PokéRogue: Get to Know the Fanmade Pokémon Roguelike!

It's not news for Pokémon lovers to have several fan-made games in different forms and generations available to play. Despite being largely discouraged by the company who owns the franchise, many of them had positive repercussions among the community by bringing new and different experiences to the traditional gameplay that official titles present.

From “fixes” to generations that are normally judged as small or weak to challenges popularly known among content creators and speedrunners, the vast majority stuck to the classic “explore a new/modified map, capture and train your Pokémon and defeat trainers” until the ultimate goal of each respective romhack. Between innovations and attempts to do something different, from experiencing the life of a gym leader to merging Pokémon for unique combinations, the one which brought something more addictive and capable of attracting different audiences was PokéRogue.

Developed by Pagefault Games and available for any platform that has an internet browser, the game is, in addition to being easy to access, inclusive in terms of the number of Pokémon (all monsters from all generations and games are available) and brings the possibility of playing and evolving in a RogueLike system, in which each gameplay affects the next and unlocks further refinements so that, eventually, it’s beaten.

Let's take a look at what this fan game brings us, both by briefly reviewing its gameplay and by providing a small guide on how to start your journey as a RogueLike trainer!

PokéRogue is an online RogueLike Pokémon browser game, in which you try to progress through the levels and floors of an uninterrupted sequence of battles, gathering more advantages for the next attempts.

The graphics are between generations 3 and 4, with animated and well-rendered sprites for all the more than a thousand existing Pokémon. Everyone has at least two variations of shinies, upgraded skills and stats, unlockable passive skills, and stackable IVs.

The game has three basic gameplay modes: Classic, in which you try to beat 200 floors of battles without being defeated; Daily, in which you receive three random Pokémon and see how far you can climb starting with them, changing daily; and Endless, unlockable by beating Classic mode once, in which there are no limits on floors, levels, Stats, etc.

As soon as the player starts the new campaign and creates their character with their starter Pokémon, they are immediately thrown into a battle and, from then on, they need to win them all in a row. At the end of each battle you can choose between 3 random items that the game gives you for free or spend your money on healing items.

It is possible to capture Pokémon freely, as almost all battles are against wild Pokémon. Poké Balls, in fact, are items that can only be collected by having luck between battles. Every ten battles, the player faces a boss: a Boss Pokémon with two or more health bars, or a Gym Leader. Furthermore, random trainers can appear during the campaign to challenge the protagonist, and every certain number of floors the Rival character will appear to present the player with a battle that is usually much more difficult than the previous ones.

From floor 180 onwards, the player will have to face one of the Elite 4 (chosen at random among all Elites available), their champion, the Rival and then the final boss on floor number 200.

It seems simple, but being able to complete Classic mode is a real challenge with increasingly harder and more challenging battles. The player only has access to one automatic Pokémon center every ten floors, and damage, status and money eventually become scarce the more complicated the next challenge gets. That's why we've also prepared a short guide, to help you not go in completely in the dark (although the game's tutorial is extremely complete and efficient).

Firstly, it is important to highlight that there is no “right or wrong” way to play, only some more effective than others and, at the end of the day, the main objective of this game, like all others, is for the player to have fun. PokéRogue is definitely a game for lovers of great challenges or those who like to test their limits of knowledge in Pokémon battles. Here, we will briefly review how to have an easier, more fun start in a game which can easily become casual and enjoyable for everyone.

The game is available at PokeRogue.net, and you only need to create your account and start playing. With the M or ESC keys, you can access the game Menu and choose your preferred options in Game Settings. The game considers the speed at which you may prefer to play, stylizes the layout of the text and dialog boxes, lets you change the character's gender at will and has translation into several languages, including Brazilian Portuguese.

Still in the Main Menu, you can track your achievements, statuses, information and the main feature: the Egg Gacha and its Vouchers.

Although we know that Gacha games are infamous for spending the player's money, PokéRogue is completely free and Vouchers to get more Pokémon Eggs are acquired by defeating certain big objectives, such as gym leaders, Elite 4, advanced battles against the Rival or some of the achievements. Eggs are one of the most efficient ways to collect Pokémon, especially given the high chance of them coming with Egg Moves or Hidden Abilities.

To start playing, just click on New Game and Classic. You will be taken to a Laboratory, where you will have to choose your initial companions. All three starter Pokémon from all seasons are available, with base Stats and costing 3 points. You have up to 10 points to assemble your team, which means that your first campaign will have a maximum of three starters. You can mix them as much as you like.

Once you've finished assembling your team, you'll immediately be thrown into an easy battle, probably against a Route 1 Pokémon like Rattata, Sentret or Wurmple, and from then on, you'll have to think about how to win each battle. On the fifth floor, you will have your first battle against a trainer - which is also usually easy, just to get the player used to their existence - and, on the eighth floor, your first encounter with your rival. His team in this round will always consist of a classic starter and a flying type.

The Pokémon you capture will become part of your team, and you must always decide whom to remove from the team if you want to add a new member if you already have six with you.

The specific Pokémon you capture can join the team as it is or can be sent to the laboratory, where its IVs will be added to those of the same species. This way, the next time you start a campaign, that specific pocket monster will have its statuses added to its other equals, and you will still be able to choose which of the Natures and Abilities to use, as long as you have already captured one of them with the desired one. Boss Pokémon can be captured normally, but they must be at their last health bar.

Most likely you won't be able to complete the campaign on your first try, but don't let that frustrate you. All the Pokémon you captured, eggs you got, Natures, Abilities, Shinies, everything is stored in the laboratory for you to start your next attempt stronger than the last. Perseverance and patience are two key points at the beginning of the game.

Money in this game is essential. Nuggets, amulets and victories against trainers are the best ways to acquire it, since the little shop between floors can save you from a tragic defeat!

At the beginning of the campaign you may forget about it, and it won’t make such a difference, but Ethers, elixirs and other PP recovery items can help a lot! Remember that you only heal all your Pokémon for free once every ten floors.

Mega Evolutions, Dynamax and Terastralization are available, but they require you to have the necessary items - which are only available in the RNG between stages.

Every twenty stages, in addition to having to defeat a gym leader, you will also be sent to another location/region/biome. Pay attention to where you are being taken, as this will affect which wild Pokémon appear and can trigger weather effects. If you get a Map, you can choose from a few biome and location options when this event happens.

Dragon, Fairy, Poison and Steel types are the four most dangerous types in this game, especially in the late game. Don't forget to have plenty of cover in your Pokémon types and movesets, taking full advantage of each TM that appears to you along the way.

Rare Pokémon and/or those with higher stats are more “expensive” in the laboratory. Monsters can vary between 1 and 9 points (except for the final boss which, if you manage to get it somehow, costs 10 points to add to the team), but for every certain amount of Pokémon of the same species captured you get Candies that can be exchanged for a lower price or for an extra passive ability. So always catch as many Pokémon as possible!

Always collect your Gacha Eggs as soon as you get the Vouchers. The sooner you acquire it, the faster it will hatch and become another pocket monster in your collection.

Berries and other Held Items are rare and important, always equip your Pokémon when possible and needed. And you can accumulate as many as you want on the same Pokémon!

The only thing separating players from playing PokéRogue is a click. A game so accessible that runs on any type of browser, with all generations and, although it may not seem like it, super simple to learn, is something that every Pokémon player would have fun trying. The graphics, the music selection and even the story told, which develops a little more with each Rival appearance, result in the game having a feeling to it that it was created with great care from fans for fans.

Have you ever tried playing PokéRogue? Are you interested and curious to try? Tell us your experiences in the comments, and tell us which combination of starters worked best for you!