So, let's start. Warning! I will probably be unnecessarily toxic and critical because so far the game isn't really trying to change my mind about it.
The beginning cutscene is weird. It's not bad per say, but no voice acting looks weird. The masses of fans also looked like they were taken from early 2000s FIFA or NHL games. But I like this introduction. It's nice change from the usual introduction done by the professor.
Then, I finally get to play. And I already have a pet peeve with the game. Everyone tell me to get MY bag, but there is only MY DAD'S bag in my room. Does this mean the game can't be finished because I can't finish this very first quest. Sadly, no.
This introduction part has a loads of dialogue. Bad dialogue. Everyone is repeating same few lines over and over again. Well, to be honest, I was expecting this, since this is exactly what happens in every Pokémon game. Anyway, after some more dialogue, I could finally pick my starter. I don't like Galar starters at all. They have one of the worst Pokémon design. Many people don't like that they are too humanoid, but my biggest problem with them is they set characterization, role and personality. Cinderace is more footballer than bunny and Inteleon is more spy than lizard. And these roles goes completely against what made earlier starters great. I get it, it's easier to market them this way, but it also makes them so boring. So I picked Grookey, since it's the lesser evil out of these starters.
Now, probably the best part of the game happened (at least so far and I'm 99% sure nothing will beat it in the rest of the game). Something I always loved about each new Pokémon game. I had to come up with nicknaming theme. I decided to go with my cheeses. And so, my first Pokémon is Camembert, the Grookey. Camembert is currently my favourite cheese. I usually slice it open, season it with paprika spice, put ham and onion in it and let it spend few minutes in the oven so it melts a little bit. Not really healthy, but it tastes great.
First battle with Hop was so slow and boring. Cool, he has 2 Pokémon. None of them even attacked me once. And for some reason, Hop first commented on how I already know about type advantage and then shortly after told be if I want to know what is type advantage.
I like next part in Slumbering Weald. It's something new to the series and helps the game gets more cinematic. Not use if that's the right word to use tho. But hopefully you know what I mean. It's refreshing to see this kind of thing in Pokémon.
And after all this, the game finally starts. My mum gives me 30 000 Pokédollars for some reason. And I have to really ask why? 30 000 means I can buy anything I need until the end of the game without beating any trainers. This just makes any reward for beating them useless.
I went through the same linear route I already had to get in tutorial and caught my first Pokémon. I had a really hard time deciding, who I want to use, because I like Gen VIII designs. In the end, I decided to switch around and catch more than 6 Pokémon. I caught Emmental, the Rookidee. Probably the first time I've used regional bird on my first playthrough since Johto games. Emmental is also fairly high on my cheese list, but it's so expensive in my country, so I don't buy it as much as Camembert and some other cheeses I'll talk later. I love how Emmental tastes. It reminds me of hazelnuts, but I never found out if hazelnuts are one of the ingredients. Now that I think about it, I could check it, since I have one in the fridge right now.
I got to Wedgehurst, did some mandatory stuff and then... WHAT THE HELL? A SKIPPABLE TUTORIAL? In modern Pokémon? What were they thinking? Now kids playing this game will never find out how to catch Pokémon! Oh and Leon gave me 20 Poké Balls, so it renders my money even more worthless.
Now, this update is getting a little longer than I thought it would be, but I ended up my session after beating the first Gym. I probably shouldn't do DLC stuff in between. So, let's talk a little bit about Wild Area. It looks so bad. It's an empty green flat area with barely any content in it. And you can't really encounter Galar Pokémon in here, which makes it useless for me, since I want to use only Galar Pokémon. I run around for a bit, got some items I'm not sure I was suppose to get, because they were in the high level areas and in the end tried Raid Battles. And I like them. They are once again something new, but I have a bad feeling that I'll get bored of them quickly, especially since I mostly play with NPCs. I caught some Pokémon in Raid Battle, but since they are not Galar Pokémon, I put them in the box. Which I have to say is nice to have access to everywhere. I also like rewards that I got for beating each Raid. I probably spent more time and had more fun that I'm willing to admit. Really a highlight of the game.
And let's end it here with positive vibes. Like I said, I'm already done with the first Gym, but I feel like this is long enough wall of text that even a Pendulum enthusiasts would find tedious.
Will be updated next time
