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Released Pokémon Sacred Phoenix

This project has a release available. The full version is still a work in progress.
Project Status
Released
Project Version
0.4.0.8
ETA Next Version
Jun 28, 2024
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Welcome to the kingdom of Keltios!
I have the honor to present my fangame project: Pokémon Sacred Phoenix. Born on June 23, 2018, here it is officially presented in the community!
Currently developed on a heavily modded version 24 of PSDK, this ambitious project aims to bring audacity and originality both in terms of the scenario and Pokémon gameplay while retaining the very essence of this famous license. In the long term, it is on the open-source Godot engine that I want to develop on, because it is the only way to make a fangame worthy of my ambitions.

In the spirit of the Relic Castle's game jams, this project that will be free of public use in order to allow everyone to benefit from it, but also to be able to make a contribution to the edifice.


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When a Legend falls into one of the eternal human conflicts, the Mythical King will lose his Guardian and will no longer be worthy of Arceus' Throne. From this fall will be reborn the curse of the Sovereign of Kalos. Then utter Shadow will plunge the Divine Pokémon into a tormented sleep, subjecting it to dark servitude.

From this Shadow that puts many Pokémons' souls to sleep, the Rebirth will shine with the Rainbow Bird. Blessed by the flames of the Sacred Fire and the unconditional Love of the Phoenix Prophet, the Pokémons of Light will restore the balance of the Legendaries ... For from the Shadow type is born the Light, the balance of the world will never be broken.


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Pokémon Sacred Phoenix is a fan-game that will introduce you to the kingdom of Keltios, a medieval-fantasy world blessed by the Legendaries. Loving myths and legends, it is therefore only natural that I transcribe these passions through my creation. This will involve a unique project on many points, originalities that will make the strength of this project:

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On Giratina's sphere (the plot):
What would a world be without adventures? A medieval-fantasy world is full of mages, prophecies, court intrigues, quests, enemies, battles, deaths, hope and heroes. Through a scenario that skillfully mixes Celtic inspiration and the richness of the official Pokémon Lore, you will live the Phoenix Prophecy and will be led to discover the origin of a mysterious evil (the Shadow type) corrupting the heart of some pocket monsters.

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On Palkia's sphere (the space):
Keltios, a frontier nation of ancient Kalos, will be a brand-new land to explore. At the height of its glory, this historically rich kingdom remains twice the size of a traditional Pokémon region.

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On Dialga's sphere (the time):
A very rare originality, the quest of the Sacred Phoenix will go far into the past: 500 years after the Kalosian reign of AZ, or 2500 years before the contemporary events of the Pokéworld. This implies the absence of almost all technologies. Forget about glass buildings, motor vehicles, computers, Pokémon Centers and modern medicines! It is an opportunity to discover new landscapes (tilesets) and a different philosophy of life, especially magic which is very prominent. It is thanks to it that the forging of Apricorns into Pokéballs was already known and mastered in Keltios. And to make sure you don't feel out of place, you will have the opportunity to "Gotta Catch 'Em All" and to collect dozens of pocket monsters thanks to a mage's privilege that you will inherit very quickly. Yes, an enchanted grimoire will act as a Pokédex!

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On Arceus' sphere (the physical laws):
As magic replaces technology, the inhabitants have learned to live in symbiosis with nature and the "magical creatures" that populate it. You will learn for example that Pokémons recover their energy by camping or resting in an inn (or by praying at an altar), but also that battles can be deadly to your fellow travelers in case of a blow that is too powerful (feature that can be set in the options: disabled, realistic or Nuzlocke). Because yes, in Keltios, the carnal envelope of a Pokémon remains mortal and many trainers have shed tears as a consequence!

Generally speaking, the Pokémon gameplay will be revisited in order to get closer to a classic fantasy RPG while keeping the essence of the license.


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The Sacred Phoenix Quest (and its secondary objectives) will lead you to visit all 22 kelt towns, but also potentially some of the 12 known cities beyond the borders.
After an introduction on Phoenix Hill, where your starter will be given to you, your story will start in the peaceful province of Alienor in the west of Keltios, to the battlefields near the Distortion Massif, and to the dream of every trainer: the Mt. Asgard, where the Colosseum of Arceus, the headquarters of the Pokémon League of Keltios, is built. The map is designed to offer you a semi-liberty inspired by open worlds while guiding you a minimum to avoid finding yourself in an off-level zone.

In keeping with the Pokémon tradition, most of the cities are themed around the Celtic tree. The geography will also make nods to ancient legends such as those of Avalon or Broceliande.


