Pokemon X is the first foray in the series on the Nintendo 3DS and marks the beginning of the sixth generation of Pokemon. The biggest touted feature here is the fact that the whole game is now rendered in 3D. Despite this supposedly revolutionary feature, the game's environments are still rendered in the familiar overhead style and aesthetic. Pokemon X introduces 70 new Pokemon species for you to catch and a new type: Fairy. There's also the Mega Evolution which can be one step above the maximum third level evolution (e.g. Charizard can now mega evolve into Mega Charizard X). Of course, it wouldn't be Pokemon without the game being released in a pair, in this case, Pokemon Y is the other version. The only difference between the two versions are specific Pokemon species. There are some Pokemon you can only catch in X and vice versa. All the gameplay mechanics remain the same, and the story is largely the same. This makes it easier to justify only purchasing one version.
Despite the many additions (which the review will get into soon), for players of older Pokemon games, X is very approachable and the control scheme is instantly familiar. The game is menu based but it doesn't rely on them too heavily. Naturally, the key feature here are capturing Pokemon. You encounter wild Pokemon in the routes between cities, reduce their health and then throw Pokeballs to make it yours. Once it is yours, you can use it in battle. There are 600+ Pokemon species, although the ones you can actually catch in X without trading with players from other games are obviously lower than this number. Still, the sheer number of Pokemon you will see is very impressive, you can easily see 300+ Pokemon over the course of this 30 hour adventure.
One the way to each city, you will battle against wild Pokemon. The battle mechanics hasn't changed much, it is still turn based and each turn you can decide on which move you want to use against the opponent, however, you can also use an item, switch to another Pokemon (you carry up to six at a time) or run away. You will also encounter other Trainers, whose Pokemon are more powerful and will often give you more XP. Pokemon will level up using an experience system, learning new moves and improving their stats as they level up. Each Pokemon can only have a maximum of four moves at one time. If you want to leave a new one, you will have to forget an existing move. A new feature here are the hoard encounters, where multiple wild Pokemon appear at once. It can be devastating as you will get five Pokemon each attacking once per turn which can drain your HP very quickly, even though the opponent is usually at a lower level than normal.
As per previous games, wild Pokemon are found via random encounters, and I found that the rate is quite high, to the point where you can walk two steps and you'll be in a battle. The caveat is that dungeons or areas where you encounter wild Pokemon are short and brief, so the rate needs to be this high in order to encounter all the Pokemon in each area. Catching Pokemon requires you to use a Pokeball, there are so many different types of Pokeballs in the game and sometimes, the wild Pokemon's catch rate seems to be a bit too low, making you chuck more than a few balls. The other major battle mechanic are Pokemon types, it is a sophisticated system of paper, scissors, rock. Certain types are better against other such as Water over Rock, and Psychic over Fighting.
It is up to you to fight strategically and pick the right Pokemon with the right moves to make battles easier. Pokemon can also carry an item with effects that automatically trigger. How the mega evolutions work is that once per battle, and with specific Pokemons, you can mega evolve which considerably boosts their stats and potentially gain new moves or change types. It adds another strategic layer to the game. Upon booting up the game, you're greeted with something that's never been done before, and that is customizable appearances. You pick how you look, to a certain degree, and then able to spend in-game currency to purchase clothes to customize your look even further. The routes are generally linear although they offer limited branching paths to find items. There are specific spots around called Photo Spots, in which your character poses in front of a landmark to take a photo. It's a limited function and nowhere near replaces being able to take screenshots, but it is better than nothing.
The Pokemon Day Care remains in the game where you can leave two Pokemon which levels up in your absence. Furthermore, leaving two compatible Pokemon would mean an egg and potentially a baby evolution. The story is typical and nothing terribly exciting. However, it is still one that works very well and gives you a goal and reason on why you are travelling across the region becoming a Pokemon master. You start off in the small town of Vaniville, where you travel to a nearby bigger town and receive your Starter Pokemon. You then traverse the Kalos Region in order to challenge each of the eight Gym Leaders, earn their badges and defeat the Elite Four to win the Pokemon League.
The other subplot involves you investigating the new mega evolutions and what it means, while at the same time, preventing the villainous group Team Flare from executing their evil plans. Team Flare's subplot is actually quite disappointing and weak, just because it felt brief and their motives were not fleshed out enough for the player to care about. It is your typical motive of wanting to end the world to make it a better place (similar to Team Aqua and Team Magma). The main story ends when you win all eight gym badges, defeated the Elite Four as well as the Champion to become the Pokemon League Champion. However! There are still some post-game content including a lengthy sidequest, a battle arena reminiscing of the Battle Frontier from Pokemon Emerald and some legendary Pokemon to catch.
Pokemon X packs in a few touchscreen minigames such as a pattern matching game, a tapping game where you tap the touchscreen to get your Pokemon to bounce a ball back up, and a tile swiping game. There is also a Super Training mode where you can use it to train your Pokemon to get extra stats when they level up. It is a lot more content that you would expect. This is not to mention the online connectivity where you can battle other players and trade Pokemon. The graphics are solid although the low resolution of the 3DS's screen lets is down somewhat as some of the Pokemon's outlines are jagged. Pokemon are rendered in 3D, they look cel-shaded and evocative of the sprite based designs of the previous games. In battle, they are constantly moving and the attention to detail with these animations is impressive.
Perhaps the most impressing environment is the huge area of Lumiose City. It is big to the point of being confusing and easy to get lost when you first visit the city. The design is based upon France, so buildings look fancy and grand. Sadly, there is also a game-breaking bug where if you save in Lumiose City, you lose your save, therefore it is very important to connect to the internet and download the updates before you start playing. During certain cutscenes, the camera will also pan to give you a different more epic camera angle. Overall, Pokemon X represents a fantastic upgrade to the series. The graphics are vastly improved and the battle effects are more amazing and unique than ever. They kept the core gameplay very similar which means it is easy to pick up, however, this also means that the formula may start to get stale for some. If you've stopped playing Pokemon some time ago, Pokemon X is just the game that will suck you in again.
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