Released Pokémon Lark [BETA]

Pokémon Lark is a Pokémon fangame created in RPG Maker XP using Pokémon Essentials v20.1.
The game is made with a mixture of Gen 3-4 tilesets and contains a Regional Pokédex with various Pokémon from Gens 1-8.
Pokémon Lark is planned to include a full 8 Gyms, Elite Four, Champion, and some Postgame Content.

This game is supposed to feel more like a personal journey than an arduous challenge, so it's intended for less competitive-minded players (or those who just need to slow down and smell the flowers a little!), though it's not meant to be "easy". This is what I personally enjoy in a Pokémon game, so I hope this project will reach other people like me.
Take things at your own pace, talk to people and Pokémon to learn more about the region. You never know what you'll discover!

Note: This game is currently in an early beta-release stage and is in great need of playtesters!
Pokémon Lark is a solo passion project I've been developing off-and-on for the past three years, although this particular version is a complete reboot of the last one (which is why it's still in early development). There will be a link to an optional post-playtest survey located in the game's main folder (hosted via Google Forms)- filling it out would be a great help to both my skills as a developer and to my motivation while continuing to work on this project!​

Current Features (v0.1.1):​

24 available Starter Pokémon!
3 unique towns/cities, including 1 Gym Leader (rematchable daily)
5 Accessible Routes and 3 other, non-route locations.
Time-based interaction events with major characters (yes, the Gym Leaders actually leave their gyms!)
A new, improved Region Map (though its contents are still subject to change)!
Major characters' ace Pokémon are nicknamed so they're harder to identify in Switch Mode.
The ability to pet (or un-pet) cute Pokémon for flavor text!
Interacting with a Pokémon in the overworld marks it as "seen" in your Pokédex!
The ability to rename Pokémon in the menu, or change their Pokéballs from the Bag!
Loosely customizable player outfits!
251 Unique Pokémon from Gens 1-8 (and counting!)

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Welcome to the world of Pokémon!​

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Jump into the region of Regiona, a peaceful peninsula with completely inconspicuous naming conventions! The people of Regiona strongly value close bonds with their Pokémon, whether they choose to partake in battles, contests, or simply companionship. How you explore & interact with the region is up to you!

You will play as a young child hailing from Stardina Town, an up-and-coming village slightly off the beaten path.

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Friendly Faces!​

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Along your journey through Regiona, you'll meet several colorful characters with interesting things to say. You'll have two main rivals throughout the game, a set of twins from the next town over. Several of their interactions (and battles) will be unavoidable, but the vast majority of them are planned to be optional (and even entirely missable if you're not exploring thoroughly)!​

Meet Liv!​

Liv (short for Olivia) is a reserved, intellectual girl who currently works as the professor's favorite (and only) assistant. She'll be in charge of granting you your very first Pokémon, and although she's not much of a battler, she and her partner Eevee will serve as helpful allies throughout your journey. And maybe, through getting to know you, she'll find some confidence in herself along the way..?​

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Meet Leo!​

Leo (short for Leon) is a quirky, outgoing boy whose goal is to make lots of Pokémon friends on his journey and grow strong together. He and his Deino are quite the tough opponents, but he's a softie at heart and wants nothing more than to push you to reach your full potential (even if he can be clumsy about it at times). His passion for the well-being of Pokémon is unmatched.​

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And... others?​

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You may also run into some... unsavory characters during your journey.

A new gang is on the rise, calling themselves Team Trouble- and they're after money, resources, and a mythical Pokémon that's gone unseen for centuries. Will you fight for the honor of the Pokémon they might harm in the process?

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Gallery​

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Spoiler: Gallery

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Known Issues​

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• Some move animations are off- specifically, certain moves will show their animation in the corner of the screen and not on the Pokémon in question. This appears to be an Essentials issue and not a "me" issue, but I'll have to look into fixing it.
• Some time-based events have yet to be playtested, though most of them are optional interactions and shouldn't interfere with gameplay too much. If there's something absurdly game or immersion-breaking that I missed, I'll be sure to patch it out.