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A mature scenario rich in myths and legends, and where the Legendaries are honored as gods.
Three Dragon Starters: Dratini, Bagon and Gible. All three final forms have their Mega-Evolution.
Unique tilesets for a medieval-fantasy atmosphere
– Mapping using the terraforming technique: all Keltios maps have a realistic relief and are perfectly joined. This provides an organic environment and a semi-open world that will allow soaring in the sky between all areas.
An orchestral soundtrack by Pipevanes and Braxton Burks!
3 rivals
10 Augurs (replacing Gym Leaders), 2 of which are optional. Each will give a Talisman, equivalent to a badge.
– Two sects that will act as Teams: the Cult of Darkrai and the Cult of Giratina.
– Fully customizable difficulty, from Assist Mode to Giratina's Hell (hardcore Nuzlocke).
– You can forfeit to most trainers and thus decline the battle (but it will be perceived as a dishonor by your party). It is also possible to explore Keltios without battle-capable Pokémon, but be careful not to make unfortunate encounters!
– A Game Over is present and can be triggered in three ways: being defeated by a hostile enemy (death match), being killed by one of your own Pokémon or having all your creatures die (with an optional Black Out Clause).
Follow Me: you first Pokémon walks by your side. This can be toggled by [Ctrl] key and has implications on the gameplay.
– Presence of holy and cursed places. This impacts your magic and the behavior of your Pokémons.
Shiny encounter chance increased to 1/1074. Shinies have better IVs.
Alpha and Noble Pokémons !
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They have a greater chance of being shiny because of their perfect IVs (1/266 and 1/64 chances respectively).
Speed-up button ([F5] key).
– An internal clock for the game with its own calendar and season management.
Harvest of Keltios: many wild plants can be harvested in the lands of Keltios and require no maintenance. Their productivity depends on the season, but the Floral Gift (a passive ability possessed by fully evolved Grass Pokémons) can speed up an almost ready harvest.
New potions and healing items adapted to the old era of Keltios.
– A mining system allows you to collect the raw materials needed for crafting, including the creation of Pokéballs.
Fields Effects: Like Pokémon Reborn, battlefields will have a very significant influence on the power of attacks and will combine with weather and auras. The number of weathers will also be extended.
Caught Overhaul: The capture mechanics have been revisited. A Pokémon that is not weakened or of too high level can deflect balls. Conversely, weakening them will significantly increase your chances of capture! At the same time, the Apricorns-based Pokéballs – the only ones present in Keltios – are rebalanced and offered in three levels of quality. Thus, each one of them will have its utility.
Death Overhaul: The death of Pokémon will be a reality in Keltios: you will be able to lose your magical creatures if they are hit too hard. This can be set in the options (disabled / realistic / Nuzlocke mode). A reincarnation system is present and allows you to get some ghost Pokémons!
Overkill mechanism: Grants a XP boost in case of a powerful fatal blow, but beware not to bloodshed too often.
Loyalty Overhaul: Many parameters influence the feelings of your Pokémons. Gain their trust by giving them food or massaging them. Their level of friendship will have a real influence on battles and will determine how loyal they are to you. You can also instill fear in them to gain respect.
XP Overhaul: Depending on the importance of the fights, the experience gain will be more or less important. At the same time, an original soft level cap greatly accelerates the experience gained if your Pokémon is underlevel and reduces it by half if your Pokémon is too high level. The overlevel also reduces the dread felt by your magical creature, which will impact the obedience they have for you. This effect can be compensated with high friendship.
– Pokémons can evolve mid-battle and trade evolutions are replaced by alternatives ones.
– A Keltios Pokédex made up of around 500 creatures, of which 15% are Fakemons and regional variants (known as "ancient" forms). New Mega-Evolutions are also present!
Two new types: Shadow and Light. It will be possible to grant one of these two types to your Pokémon through a ritual.
– A rebalanced type chart!
– Status moves are divided into three sub-categories: buff, debuff, and terrain.
Effectiveness Overhaul: Chances of hitting with a debuff move are influenced by type affinity. Affinity also influences the chances of inflicting a side effect and the rate of indirect or fixed damage.
Statuses and critical hits have been overhauled.
Haxx smoother: Minimizes the luck/bad luck discrepancies that frustrate players in battle. This will be done by taking into account the success or failure of the last actions. For example, if you failed your Blizzard, the next one will have more chances to succeed, and vice versa.
EVs and IVs will be visible on the stats. The Pokémon summary will also include much more information than in the official games. (Great for fans of RPG feats).
The EV system is rebalanced and expanded to be closer to what it was in Gen 1 / Gen 2, rewarding trainers who train the same Pokémon over the long term.
Possibility to curse, strengthen or bless the IVs of your Pokémon in order to minimize or maximize them. All your magical creatures will have a chance to become "Perfect". The nature in battle can also be modified in the same manner as mints.
– The hermaphrodite gender for Pokémons and egg groups redone from scratch.
– Each Legendary Pokémon will have its own Legendary move and/or Ability, reflecting its divine power over the world.
– A craft system with the smithing art.
Double and Triple battles with the possibility of meeting wild Pokémons in pairs or triples (the latter is a horde battle.)
– Wild Pokémons that will act as bosses and will be fought in 1 vs. 2. In return, they will be able to call for reinforcements in the manner of the SOS battles in SM/USUM.


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– Completing the three branches of crafting: forging, alchemy and enchanting. (Forging is done, left Alchemy and Enchanting.)
– Develop the game in HD with a resolution of 1280x720 and sprites in 192x192 for the Pokémons. My ultimate wish is that these HD sprites are also animated.
– Augur Battles will take place in colosseums. (Pokémon matches are the most popular entertainment in Keltios and the public wants to see the show!) No puzzles in these buildings, but the Augurs will give you an Alola Trial-style quest before facing you.
– Augur Battles will follow the Gym leaders' rules of the Anime with a battlefield to their advantage and a no item clause.
– A Pokémon League in the form of a Double battle tournament in a sumptuous colosseum.
– Replacing PP system with 2 new energy gauges for your Pokémons: Mana and Breath. This will allow more than 4 moves per Pokémon.
6 tactical options instead of 4 in battle: Attack, Stances, Tactics, Pokémon, Bag and Run.
– Ho-Oh's Scepter will allow your character to use magic, including casting O-Power style spells, but also to Mega-Evolve your Pokémons and use the Z-Power.
– The Sacred Mega-Evolution! Find the true Mega-Evolution as it is described in the anime: the one that requires a sincere love towards your Pokémon. It will also allow the use of Z-moves.
– The possibility of performing Poké-Jobs, a kind of repeatable quest that will allow you to earn money without spilling the blood of your magical creatures.
– In-map use of HM moves based on the Pokémon's ability to learn the attack (instead of having it in its moveset) and the presence of Poké Ride.
– Integration of Pokémon Contests.


