Completed Banette & Guilmon - A Pokemon Movie

HollowGap · Oct 17, 2017

Whoops, I forgot to post my feedback.

(I only played B&G since the RE installer can't work properly somehow.)

From a visual novel perspective, I think you managed to hit the right tools of storytelling even when using RPGXP. You added visual aid such as Guilmon's pixel eye shifting and expressive mugshots. The music choices are nice, too. What I liked the most is how you balanced the metafiction and drama aspect, in a documentary visual novel! That is really hard to pull off. You managed to keep things fresh for the most part. Although it got really slow sometimes (i.e. Guilmon moving slowly), I think from execution side, it was well done overall.

There is one thing that bugs me, though. In here, you used Guilmon and Banette; a character from different universe. Banette is from Pokemon, and usually every pokemon is a blank-state character, meaning you have the freedom to write what the character will be. On the other hand, I think Digimon characters are different. Digimon already have some traits that are suited to them; i.e., Renamon is mostly stoic, and Impmon is a woobie jerk. From what I can recall, Guilmon is depicted as childish, can't even tell the differences between human and animal and digimon, and loves bread. In here, you wrote him as a more mature and already aware of many things. Slight difference, but it's the one that bugs me. Sure, this is an alternate universe where everything is allowed. But as a fan-material, I think there are certain parts of a character that makes people remember them as themselves. I guess you used Guilmon because you have that plush in your possesion. Imagine you have other Digimon plush, and write the same dialogue tone. How will it turn out?

Digimon characters have different treatment with Pokemon, is what I'm saying, and this Guilmon could have been closer to the source material in terms of personality and traits. Overall, it's pretty enjoyable. You might want to advertise it in a Digimon or visual novel forum or other community outside Relic.

SmokedPaprika · Nov 25, 2017

I just want to say thanks a whole bunch to everybody here who's given my work a chance - it means the whole world to me. I'm beyond excited to share my next few projects with the world, and I feel that some of my ideas are going to make an impact on those who are willing to give them a chance.

You guys are the best audience in the world, and don't you all forget it. I know that the game's concept sounds like a bit of a bad fanfiction, and being made in RPG Maker might deter a lot of passersby from wanting to check this project out, but this medium is beginning to turn into something I can call "my passion", and I look so much forward to being able to show the storytelling potential of Pokemon as well as RPG Maker, so thanks for sticking with me.

I hope to have an updated version of Banette and Guilmon ready on January 1st with scene selection, and hopefully a little something special to go along with that. So for the last time, thanks a million. I'll see you then!

Kudara · Dec 29, 2017

I would really like to see this in a Pokemon Battle styled Game! I mean i love that gae as it is but i think we really lack good PokemonXDigmon Fangames^^ and with your story telling would make an awsome crossover game!

SmokedPaprika · Dec 30, 2017

Kudara said:
I would really like to see this in a Pokemon Battle styled Game! I mean i love that gae as it is but i think we really lack good PokemonXDigmon Fangames^^ and with your story telling would make an awsome crossover game!

Thanks for your response. I'm not sure how I could add any battle gameplay elements to this particular story - I'm not sure what Banette or Guilmon would be physically fighting against. I don't have any intentions to make another Pokemon/Digimon crossover story anytime soon, but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed my game.

Alumina · Feb 14, 2018

I just finished it.

It's so perfect :)

Evan · Apr 3, 2018

Hey Pap, leaving my thoughts here instead of at the end of the video so I had some time to decompress and ponder my thoughts.

First, bravo. The stuff you've done with essentials and RPG Maker is some of the most creative engine manipulation i've seen in this community. You managed to make a 90 minute movie where my only action is to press enter to continue something that I became invested in. I felt for some characters, got incredibly frustrated at others, and through it all realized that you managed to make very real characters and stories come to life. In essentials. I woulda been skeptical had someone told me they were gonna attempt a 'movie' in RPG Maker.

The twists were fun, the character of the cameraman was a very interesting and cool choice, and all in all I felt like I was watching a movie. I don't have much in the way of critique because I don't have anything else anything like this to compare it to. But you held my interest for the entirety of it, and I'm glad I got to see the full length kind of story you create.

It was really cool.

Wys · Jul 26, 2018

Hey, i completed your game yesterday and i absolutely enjoyed it!!

SmokedPaprika · Jul 27, 2018

Wystogan said:
Hey, i completed your game yesterday and i absolutely enjoyed it!!

Thank you so much! That's the first time I've heard on it in months, I think, so I really appreciate that!

Droid779 · Aug 4, 2018

Nice game that you’ve made there, mate! I can relate a lot as I’m going through similar things. Playing through this really makes me feel better!

Involuntary Twitch · Aug 11, 2018

Hey! I 'played' through this the other day and thought I'd leave a comment.
I really enjoyed it; although for the first ten minutes I kept waiting for the point where I would take control of the characters before I realized what the "Movie" part of the title meant. I've never seen anything like this accomplished with RPGMaker; the creative things you were able to accomplish here were really quite remarkable. I loved the format of a faux-documentary, mainly because I watch a lot of actual documentaries, but also that it provided a good window into the world you're trying to portray.

