When version 14 of the fan game Pokémon Rejuvenation released this month, I decided it was finally time to get around to playing this highly praised game. After more than thirty hours of gameplay, I have barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer, but I’ve experienced enough to come to an interesting conclusion. Despite the name, I can say with certainty that this is not a Pokémon game. While there may be Pokémon in it, and the gameplay features are the same, the experience offered by Rejuvenation is much richer than the core Pokémon series provides.
     This fanmade game, created by SuperJanBro along with the collaborative Team Rejuvenation, originally released in August of 2014. Since then, the game has since received fourteen major updates (2–14 alongside 13.5), each one adding additional story chapters, polishing previous content, and updating the Pokémon roster to include all new official Pokémon as they are released. The gameplay remains largely consistent with the official Pokémon games, albeit more difficult, and with a few new mechanics that serve to deepen the strategy needed to plan your next move. That, in addition to its simple, admittedly unremarkable generation three graphics, make it seem like nothing to write home about, but in truth, it’s so much more than meets the eye.
     One of the game’s most impressive features is its enormous scope. Generally, thirty-five hours of play would bring me near the end of a traditional Pokémon game. However, at that same mark, I have completed only the fifth of Pokémon Rejuvenation’s sixteen current chapters, with more being added as development progresses. Pokémon Rejuvenation is not yet complete, as there will be at least one more chapter to finish the main story, in addition to a full postgame. Now, with that said, one may ask why this game needs to be so long. If it plays like an average Pokémon game, what is the point of making it so much longer? If not yet obvious, the story is where this game shines, and when it shines, it absolutely glows.

     The game begins with a sequence of a terrorist attack, which destroys the cruise ship the player is on. This showcases the game’s more serious, mature tone, and its willingness to push farther than the Pokémon franchise typically has. Despite this somewhat dark event, the game continues as a fairly standard Pokémon adventure: you pick your starter, meet your rival, and go on the gym challenge. But as I played through the game, I began to realize that the substance of the game isn’t really the battles. In fact, they aren’t even emphasized unlike they are in most Pokémon games. Since its inception, the Pokémon series has focused more on invoking a sense of wonder than

developing a deep narrative. It draws the player in with the promise of unique creatures and unique environments, creating a sense of discovery while traveling through the regions. There is no doubt this can also be a satisfying experience, but to achieve it, the Pokémon franchise doesn’t really have to have a more substantive story.

     Unlike the majority of Pokémon fangames, Pokémon Rejuvenation does not attempt to replicate that same feeling. I see Pokémon Rejuvenation as a sort of Trojan horse. The Pokémon title and gameplay pulls players in and sets up expectations, but once immersed in the game, Rejuvenation reveals a far darker, more complex story than one would ever expect. I am sure there are many who will disagree with me when I say Pokémon Rejuvenation is not a Pokémon game. What I mean by this is unlike traditional Pokémon games, the Pokémon themselves aren’t really central to the game. In traditional Pokémon games, the main focus of the game is making your team stronger through catching and battling Pokémon. In contrast, the time spent in battle in Pokémon Rejuvenation is surprisingly low, making up what I guess to be only about 15% of the play through. Most of the time is spent engaging with the game’s main story, getting to know its characters, and unraveling the mysteries of its world. This difference is obvious at the beginning of chapter 5, where the player is pursued by members of the evil team. In a traditional Pokémon game, you would simply battle the opponent, win, and they would surrender. However, in Pokemon Rejuvenation, the enemy team is designed to be too strong for the player to possibly defeat. However, even after you lose the battle, you must continue to run from your attackers. The true climax comes when you’re cornered, kidnapped and brought to a castle, where the game continues. Rather than the story being an excuse for the battles, the battles in Rejuvenation serve more as entertainment throughout a story that serves as the real meat of the game. My experience with this game reminded me far more of Chrono Trigger than it did any traditional Pokémon game, just with the added fun of Pokémon’s battle system. I’d argue that’s the point of Pokémon Rejuvenation: bringing Pokémon’s entertaining core gameplay loop to a story with all the charm and depth of a modern indie RPG. While I haven’t yet completed the game, I do know some of the twists that occur later, and when I say there are plot line elements reminiscent of games such as Deltarune, and from me, that is high praise. I strongly recommend Pokémon Rejuvenation. It is one of the rare fangames that can been joyed by anyone, even those who don’t like the main series. As a completely free project with an incredible amount of effort, talent, and time put into it, it is more than worth giving a try.

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