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The Silvynis family is a lineage that has had several royal ancestors. The latest was Nimue the Pure, Mythical Queen who watched over Keltios a century ago. Going back in the genealogy, it is revealed that the blood of Morgana Harmonia and AZ of Kalos also runs in their veins.
Of course, as in any self-respecting Pokémon game, you can choose your character's name. Be aware that if you take the hero, the heroine will become one of your rivals and vice versa.

The hero
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Only son of Brendan and Ygerne, Aranel is a young man of 18 who, after the death of his father, found hope by following the teachings of the Ho-Oh cult. Shy but honest, he has always dreamed of becoming friends with Pokémons. He is very close to his cousin Viviane.

The heroine
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Only daughter of Elowen and Gorlois, Viviane is a young lady of 19 years. Her destiny seems to be linked to Aranel's, for she too saw her father die during the terrible battle of Taranus 11 years ago, the same battle where the Mythical King Oromis lost his Suicune. Like her cousin Aranel, she decided to follow the teachings of the Temple of Ho-Oh. Enthusiastic and determined, she has always been fascinated by the magic of Pokémons.

The Pokémon "Professor"
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Fintan the Wise is the grandfather of Viviane and Aranel, 68 years old at the beginning of the adventure. Lord of Sylvan Town, his manor houses a vast library, his dream being to list all the existing Pokémons in Keltios. Legend has it that he even met Celebi in the Lake of Time when he was 12 years old. When he sees that his grandchild has inherited the Scepter of Ho-Oh, he will entrust him with the Pokégrimoire, an enchanted book that acts as an ancient Pokédex.


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Gwydion
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High Priest of Ho-Oh, he plays the role of your mentor during the beginning of the game. Guardian of the Scepter of Phoenix Pokémon, he masters the Sacred Mega-Evolution, but it seems that his artifact attracts dangerous lusts...

Kerdus
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He is the blacksmith and the Lord of Tintignac, the second town in the game. Master in the art of making Pokéballs from Apricorns, he will teach his knowledge to our hero very early in his adventure. (Yes, there will be crafting!)

Aerouna
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Intrepid damsel of the Draconid People and aspiring Dragon Rider, it was she who gave you one of the three dragon eggs she possessed as a reward for your initiation. She will keep you company as your second rival, for she too was entitled to her dragon hatching as the new Priestess of Rayquaza.

Sveifla
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Sveifla is an enigmatic character. The son of a high-ranking person, he used to serve the Cult of Giratina, but was banished after losing control of his Shadow Pokémon. The scar on his face is a testament to this. In revenge, he stole a dragon egg from Duiraco and hatched it, and is now trying to rebuild his career as a trainer. He will cross your path several times and will act as your third rival.

AZ - Azoth of his real name
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Former King of Kalos and master alchemist, his love for Pokémon earned him the trust of Xerneas and Yveltal. But at that time, the Legendaries refused to intervene in human wars, which cost the life of his Floette.
Despite the kindness of the two Guardians of Kalos who helped him create the Philosopher's Stone and resurrect his beloved Pokémon, the sovereign succumbed to his dark side by freeing Giratina from the Distortion World. The ultimate weapon was created and ravaged Keltios, ending a 16-year war... but at the cost of his Floette's departure and an unforgivable reputation as a god of destruction in the eyes of the kelts. The only thing he was able to keep was his Philosopher's Stone, which is why he is still living 500 years later, wandering around looking for his redemption. Our heroes will cross his path several times.

Unos the Mythical King
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Successor of Oromis, he is the current Mythical King of Keltios. He is the first mortal to have obtained the allegiance of three Legendaries at the same time, including Arceus himself. Needless to say, with so many divine Pokémons at his side, he is an exceptionally powerful trainer!


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The equivalent of Gym Leaders, Augurs are the head of each Keltios Cult. Guardians of the wisdom of the Legendary they represent; they will subject you to a trial (like the Trials of Alola) if you express the desire to them to face them. Succeed in their quest, and they will then give you an appointment in their arena backed by the Temple, coliseums offering very beautiful shows for the inhabitants of their city.
These official Keltios League battles will be tough, as Augurs treat their magical creatures with the utmost love, healing items will be forbidden, you won't be able to send more Pokémon than your opponent has, and the arena's terrain will be significantly to their advantage. A small concession, however: you will be allowed to switch Pokémon for free if you knock out one of the Augur's magical creatures, and the Augur will never be allowed to switch voluntarily. In short, it's exactly the official rules of the Gym battles from the Anime.
Triumph and you will be rewarded with a Talisman, a badge that will reinforce your authority over your pocket monsters and unlock a quest that will allow you to learn a field move... And let's not forget the applause of the audience who will reward you with a nice amount of gold!

List of Augurs

Awena
: Augur of Celebi – specialized Grass and Psychic-type
Meirion: Augur of Kyogre – specialized Water and Ice-type
Aedan: Augur of Groudon – specialized Fire and Ground-type
Blodwyn: Augur of Xerneas – specialized Fairy and Grass-type
Arianna: Augur of Lugia – specialized Water, Flying and Psychic-type
Houarnon: Augur of Heatran – specialized Fire, Steel and Rock-type
Erwana: Augur of Yveltal – specialized Dark and Ghost-type
Cerridwyn: Augur of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf – specialized Psychic and Light-type (It will be a Trio Combat)
Neñvel: Augur of Rayquaza – specialized Dragon and Electric-type
Ambros: Augur of Ho-Oh – specialized Fire and Flying-type

Note that the Augurs of Ho-Oh and Heatran will be optional (although highly recommended). The first one, because you'll already have his Talisman from being initiated by the priests of Ho-Oh, the second one because it won't unlock a field move that's essential to the main quest (and the League of Keltios only requires 9 Talismans to compete).
You'll also notice that their teams won't be monotype, but in the theme of the Legendary that fits them.


