The Soapbox feature allows individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random content of interest. todayOn the 15th anniversary of the game’s release, Ethan returns to his ranch…
it’s guilt animal crossing Fans know better. It’s the shame that comes with waking up to a real-time virtual world after being away for weeks, months, or even years, and cute characters pitifully acknowledging your extended absence. While many Pokémon games feature gameplay based on the passage of time in the real world, the series has generally avoided the idea of having a persistent world that continues even when the user isn’t there. rice field. However, in a spin-off work, we intentionally translated the real-time mechanics and emotional manipulation into the world of Pokémon. Its name is “My Pokemon Ranch”.
This quirky creation was released as a digital-only game on WiiWare in 2008. At the time, Pokémon’s major work was limited to handheld games, with consoles primarily offering a peripheral experience. Several Pokémon spin-offs, including “Hey you, Pikachu!”, “Pokémon Channel” and the “Pokémon Rumble” series were made by Ambrella, the developer of his titles. “My Pokémon Ranch” served as his companion piece for “Pokémon Diamond and Pearl” in particular, and later “Pokémon”.Platinum, Players Can Store Hundreds of Additional Mons Ara The modern Pokémon HOME app for Switch and mobile. However, the game also had its own special gimmicks. By dumping all stored creatures into the virtual ranch, players have the incentive to interact with them, assign Mii as ranchers, and check up on their little friends every day.
That’s all well and good, except for the fact that he abandoned the ranch around 2011 and hasn’t returned for nearly a full decade. I learned this unpleasant fact in 2020 when I dug my dusty Wii out of storage and launched the game out of curiosity. Resident rancher NPC Haley then cheered me on with this absolute fist pump message. We haven’t seen each other in nine years! The Pokémon have missed you! ”
When I saw this message, I did what any reasonable person would do. Finished the game and he didn’t touch it for 3 years. Just the other day when I learned that my Pokemon Ranch was approaching its 15th anniversary in the West, I decided to take a trip with a sense of well-deserved guilt and see what happened to my old footprints. rice field. Suffice it to say it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
Seeking after a long absence
After getting over Haley’s sting that I said I hadn’t had more than 1000 days, I checked on how the ranch was doing.
Various low-polygon chibi-shaped Pokémon roamed around the enclosure. Some were napping, while others were moving about with amazing enthusiasm. I found myself, her parents and best friend her Mii dutifully taking care of the monster. At least a part of me has been running a ranch all these years.
As it turned out, things weren’t as bad as I had hoped. Unlike Animal Crossing, there were no weeds to pull and nothing for cockroaches to step on. Also, other than the initial chat with Haley, there was no dialogue with the characters asking where the hell I was. Nevertheless, I now couldn’t shake the feeling that I was an outsider to this place. Even though I started this ranch many months ago, I remember very little about the day-to-day events on the ranch and how I interacted with the Pokemon that live there. It wasn’t until I tried to familiarize myself with the game’s interface and menus again that I realized that an even worse trip of guilt was yet to come.
It’s a tentacle cruel and cruel world
As a preface, My Pokémon Ranch doesn’t have all the quality-of-life features that later storage titles like Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME would introduce. Most importantly, each Pokemon in My Pokemon Ranch can only be withdrawn to the same specific save file in which it was deposited. If that save file is deleted or overwritten, Pokémon spawned from that save file will be permanently trapped in My Pokémon Farm.
I’m honestly afraid I’ve doomed some of my Mons to this ranch-based fate because the files that stored my 4th gen titles in my childhood are no longer there. I was feeling It wasn’t true. Because as a kid I had the foresight to pull my team members out of the game before I cut and run. But what I discovered instead was arguably worse.
This grumpy-looking blue jellyfish spent over a decade sitting alone on my Wii without visiting anyone.
As it turns out, all the Pokémon on the farm were actually NPCs brought in by Haley. That is, all but one. This is a level 38 Tentacruel entrusted to me by a friend.
I’m not going to pass judgment on my friend’s position as a responsible Pokémon trainer. I mean, this grumpy-looking blue jellyfish spent more than a decade sitting alone on my Wii without a visitor, or even a deposited team member to help. I was utterly disappointed to find out. To make matters worse, I am aware of the fact that Tentacruel’s original save file was deleted a long time ago and will remain in My Pokémon Ranch for the rest of its life. You will never fight, learn new moves, or eat poffins again. I am on permanent leave.
In an attempt to ease my guilt, I tried Tentacruel. As I did so, I began to remember why I quit the ranch in the first place.This game dull. Customizability is virtually non-existent, and interactivity with Pokémon is mostly down to picking them up with the Wii Cursor and dropping them elsewhere or trying to make them play with toys.
Upon opening one of the boxed toys near Tentacruel, it turns out to be a pitfall trap. My Mii jumped into the trap and fell from the sky instead of the Pokemon doing something, but I jumped into the trap again happily. He repeated this about seven times until I gave up hope.
hello i must be golden
Revisiting my Pokemon Ranch today definitely has a nostalgic charm to it. In particular, I think we can learn something from Pokémon HOME, which has layers of wacky presentation and is decidedly hairless.
Nonetheless, the trip back to the ranch left me with a far more bittersweet and guilty feeling than a warm, fluffy feeling. I’m sorry it’s been so long, Tentacruel — I promise I’ll be back. Give me a few more years to cultivate my willpower.
