Thoughts on using Legendaries outside of their intended context?

[TreadingWater]

I know that some people are really stingy when it comes to messing with the Pokemon-lore, but sometimes certain legendaries just really works for the story you want to tell. Even if it takes place outside of their native region and their stories need to be changed a little to accommodate that.

Would you consider it a sin to utilize official legendaries outside of their intended context?

 

[RegalSword]

I know that some people are really stingy when it comes to messing with the Pokemon-lore, but sometimes certain legendaries just really works for the story you want to tell. Even if it takes place outside of their native region and their stories need to be changed a little to accommodate that.

Would you consider it a sin to utilize official legendaries outside of their intended context?

I'd be fine with it if I get to see something unique and interesting done with the story. However, it might take some getting used to, as sometimes games change a legendary's personality completely and that usually messes with my perception of said legendary for a while.

 

[MacedWindow]

Absolutely no sin. Hacks introduce legendaries as late-game cheat-codes, but players who tend to make it far into a niche mod probably don't need/want them. To have a Legendary early means a hack can be balanced around it.

Legendaries are just in general not very compelling to use. Designers should mix it up and give them unique roles. Example: All legendaries have the Slow Start effect stapled to their ability; this Slow Star effect doesn't reset on switch; all legendaries have two health bars. In this way, players have to "build" their legendary up during a fight while finding openings. Just an example inspired by the weird Pokemon Fusion legendaries lol.

 

[SuperSpyroDragon64]

Wouldn't it be awesome to allow each Gym Leader to use one Legendary, and allow each Elite Four member and the Champion to use even more Legendaries?

Wouldn't it be awesome to say "Legendaries aren't Gods, just extremely rare Pokemon worshipped as Gods by some ancient cultures" so more enemy NPCs can use Legendaries?

 

[RTCanwind]

Not at all.
There is nothing more "outside of Legendaries' integrated context" than Dynamax Adventures, but it is 100% "official".

 

[Maruno]

I've always considered legendary Pokémon to simply be very rare and unusually powerful. They're not unique (except maybe for the artificially created Mewtwo and Genesect; Mewtwo's clone origin lore is too ingrained in me to ignore, and while I don't care about Genesect, it has its Drive thing which is obviously artificial). I don't consider any of them to be deities or literally in charge of anything (especially not an aspect of reality).

So I have no problems with seeing legendary Pokémon being used in whatever way. I mean, the Game Jam game Marin and I made contained two young Palkia playing hide-and-seek, so I definitely wouldn't complain about legendaries not being used "properly".

 

[thatguythathasnolife]

Wouldn't it be awesome to allow each Gym Leader to use one Legendary, and allow each Elite Four member and the Champion to use even more Legendaries?

Wouldn't it be awesome to say "Legendaries aren't Gods, just extremely rare Pokemon worshipped as Gods by some ancient cultures" so more enemy NPCs can use Legendaries?

Exactly! Part of my game is that there is an elite group of "Ace trainers" and part of the requirement to become one is that you gotta have found and captured one Legendary, so they use one on their team and are part of the late game bosses.

 

[SuperSpyroDragon64]

Exactly! Part of my game is that there is an elite group of "Ace trainers" and part of the requirement to become one is that you gotta have found and captured one Legendary, so they use one on their team and are part of the late game bosses.

It could even be the case that the Legendaries praised back then were massive "Alpha Pokemon" much larger than ordinary Pokemon of that species.