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FAQ ​

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• "Why is Skitty on the title screen? Is it important?"
  • (Silly Answer) Skitty is forever important in my heart <3
  • (Professional Answer) Skitty is one of my favorite Pokémon, and it's available pretty early in the game. I just like it.
• "Where does the game get its title?"
  • (Silly Answer) It's called "Pokémon Lark". My name is Larky. I'm sure you can figure it out.
  • (Professional Answer) This world & its characters are extremely important to me, and I'd consider them a piece of myself. As such, I'm trying to put myself in the game as well.
• "Why do the names of your region/towns suck?"
  • (Silly Answer) That's not a question <3
  • (Professional Answer) Because I'm bad at names. I'm not going to pretend they're good names. I didn't try to make good names, and I don't really plan to change them.
• "How long until the next update / final game / etc?"
  • (Silly Answer) Idk lmao
  • (Professional Answer) You can't rush art, my friends. Hyperfixation is an experience I fall victim to very often. But I've been coming back to this project for several years at this point without sharing it with anyone, so I'm pretty confident I'll keep working, even if it takes ten years to finish the game.
• "Will there be Fakémon / Regional Forms in this game?"
  • (Silly Answer) lmao no
  • (Professional Answer) I haven't had any inspiration to do so, and at this point, I've got enough developed that it would be weird from a game-structural standpoint if I started adding them now. So no, probably not.

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Future Plans​

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Long-Term Goals:​

• 8 Full Gyms, Elite 4, and Champion, all with custom sprites and unique interactions outside of battle.
  • Before battling a Gym Leader, they will be in their Gym at all times (unless a specific interaction is required to unlock their Gym Fight).​
  • After defeating a Gym Leader, they will be placed on a schedule for unique interactions. This schedule may change throughout the game, depending on how many badges the player has obtained.​
  • There will be at least one opportunity to rematch each Gym Leader before the postgame. These casual rematches are done outside the League's jurisdiction, and as such, they are not locked to a single type.​
  • After completing the main story, players will be able to rematch each Gym Leader at their full strength.​
• Full storyline involving Team Trouble and their shenanigans.​
• A few interactions and battles locked behind the postgame.​
• Mega Evolution! Late-game bosses and postgame rematches will include Mega Evolved Pokémon, and the player will be able to unlock Mega Evolution as well (though the question of "when" is still undecided).​

Short-Term (Next Game Version) Goals:​

• An additional city, including 1 Gym Leader & her timed events.
  • The new city will be much larger than Fergem, as it's one of the larger locations in the game.​
• The remainder of Token Tunnel, as well as the other half of Route 4​
• Routes 5, 6, and 8. Potentially part of Route 9 (including the Daycare) also.
  • Route 6 will include several battles against Team Trouble. This is the first time players will see the bad guys.​
  • More Pokémon to obtain in the new routes.​
• Some post-gym content, primarily backtracking.​
• New timed events for the rivals, which will be locked behind the second Gym Badge.​
• A couple of new trainer classes, which I'll probably also release as a free resource.
  • I already have the data for them in the game, they're just not able to be encountered yet.​
• Obtain a Fishing Rod! Because that's what everybody wants in their Pokémon game! Fishing!​

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Downloads​

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Spoiler: Downloads

Google Drive
MEGA

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Credits​

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(If I used your resource and somehow forgot to put the credits down here, PLEASE message me and I'll fix it!!)

Pokémon is owned by:
The Pokémon Company
Nintendo
Affiliated with Game Freak

This is a non-profit fan-made game.
No copyright infringements intended.
Please support the official games!

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Spoiler: Credits

LarkyLovesYou (Development, Character Design, Dialogue, Region Design & Primary Mapping)​

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Pokémon Essentials v20.1​

Flameguru
Poccil (Peter O.)
Maruno

With contributions from:
AvatarMonkeyKirby
Marin
Boushy
MiDas Mike
Brother1440
Near Fantastica
FL.
PinkMan
Genzai Kawakami
Popper
Golisopod User
Rataime
help-14
Savordez
IceGod64
SoundSpawn
Jacob O. Wobbrock
the__end
KitsuneKouta
Venom12
Lisa Anthony
Wachunga
Luka S.J.
and everyone else who helped out
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mkxp-z​

Roza
Based on "mkxp" by Ancurio et al.
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RPG Maker XP​

Enterbrain
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Tilesets​

Game Freak, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company (Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen Versions)
Pokémon Essentials (Compilation)
LarkyLovesYou (Recolors)
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Emerald Outside Tileset​

aiyinsi (Compilation & Formatting)
leilou (Editing, ripping/making a few titles)
Heartless Dragon (Emerald Outside rip)
Gamefreak, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company (Pokémon Emerald Version)
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Music​

(All of the music in this game is either included in Essentials, or it's from various games with Pokémon licensing.
I do not own any of the music.)