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Sacred Phoenix renews the battle mechanics in depth, offering a new wind on the Pokémon license.
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If your will is to be surprised and discover everything by yourself, follow the path of Azelf. The scenario will introduce you to these new features gradually.
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But if you choose the path of Uxie and wish his knowledge, a documentation has been specially written for you. It is available in the "doc" folder of the game.


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Fintan's library contains many books that can be accessed from the shelves of his manor. For an independent reading of the game, these writings are also available in PDF format. A good majority of the gameplay changes are described there, as well as some of the lore.
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The library of Fintan the Wise (French version) (Spanish version)


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Since June 23, 2018, Sacred Phoenix has grown and developed. The changelog traces its history.
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View the changelog (French version)


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This short document lists the questions related to the installation or the update of the game.
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https://www.sacredphoenix.fr/res/Telechargements/PDF/FAQ/FAQ and troubleshooting_EN.pdf


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Game download: Alpha v0.4.0.8 of March 28th, 2024

Available languages:
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/
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/
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Includes the full prologue + Chapter 1, approximately 1 hour of gameplay - up to 2 hours with the side quests and optional content
The city of Gortelda, and the first Augur battle are our next goals.


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Official website of Sacred Phoenix
Official Discord (boosted at level 2)
Deviantart gallery
Twitter
Youtube Channel



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Project team:

  • Amras Anárion: Project Lead, Lead Writer, Game Designer, Level Designer, Programmer, Community Manager, Game Artist, Pixel Artist and Translator
  • Altarax: Programmer
  • Cataclyptic: Game Artist
  • Dracoyan: Pixel Artist
  • Eysselia: Game Artist
  • Splittingjaws: Game Artist (artwork of Fakemons)
  • Sulucnal : Programmeur
  • Thunungu: Community Manager, Pixel Artist, Translator

Honorary members:

  • FlorianDX: Game Artist, Pixel Artist
  • JasCas: Sounds effects
  • MusicallyRoy: Musicien
  • Millie: Help for artwork
  • Palkioss: Community Manager
  • PixelCraft: Pixel Artist
  • Samueljoo: Graphiste
  • Sipondo : Programmeur

Former team members:

  • BlizzardFeather: Game Artist
  • Bugfix: Beta Tester
  • Cottens: Game Artist, Programmer, Web manager, secondary Beta Tester
  • Frillecho: Pixel Art for Fakemons
  • KiriariSan : Game Artist for OCs
  • Pipevanes: Musician, Translator

Credits from members who provided one-time help:

  • Arnik: Concepts of Fakemons from his former project "Cristal de Jade", Pixel artist
  • Carole: Artworks of some items, icons of pause menu
  • Galax: Musician
  • LOX: artwork of the regional Druddigon
  • Pixâme: collab for the tiles of the Fintan Manor
  • SkaraBdort: score of the Keltios hymn
  • Vulvoch: tiles of the Ivy Tower
  • Yjchigo: script help

Credits for external contributors:

-- Tilesets --

  • Alucus
  • aveontrainer
  • Chaoticcherrycake
  • carchagui
  • Celiana
  • Chimcharsfireworkd
  • GameFreak - Pokémon HGSS
  • Inkaline
  • Kyle-Dove
  • Magiscarf
  • princess-phoenix
  • Redshrike
  • Saurav
  • WesleyFG
  • Phyromatical
  • Evolina

-- Sprites --
  • RBRNNova
  • Oniwanbashu
  • Conyjams (sprites of Galar's forms)
  • KingOfThe-X-Roads (Gen 9 fronts)
  • Caruban (Gen 9 backs)
  • DarkusShadow (Gen 9 OWs)
  • ezerart (Gen 9 icons)

-- Artworks --
  • Cdhernly
  • TRXPICS

-- Various graphics --
- Sidney Eileen (http://sidneyeileen.com) - graphic design elements

-- Music --
  • Braxton Burks (https://www.connorgriffinmusic.com)
  • GameFreak for the music from official games
  • Dasgust (title screen score)
  • BellBlitzKing (SFX rip for the Pokémon games)

-- PSDK game engine credits --
https://psdk.pokemonworkshop.fr/wiki/en/credits.html
 
Last edited:

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
About the negative HP and deaths mechanic - do one-hit knockout moves kill or just faint, since they do not use damage calculations?
In normal or difficult mode (and Nuzlocke of course), this results in the immediate death of the Pokémon. Technically, it inflicts 2,147,483,647 damage, which siphons the whole HP bar in 1 frame. The mercy mechanisms (mitigation of excess damage from the launcher) do not apply to this type of attack.
In pacifist mode where death is disabled, it will only remove the remaining HP, which results in a classic fainting.

