characters, or Amaria's impulsive rhapsodising about Titania's soft skin pass without substantial comment while the writing is given to take a more lecturing tone when it comes to Hardy's apparently sincere affection for Aya. To be clear, I don’t personally care about Cain’s jokes or find them offensive, but there is a strange sexual/moral bias in the work that sometimes makes the writing awkward around characters expressing sexual and romantic desires. Even a basically unpleasant character like Bennett, whose desires could be framed as pathological or insincere since he claims to love Luna while assisting in her capture by El, is treated more the villain simply for wanting her in the first place. Not a big problem but in tandem with Amethyst's hostility to player romance it does seem like she allowed personal neuroses to interfere with the writing. There are relatedly a few occasions when the dialogue feels like a PSA, but it's not too overbearing.
Altogether my impressions are positive. In addition to the solid battling progression, the puzzles are generally clever and inventive too, and there is a high level of polish. Really the principal issue with the writing is just craft. Scenes come off as 'edgy' not because they're misconceived but because everything is just a little clumsy. You can see this in unrelated areas like the dialogue of Florinia and Luna, where the reach of the writing somewhat exceeds its grasp. Grammatical lapses and misuse of words mar characters who are supposed to come off aloof, intellectual, and verbally competent. With all that said, it is a basically compelling adventure. Here are sloppas of Shelly, my favourite character.