But what makes this movie stand out, more than anything, is the storytelling and characters. You don't pull punches in depicting the relationship between the two main characters. And more than anything, their relationships and interactions feel realistic, which is pretty wild considering they're both imaginary monsters in a made-up monster game world.

You did a really good job, I thought, depicting what the daily struggles with mental illness look like, and the impact it has on both the one suffering as well as their friends and family. Guilmon's story, too, about feeling like an out-of-place immigrant in a society he's not wholly comfortable with, facing discrimination and confusion, felt very real too. Surrounding this human story with the fantastical, quirky, and often hilarious world of Pokemon helps draw the viewer in and also provides some much-needed levity every time the story elements are getting heavy. I loved all of the little side-characters, like Trubbish, Hawlucha, and Mimikyu. By the end of it, I wanted to live in the Pokemon World as well.

I hope you make more projects like this one; with your creative ideas and your writing skills, you've got the potential to make all kinds of unique, unexpected, and interesting art.

SmokedPaprika · Aug 11, 2018

Involuntary Twitch said:
*snip snoop snup*

Thank you so much for all of the kind words, Twitch! Don't worry, more good stuff is coming! ...Eventually!

Zangoose335 · Aug 14, 2018

Involuntary Twitch said:
Hey! I 'played' through this the other day and thought I'd leave a comment.
I really enjoyed it; although for the first ten minutes I kept waiting for the point where I would take control of the characters before I realized what the "Movie" part of the title meant. I've never seen anything like this accomplished with RPGMaker; the creative things you were able to accomplish here were really quite remarkable. I loved the format of a faux-documentary, mainly because I watch a lot of actual documentaries, but also that it provided a good window into the world you're trying to portray.

But what makes this movie stand out, more than anything, is the storytelling and characters. You don't pull punches in depicting the relationship between the two main characters. And more than anything, their relationships and interactions feel realistic, which is pretty wild considering they're both imaginary monsters in a made-up monster game world.

You did a really good job, I thought, depicting what the daily struggles with mental illness look like, and the impact it has on both the one suffering as well as their friends and family. Guilmon's story, too, about feeling like an out-of-place immigrant in a society he's not wholly comfortable with, facing discrimination and confusion, felt very real too. Surrounding this human story with the fantastical, quirky, and often hilarious world of Pokemon helps draw the viewer in and also provides some much-needed levity every time the story elements are getting heavy. I loved all of the little side-characters, like Trubbish, Hawlucha, and Mimikyu. By the end of it, I wanted to live in the Pokemon World as well.

I hope you make more projects like this one; with your creative ideas and your writing skills, you've got the potential to make all kinds of unique, unexpected, and interesting art.

hi involuntary twitch i'm a HUGE FAN OF POKEMON URANIUM!!!!

Involuntary Twitch · Aug 16, 2018

Zangoose335 said:
hi involuntary twitch i'm a HUGE FAN OF POKEMON URANIUM!!!!

Um, that's nice, but this thread isn't really the right place for that. Feel free to message me if you want to say something off-topic. This thread is for discussing SmokedPaprika's game Banette & Guilmon, which is really great! It's a different sort of story altogether from most fan games, but I recommend you give it a try all the same, and then comment on how much you liked it!

Georot · Nov 24, 2018

I just finished it and it was a very emotianally touching ''film'' but i know one thing i LOVED IT keep up the good work and make more things like this and edge rising you have my support and thx

Hornet · Sep 24, 2021

I'm only a couple of years too late for this (like 4 lol), but I had to leave a comment on here.

This game/movie/film/artwork was an absolute masterpiece. When I first started playing it I didn't know how I felt about sitting there and watching/reading through the game, but once I started I just couldn't stop. The music, the story, everything. Legit found myself stuck at my computer getting more and more attached the farther I went along.

I've been playing through a lot of the older Jam Games recently but this one I just had to leave a comment on telling you how great of a job you did creating this.

Thank you

P.S. I hope you still come around to the forums and will end up reading this, and maybe even make another one of these one day!

Yin · Jun 24, 2022

This game is fantastic, honestly, I'm begging you to write a movie lol Everything feels so real, so greatly timed, it got the feel of an oscar-nominated movie XD Also the music at the ends is so niceee, every music in the game captures the music just right

Btw might be weird but my favorite character is Hawlucha, who Guilmon watched a movie with. He just feels like a wholesome frat boy lol

Eaglet · Dec 10, 2022

Dropping by to say that this game is absolutely fantastic!

Completed Banette & Guilmon - A Pokemon Movie

HollowGap

How am I still alive

SmokedPaprika

Stinky Person

Kudara

Rookie

SmokedPaprika

Stinky Person

Alumina

Rookie

Evan

game director, Pokémon Sea & Sky

Wys

Freelance Mapper

SmokedPaprika

Stinky Person

Droid779

Weeb

Involuntary Twitch

Pixel Artist & Writer

SmokedPaprika

Stinky Person

Zangoose335

i'm 16 i love zangoose weavile and raichu

Involuntary Twitch

Pixel Artist & Writer

Georot

Rookie

Hornet

Novice

Yin

Queen of out-dated memes

Eaglet

Rookie