The management of difficulty (and indirectly of death) is summarized here: https://www.deviantart.com/anarlaurendil/art/Difficulty-modes-of-Sacred-Phoenix-897663738

Is the game still being updated? Loved the demo though it was short. The mechanics seem really cool. The graphics definitely create a good ambience and the concept arts seem really cool.
Je vien de finir la demo, très bon jeu j'adore, le jeu vas t'il finir un jour ou il s'agit d'un projet abandonné?
Sorry for taking a month to respond. The project was almost put on hiatus from mid-April to mid-June. The main reason is that there was a blockage in pixel art and many unavailabilities in the team (exams of end of the school year or IRL jobs that require doing double dose of work).
I wrote about it in the May dev diary
Despite the lack of availability, some arts could be realized during this period. And today, the bad alignment of planets is going away, the pixel art has resumed its course and the coding of the scenario of the second town of the game is approaching fast. (Only 4 NPCs to draw are missing) 👍

To show you that we are still moving forward, here is one of the two last musics made for the fangame

 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
It's been a long time since I've given any news. The project has just taken a summer break, but we are back, ready to make the Phoenix fly again. 👍


Dev Diary

To find out what we've been up to, you'll find your answers in the latest Developer Diary entries:
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Developer diaries #6 - May 2022
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Developer diaries #7 - June-August 2022

A new entry is (normally) published every month and it is an easy way to get a summary of the latest developments.


Rising ambitions for Fakemons

To prove that the project is still active, I just reveal a low resolution teaser of 2 regional variants of evolutionary families: Venipede / Whirlipede / Scolipede and Roggenrola / Boldore / Gigalith

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Because behind the scenes, the creation of Fakemons continues. 😉 It's just that we reveal them in public only when their lore and strategic info are finalized, which is not yet the case for these new creatures.

I will just confirm that for the moment, we have planned in our ToDoLists:
• 11 new Mega Evolutions
• 24 original regional forms
• 42 true Fakemons (43 if you count MissingNo.)

A majority already have their artwork finalized and a third have their sprites finished. They will be revealed in due course.


A revamp of a major character

Last news and not the least: Aerouna the princess of the Draconid People finally reveals her final appearance! She now wears the colors of her clan.

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Let's warmly thank KiriariSan for this artistic achievement.

The graphic resources for the next update are almost all ready. The limiting factor is now the coding and programming, as we have to implement the crafting system. If you have knowledge of Ruby (RPG Maker) or GDScript (Godot), your help will be welcome.
A pixel artist who can make medieval or ancient tiles in Gen 4 style will also be a plus, because the mapping of the first major city (Gortelda) is fast approaching.
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
In this month of October, we have just recently finished the last elemental Starter of Keltios. You know, the famous Grass-Fire-Water triangle? 🌿🔥🌊
The official starter of Sacred Phoenix is of course a pseudo legendary Dragon (Dratini, Bagon and Gible) 🐉, but making the elemental trinity in Fakemon had a symbolism for me.

So, I present to you:
🌿 Ourobud, Thornud and Scincophyl the electric lizard
🔥 Snakoat, Venynx and Chyro the desert chimera
🌊 Slugaqua, Flabaqua and Glautilus the wise sea slug
For strategic reasons, they very quickly have a double type: Electric for the Grass, Poison for the Fire, and Psychic for the Water starter.

https://www.sacredphoenix.fr/res/Images/Brand/Elemental%20starters.png


This is the work of 3 people (4 if you count the cleaning I did on most of them): Eysselia, SplittingJaws and FlorianDX. That's why each lineage has a different artistic style.
By the way, a new developer diary entry should arrive very soon, as this shows that we are back on track. 👍
 

SunGoddess23

Cooltrainer
Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Posts
102
Wow I love all three of them it's going to be hard to pick which ones I would want the most.
 

Hexdex

Guy who probably isn’t a cat
Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2022
Posts
11
downloaded it and its a 7z file
how do i open it
what should i get to use 7z files i have no idea how to use it
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
We are proud to present you today two major characters of Sacred Phoenix!
  • One of them, you probably know him, since you met him in tears and blood during the prologue of the game. He is Nemorios, nicknamed "the flamboyant". He's a brute force enthusiast and doesn't hesitate to smash his opponents with his Shadow Rampardos. Eysselia made us his final artwork, almost 3 years after his bust which was used as a placeholder.
  • The other one is Vatumar, known as "the illusionist" (yes, he is a man). Originally from Kalos, he is a master in the art of manipulating minds and proposing contracts to the rulers, thirsting for influence... as long as it serves the interests of Darkrai and Giratina!
Both are Curates, in other words, the right-hand men of the sect of the nightmare God. Only the Arch-Curate, who will be revealed to you in a few weeks, is superior to them.

https://www.sacredphoenix.fr/res/Images/Brand/Nemerios%20et%20Vatumar.png


I hope you will like them, because it is true that our communication has been reduced in the last weeks

With the release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the project took indeed a break.
At the same time, there was trouble with Deviantart, which with its new policy decided to shadow-ban images "not appropriate for a underage public" by entrusting this task to ... an artificial intelligence! Needless to say, their robot has wreaked havoc by shadow-banning from public view up to 45% of the entire Sacred Phoenix portfolio when the blocking wave was at its peak. Today, it's down to 9%, but that's still 9% too much.
Bad luck: Deviantart is the main social network of the fangame and represents alone more than 50% of the public visibility of the project. So I have to readjust my communication on third party sites because making an announcement by showing a Deviantart link means taking the risk that this announcement cannot be seen or read by the public.


But we are still active!

... and that's the main thing. I'll talk about the latest progress in the Developer's diary #9 which will be imminent (and maybe even published for the New Year). Of course, I'll publish it directly here and not via a Deviantart link, since this third party site is not totally reliable anymore.

To summarize in four lines, the new points are:
  • No eminent update of the fangame, but the next one will be a major breakthrough with new features and 15 minutes of additional scenario! We hope to release it in February, 1 year after the last public update.
  • We've started coding the Field Effects in the Pokémon Reborn style! (But it will follow my own interpretation)
  • The move's database has been redone by hand and includes all attacks up to Gen 9.
  • Older saves will NOT be compatible. (All move management has been redone from scratch to prepare for future compatibility with Breath and Mana, but this is not compatible with the old structure).
If you want to be close to the project progress and see it in real time, the best place is our Discord server.
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
I reveal to you today the ninth entry of my development diary. Since it's about 8 minutes of reading, I put it under the spoiler.
You will discover what the current obstacles to development are and what our objectives are. This month's entry focuses on coding, the main bottleneck.