ENLS’s Pre-Looped Music Library
Game Freak, Nintendo, The Pokémon Company (Original Music)
ENLS, Thundaga, KrakerwatYT, Sulucnal, FrivolousAqua (Looping & Compilation)
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Sprites​

Game Freak / Nintendo / The Pokémon Company (Most of the base Essentials sprites)
LarkyLovesYou (Barista Trainer/Overworld Sprite)
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Accurate FRLG-style NPC Megapack​

(I only used bits and pieces from the pack, so only the used sprites will be credited here, haha)
Poffin_Case (FRLG Style RSE NPCs, ORAS Brendan and May)
SoulfulLex (Compilation & Minor Edits)
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Generation 8 Pack for Essentials v20.1​

Golisopod User, Luka S.J. (Scripts)
Golisopod User, UberDunsparce (Compilation)

Battler Sprites:
veekun (Gen 1-5 Pokemon Sprites)
Smogon X/Y Sprite Project (Gen 6 Pokemon Sprites)
Smogon Sun/Moon Sprite Project (Gen 7 Pokemon Sprites)
Smogon Sword/Shield Sprite Project (Gen 8 Sprites)

Overworld Sprites:
Anarlaurendil (Gen 6+ Berry Tree Overworlds)
princess-pheonix, LunarDusk, Wolfang62, TintejeMadelintje101, piphybuilder88 (Gen 6 Pokemon Overworlds)
Larry Turbo, princess-pheonix (Gen 7 Pokemon Overworlds)
SageDeoxys, Wolfang62, LarryTurbo, tammyclaydon (Gen 8 Pokemon Overworlds)
MissingLukey, help-14, Kymoyonian, cSc-A7X, 2and2makes5, Pokegirl4ever, Fernandojl, Silver-Skies, TyranitarDark, Getsuei-H, Kid1513, Milomilotic11, Kyt666, kdiamo11, Chocosrawlooid, Syledude, Gallanty, Gizamimi-Pichu, 2and2makes5, Zyon17,LarryTurbo, spritesstealer, LarryTurbo (Gen 1-5 Pokemon Overworlds)

Icon Sprites:
Alaguesia, harveydentmd (Gen 1-6 Pokemon Icon Sprites)
Marin, MapleBranchWing, Contributors to the DS Styled Gen 7+ Repository (Gen 7 Pokemon Icon Sprites)
Larry Turbo, Leparagon (Gen 8 Icon Sprites)
StarrWolf, Pokemon Shattered Light Team (Shiny Icon Sprites)

Cries:
Rhyden (Gen 1-6 Pokemon Cries)
Marin, Rhyden (Gen 7 Pokemon Cries)
Zeak6464 (Gen 8 Pokemon Cries)
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Custom Egg Sprites For All Species Up To Gen 8​

LMicolash (Icon Sprites)
Reborn & Rejuvenation Developer Teams (Graphics)
Appletun's Apples (Compilation & Updating for v19+)

Generation 8 Pack
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Plugins​

Sawsbucks Coffee Pack​

LarkyLovesYou (Compilation, Recolors & Edits)
LarkyLovesYou (Item Icons & Scripting)
LarkyLovesYou (Barista Trainer Sprites)
Game Freak / Nintendo / The Pokemon Company (base tiles from FRLG & Emerald)
Llama Train Studio (Sawsbucks Cafe Concept)
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Advanced Vending Machine​

Arky
FL (Code improvements)
MelonSpeedRuns (multiBuy code)​

Overworld Weather Moves​

TechSkylander1518
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Poké Ball Swap​

TechSkylander1518
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Nickname From The Party​

TechSkylander1518
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Other​

Screen's Updated Mining Resources​

Screen Lady
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Mining Game Mouse Function​

TechSkylander1518
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Better Bitmaps​

Marin
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Pokemon Contests and Pokeblocks​

wrigty12
bo4p5687 (original code used as a base for both Contests and Pokeblocks)
mej71, Maruno, FL, JV, Umbreon/Hansiec, Saving Raven, FL, Luka S.J., TastyRedTomato (contributors to the original Contest code used as a base)


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[TheFabledOne]

When are you able to get running shoes?

 

[TheFabledOne]

after defeating leo for the first time you can go through his sprite as if it doesnt have collision (not pictured here)

 

[safr]

Thank you for the new game, take your time on your own pace to complete it and stay healthy. I'm at the beginning of the game and the first town have sweet feelings

 

[LarkyLovesYou]

When are you able to get running shoes?

the running shoes are available in the Pokemon Center in Secona Town, speak to the little girl who is spinning erratically :)

after defeating leo for the first time you can go through his sprite as if it doesnt have collision (not pictured here)

huh, that's weird! I looked at it on my end and found the issue/fixed it, it was just a minor thing I didn't catch in playtesting (as it only occurs when triggering the battle from the leftmost tile). sorry about that it'll be fixed in the next patch

 

[TheFabledOne]

can a discord be made for this game?

 

[LarkyLovesYou]

can a discord be made for this game?

I hadn't planned to as of right now, but perhaps when the game is a little further in development I will make one :) thank you for the suggestion, player interest really helps !