Pokemon Reborn is actually more optimistic than people give credit.

[Magus543]

Now i'm sure most of you have heard the words edgy thrown out when Pokemon Reborn's story tell has been brought up, given the whole dystopian city, suicide, and death that usually isn't in Pokemon. However it's a recurring theme that while people may suffer, they don't really have to let it define them. Forgiveness and trust is a prominent theme in the Belrose sisters, we know that they believe that Charlotte burned down the house resulting in them being orphaned and sent to the torture orphanage.  Yet they don't ostracize her or blame her for it, despite her own guilt. On the contrary it's shown quite clearly they trust her quite strongly, and that they do care for each other because they are the only ones they have left. While the start is far more cynical than what Pokemon usually is, it's still overall quite optimistic, the Belrose sisters love each other regardless of what they did.(Granted Sirius was the guy who burned the house, but they don't know that yet.) An more edgier game would have them be a much more broken family and would end in more needlessly dark drama, but Reborn didn't do that.

 

Now look at the whole Kiki and her academy storyline through the game. Yes part 1 ends with Kiki dying and her favorite Pokemon getting burned in lava, but as devastating as it is for the good people involved, they are still able to grow positively from it, Victoria may not have been able to adventure with us anymore, but she grows as a person and keeps Kiki's school alive and well, even helping to clean Reborn, while Cal suffering guilt from his role as a mole gone wrong, is able to take a deep look at himself, and take the steps to improve as a person and atone for what he did. Eventually aiding us against Team Meteor. Growth Kiki would most likely be very proud of. 

 

From these two examples, we can see that despite Reborn's initially cynical portraying of it's world and cast, it's writing is nuanced enough to show positive growth and moving on from tragedy which i can very much appreciate.  Too much modern stories these days pile on needless despair and cynical writing because "mature storytelling" like certain writers like Mark Millar on occasion that it becomes hard to care. So i'm glad Reborn avoided that pit-trap.

 

No more is this more apparent in the City itself, it starts out as a gritty, rundown city full of crime, polluted water and destroyed buildings, that's more Batman than Pokemon. Yet later on it's becomes a much cleaner city with fresh water, a thriving population and overall a much better atmosphere. Sure it's not all good as you can hear from the NPCs but things are improving and that's quite a message coming from a game that starts out with a terrorist attack killing everyone but us and the Author Avatar.

 

 

So overall, i feel people who call Reborn edgy or try-hard don't really understand the nuance of the game's writing. I'm sure there are much more examples i can cite, but anyone else have similar observations?

[Kenneth]

Sure it's optimistic. Terra's return has already been spoiled. From what it seems to be, only Corey and Kiki will be the unlucky enough ones, to stay dead.

[nguyengiangoc]

18 minutes ago, Kenneth said:

Sure it's optimistic. Terra's return has already been spoiled. From what it seems to be, only Corey and Kiki will be the unlucky enough ones, to stay dead.

Where's Terra's return hinted at?

[Kenneth]

4 minutes ago, nguyengiangoc said:

Where's Terra's return hinted at?

At one of the older development posts. The one spoiling end game matches. It had Terra as a combatant.

 

https://www.rebornevo.com/pr/development/records/sh3s-b4ck-r37/

[nguyengiangoc]

Holy Moly I found that post!!!

[nguyengiangoc]

28 minutes ago, Kenneth said:

At one of the older fevelopment posts. The one spoiling end game matches. It had Terra as a combatant.

But to be sure, do you mean this post: 

 

[Magus543]

I thought that was a joke post but it's also legit? Huh. 

 

God, i don't like Terra, but the bigger concern if she's on Lin's side or not. She had a bad reaction to losing. XD. 

[Edo]

3 hours ago, Magus543 said:

So overall, i feel people who call Reborn edgy or try-hard don't really understand the nuance of the game's writing.

I don't think it's edgy, just mature content. In my opinion these people are just phrasing it a little wrong. I think the same way as you, but it's a relative opinion that's comparing Reborn to the main games and other fan games. So instead of saying "Reborn is edgy" it would be more accurate to say "Reborn is edgier than other games".

[Samtale]

yeah don't trust april fools jokes especially if they involve the queen of chaos.

[Magus543]

3 hours ago, Edo said:

I don't think it's edgy, just mature content. In my opinion these people are just phrasing it a little wrong. I think the same way as you, but it's a relative opinion that's comparing Reborn to the main games and other fan games. So instead of saying "Reborn is edgy" it would be more accurate to say "Reborn is edgier than other games".

Most of the Reborn cast are likeable enough, even Fern has his hang ups that make him human without being too over the top about backstory. And i like that Pokemon Reborn doesn't cross the line into overly gritty and grim, though the game may have tip-toed over it on occasion.  Edgier games would make them unlikable assholes because that's deep storytelling like certain fan writers would do. 

 

Speaking off, Lin is the type of antagonist that other less nuanced writers would want you to agree with and sympathize with, but like in this game, despite all of Lin's victories so far, she's had her usual ramblings about this pear called out and contradicted by the plot and cast, most noticeable by Arclight and Laura both not directly though.