Developer diaries #9 - January 2022

Entry 9

Three months have passed since the last entry. This is due to a slowing down of the development, itself due to several factors. But like the waves of the ocean, the progress is made in pulses: little progress until mid-December, but then it’s back to work with a great progress on the coding! This will be the theme of this ninth journal!


Pharaonic coding ambitions

Around mid-September, I started a huge project: redoing the database of all Pokémon moves from scratch. This step was necessary if I wanted to implement new data (the native PSDK one didn’t allow me to do so). It was also the perfect opportunity to add all the attacks added by Sacred Phoenix, never coded except for a handful of Shadow-type.

Before any coding, I had to establish the game design around the Pokémon attacks and ask myself all the right questions:
– How to define an attack and in what format?
– What are the possible categories, types, and side effects?
– Since I’ve divided the Status attacks into 3 subcategories (Buff, Debuff and Terrain), which ones will be in which subcategory?
– How many methods will it take to define all the existing moves?
– What are the possible attack ranges?
– What tags will I use and what are their effects?
– For the added data (Mana, Breath, elemental damage on the field...), what values should I assign?
– And of course, what rebalancing and modifications to make to all this? ...something already started 3 years ago! A perfect opportunity to take a critical look at all the existing moves and revise the ones that need it, while establishing harmonized changes to my own mechanics.

This will be done in Word format (not Excel), as it allows me a more advanced layout and the use of a color code to mark my changes compared to the vanilla mechanisms of Pokémon:
– Red = dexited move
– Dark red = nerfed element
– Blue = modification without significant impact on power
– Green = improved element
That’s about half of all the moves that will be rebalanced. This can range from a minor change (like a very slightly adjusted power) to a more profound overhaul by integrating my Fields Effects for example (but that’s another topic!).

The second major advantage of having such a list, sorted by type and then category, is that it gives me a clean and organized view of all existing moves. It’s a great help to me to establish the movepool of my Fakemons (or to revise those of the already existing creatures), because the official list established by date of addition (and thus by generation) has a clearly random arrangement ... not to mention that it doesn’t refer to my new attacks, nor exclude the ones I’ve decided to dexit (about 160 out of the 900 existing official ones).

Move%20data%20Word%20sample.png

An excerpt of shadow-type attacks: some are new, others have been balanced​


From Ideal to Truth
Zekrom%20-%20T%c3%aate%2050px.png
Reshiram%20-%20T%c3%aate%2050px.png


Now I have to write down all these ideas. So, I start by writing the list of attacks and all the characteristics that will be called by the code (type, power, accuracy, list of tags...)
I start at the beginning of October and I manage to maintain a cruising rhythm by referencing 40 new moves per day. But when I got to the 4th generation ones, my motivation started to wane. At the end of October, I was at 400 referenced attacks; then I stagnated around 500-600 until the beginning of December, adding only 10 or 20 on the rare days when I had courage.

Around December 10th was a tipping point: Eysselia took the lead and decided to give me a deadline to finish this damn list of abilities. Even though the deadline itself was not met (I would have finished the game design document 3 days late), it allowed me to go full steam ahead and finish the 300 missing moves in 10 days, even allowing me the luxury of including the brand-new Gen 9’s attacks!

But we still had to transform the game design into concrete code! Let’s go for a long copy-paste session from the Word to the Ruby script, abusing the [Ctrl] + [H] and regexes to semi-automate the formatting as much as possible! Don’t forget to create methods to extract the desired data and then test the code to hunt for bugs. (A Class migration is very delicate to manage!) This took me about ten more days.

Move%20data%20base%20sample.png

Putting it into practice in code. The majority of flags are managed by independent lists.​


When the Field Effects invite themselves to the party ...

Today, this key step is almost finished. I just have to check that the attack’s methods (the “FunctionCode” in Essentials jargon) – completely renamed – are all existing in the new code. And that’s when I realized that some vanilla mechanics have never been coded in the game, even though some of them date back to Gen 6.
So, I went back to work on another important project that I had planned since the birth of the fangame: the Field Effects. Luckily, the game design on this feature was written in large part during the month of October, when my motivation was wavering for the referencing of moves. Thus, I wouldn’t have wasted my time and already have a base on which to start my coding!
Estimated time to code this feature and reach this additional goal: 15 days.


The other coding projects

Once this major Ideal has become a Truth, I will have to resume my main objectives that I left in September, namely to code the crafting system (yes, more coding!) and to finish the scenario, the Event-Making and the mapping of the second town of the game.
Don’t forget that I am the only person with coding skills in the team. All of these tasks rest solely on my shoulders, which undoubtedly makes programming the bottleneck of the project.
At least, I tell myself that all the code is already ready and will significantly facilitate my migration to another game engine such as Godot or Essentials. The raw data is already formatted, I would only have to create the methods so that the game uses mine and not the ones native to the framework.


A word about savegame compatibility

Such a profound change in the data structure unfortunately makes old saves incompatible, as there are too many conflicts to solve. Furthermore, coding “compatibility patches” significantly impairs the readability of the code and the performance of the game (especially when they are routines called in combat).
So, I took the opportunity of this reset to remove all the lines of code that are dedicated to old savegames compatibility. It’s also the perfect opportunity to modify the Pokémon data structure. As the data structure will be swollen with about a hundred of new data (I plan to manage a large history of actions and achievements of your magical creatures), it is important to cut the dead branches and to trim the thick ones. I’m just hoping to have time to restructure everything I want about Pokémon so that there is no future save incompatibilities (at least as long as I stay on PSDK).

One thing is sure: we are officially leaving the “Roots of Yggdrasil” cycle to move towards “The Branches of Knowledge”, a cycle that is characterized by significant changes on the databases. The next update will be a 0.4!


The sinking of Deviantart

It’s impossible not to mention this in our diary as it has been one of the causes of demotivation in the last few weeks.
Deviantart and its new “anti-NSFW” policy blindly assigned to an artificial intelligence has caused a significant loss of visibility to the project (from 40 to 80% of views drop!), and in turn a loss of morale on the team. Indeed, our Deviantart account alone represented more than 50% of the public visibility of Sacred Phoenix. It hurts my heart to see some of the images of our portfolio shadow-banned and crossed out with a big “mature content” for unregistered users (as much as 80% of our views), because a robot decided so, while our fangame has never published a mature artistic work.
So, we went looking for alternatives and decided to promote Sacred Phoenix in English on two new social networks: Instagram and Tumblr (in addition to Twitter where the communication is done in French). This will avoid having all our eggs in one basket.

It’s also an opportunity to improve our communication by doing more quality and less quantity, as I was already doing on PokéCommunity and Relic Castle. Before, raw images were published one by one on Deviantart. Now, our art is revealed with the colors of the project. It feels more professional.

My old entries have been published on my Deviantart journal. For those who want to read them, this is where you will find them.
https://www.deviantart.com/anarlaurendil/journal/
 

TheGamingPaladin

TheGamingPaladin - Youtuber, Foodie, Gamer 4 Life
Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Posts
106
wow, this is definitely a unique setting for Pokemon, i like that AZ from X/Y is in it, that really gives this a canonical flair. the death mechanics are a bit intimidating, but that just means that i have to be more cautious, and from the sound of things not over grind either, lest my pokemon become bloodthirsty.
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
Today is revealed to you Alwilda, the Arch-Curate of Darkrai

Alwilda.png


Coming from the high nobility of Kalos, Alwilda is the leader of the Cult of Darkrai, a sect whose origins date back to the Great War of Kalos and which has developed in parallel with the Cult of Giratina.

She is a formidable enchantress and a connoisseur of the alchemical secrets of the ancient unnamed king. Her two lieutenants are Nemorios and Vatumar, two warlords ready to do anything to serve Darkrai's cause, even if it means using expedient methods.

Some suspect that she has the blessing of the King of Kalos and that she is secretly involved in certain diplomatic exchanges, even if officially she acts independently and outside the will of her sovereign. It must be said that the Cult of Darkrai - well established in the east of Kalos - causes almost no harm to the local inhabitants, unlike the kingdom of Keltios which has always been a victim of its raids since Arceus offered the Mythical King his Jewel of Life...

wow, this is definitely a unique setting for Pokemon, i like that AZ from X/Y is in it, that really gives this a canonical flair. the death mechanics are a bit intimidating, but that just means that i have to be more cautious, and from the sound of things not over grind either, lest my pokemon become bloodthirsty.
That's a pretty good summary, and today's news brings a bit more lore about power relations between influential figures. Yes, the universe is fully integrated into the Kalos story.
There is no threshold effect for the overgrind. The mechanics are designed to be very progressive. If you overgrind, you'll have to take better care of your Pokémon (and prevent it from becoming bloodthirsty: the overleveling goes hand in hand with a higher probability of accidentally killing the opposing creature). If you manage to maintain a mastered breeding (no or few KOs, no or few overkills), it is quite possible to have a perfectly faithful Pokémon with 20 levels too much.
Note that if a Pokémon loves you, it will automatically spare all its opponents from death, and the excess damage is already mitigated as soon as the friendship reaches the neutral tier.
Death mechanics are configurable in the difficulty options. Pacifist mode disables them completely.

We'll have to wait for the next demo to really start enjoying these features. For the moment, the playable content is too short to really see these mechanics at work, even if death is already illustrated in the prologue in a scripted battle.

For the moment, I'm working on a complete overhaul of the databases (currently Field Effects and the bestiary), which will take me several weeks. I will most likely do another review of my progress and goal increases in the next dev diary.
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
Today is revealed to you a new Fakemon: Moomoo!

Meumeu_1536px.png


In Keltios, Tauros and Miltank are part of the same lineage, fulfilling a fan theory implied in the official games. Sacred Phoenix goes one step further by offering a pre-evolution to these two bovine Pokémon. 🐮💕 Thus, Moomoo, the Fakemon Calf, is born through this artwork co-created by Eysselia, Splittingjaws and me!
Given the divergence between the two adult species, Moomoo has been subdivided into a male and female form that will determine its future evolution. A male Moomoo can even evolve into one of the three Iberian/Paldean forms of Tauros if it evolves in Iberia or Selenia!
That said, only the appearance of the juvenile evolution changes: its movepool, abilities, stats and type (Pure Normal) are identical, reinforcing the common origin that all Tauroses and Miltanks had at birth.

You can find all the information about the complete lineage (lore, stats, movepool and strategy) in this PDF :
sacredphoenix.fr/res/Telechargements/PDF/Fakemon-stats/EN/Tauros%20lineage.pdf


Can I play it on joiplay?
The answer can be found in the technical FAQ : https://www.sacredphoenix.fr/res/Telechargements/PDF/FAQ/FAQ and troubleshooting_EN.pdf
 

Zinkatron

Cooltrainer
Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2023
Posts
100
This looks amazing! Definitely will keep an eye on this one as it progresses. Best of luck to you and the rest of your team on this, the art style and all of your ideas look unique and very ambitious. Looking forward to seeing more. :-)
 

Specialminds

Rookie
Member
Joined
May 11, 2023
Posts
1
I downloaded the game and extracted everything, but it doesn't even start up. Here's the error log, what am I doing wrong?
================================Erreur de script================================
Message :
No such file or directory @ rb_sysopen - Saves/settings.ini

Type : Errno::ENOENT
Script : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user)
Ligne : 33
Date : 11/05/2023 12:16:47
Game Version : 47
Logiciel : Pokémon SDK 24.87
===================================Backtraces===================================
[28] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 33 write
[27] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 33 set
[26] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 69 init_settings
[25] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 45 get
[24] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 263 fix_scale
[23] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 231 fix_variables
[22] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 138 initialize
[21] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 415 new
[20] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 415 <module:ScriptLoader>
[19] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 124 <top (required)>
[18] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[17] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[16] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 48 load_scripts
[15] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 46 each
[14] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 46 load_scripts
[13] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 37 load_vscode_scripts
[12] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 38 load_vscode_scripts
[11] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 38 each
[10] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 38 load_vscode_scripts
[9] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 29 start
[8] : tools/GameLoader/50_load_game_uncompiled.rb (PSDK) | ligne 7 <top (required)>
[7] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[6] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[5] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 128 load_tool
[4] : tools/GameLoader/Z_load_uncompiled.rb (PSDK) | ligne 10 <top (required)>
[3] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[2] : /lib/ruby/2.5.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb (ruby) | ligne 59 require
[1] : ScriptLoad.rb (PSDK) | ligne 128 load_tool
[0] : Game.rb (RMXP) | ligne 11 <main>
===================================Fin du log===================================
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
After 4 months of slow progress, there is a peak of motivation right now in the team. So I am honored to announce that there will be news and that it will finally move!
Indeed, several artworks have just been finished in the last 4 days, some of which are visible in preview on the public rooms of our Discord, but here is one I will share with you:

The fishers made by KiriariSan. 🎣
They have almost the same role as in the official games and will have only fishable Pokémons. It will be almost exclusively Water-Type, but some Ice or Dragon-Type could be present. You will find them near any body of water, in short, where you can fish: seashore, rivers, lakes and sometimes on boats with sailors.

Fishers_1536%20px.png


On my side, I create some artworks like raw materials or items from Pokémon Legends Arceus in HD.

The Griseous Core:
griseous_core.png


The Origin Ore, with platinum nuggets:
origin_ore.png


The Red Crystal, a fragment of the Red Chain from the Lake Guardians. Combined with the Origin Ore, it allows to forge the Griseous Ball:
red_crystal.png


Or the Medicinal Leak. It remplaces the Energy Leaf as a basic component of potions.
medicinal_leek.png


With the progress that has been made in artworks, it is official, we need pixel artists to give life to the sprites from our drawings.
So I'm going to do the first recruitment campaign in Pokécommunity, because this is becoming a real bottleneck.
I will also make a Dev Diary, now that there has been some movement.
 
Last edited:

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
I downloaded the game and extracted everything, but it doesn't even start up. Here's the error log, what am I doing wrong?
================================Erreur de script================================
Message :
No such file or directory @ rb_sysopen - Saves/settings.ini

Type : Errno::ENOENT
Script : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user)
Ligne : 33
Date : 11/05/2023 12:16:47
Game Version : 47
Logiciel : Pokémon SDK 24.87
===================================Backtraces===================================
[28] : 01000 StartGame/00000 Game settings.rb (user) | ligne 33 write
After some tests, the reason is quite simple: you deleted the "Saves" folder that was originally present at the root of the game (maybe to delete all your saves and start over with a blank game or to reset the configuration?). The game needs this folder (even if it is empty) to be able to generate the various configuration files needed to start it. Recreate a empty folder named "Saves" at the same location that the Game.exe, and it should restart immediately.

I've updated the troubleshooting by adding this issue.

I'll see if it's possible to patch it so that the "Saves" folder is automatically created if it doesn't exist (and thus make the game start the first time if the player has completely deleted it)
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
I present you the couple of journeyman Blacksmiths of Pokémon Sacred Phoenix by cataclyptic . 🔨

Blacksmiths_1280px.png


Unlike the apprentice, the journeyman Blacksmith is experienced in his trade, whether in metalworking or Pokémon battle. This is also the reason why they are the ones who will run the forges and trade with you, unless it is a small village's forge (in which case it will have a chance to be run by an apprentice, with a smaller stock of goods).

This is the equivalent of Workers in the official games. If they are encountered outside the cities, they will have a good chance of challenging you to a Pokémon battle. They are quite versatile in terms of types, but we find Fire, Electrik, Steel, Rock, Ground and Fighting-types.
 

Amras Anárion

Trainer
Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2020
Posts
55
Here is a reskin of an emblematic Pokémon of the first generation: Kadabra and Alakazam, without forgetting Mega Alakazam. 🪄 Its stats, types, abilities and movepool remain the same, but we have adapted his appearance to the Keltios lore through these high resolution artworks. Indeed, you should know that the official artworks of the first generation are of low resolution, so we had to enlarge them to match the definition usually used in Sacred Phoenix.

Alakazam%20lineage.png


It's also the occasion to induct blizzardfeather as the new Aspirant Phoenix. Indeed, in partnership with me, she is the one who made this alternative version of this official Pokémon. Congratulations for this achievement, it's been a long time since our ranks have grown.
 
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