PTD 2 Walkthrough: Story Mode: New Bark Town

Beginning in the familiar presence of Professor Oak, the long-serving friend and Pokémon dealer/guru of Ash Catch’em, you embark upon story mode with a noticeable wistfulness and the secret wish that you were playing as Ash from the original games. Tough: You play under the name of well, whichever name you choose to enter in a few moments; whatever name you choose, you are stuck with for the rest of the game, so you must get used to the fact (as I grudgingly did) that there will be some inventive deviation from the original Pokémon games. At this point you can do nothing but listen to the Professor as he asks you to enter some of your details (if you have started a new game) and provides you with a gently-worded summary of Pokémon and their versatility, being able to act as both companions and weapons of battle: how useful! After a humorous allusion to ‘Sam’, who is one of the game’s creators, you are left with your only option being to click the ‘next’ button; do so, and watch the cut-scene unfold.

You are in the presence of three Pokémon (Chikorita, Cyndaquil  and Totodile) and are talking to them as if they were people with a human consciousness, with all this against a white background. As suddenly as you appeared in this dream world, three shadow Pokémon appear in front of you; I sense a battle emerging. Continue pressing ‘next’ to be greeted with a few instructions on how to actually go about the process of battling. It reminds you that in order to battle, you simply have to drag your Pokémon into a free spot on the map (indicated by a red square) and click on an individual attack in order to set your Pokémon to use it from then onwards. You may also change your attack with the Z, X and other buttons which correspond to them; these are listed in small print next to the attacks which they correspond to. Everything is self-explanatory so far, so you may naively continue to play in the hope that everything remains this easy. Trust me, it doesn’t.

After the shadow Pokémon appear and you are provided with some light instructional guidance, a battle commences in which you must fight the three shadow Pokémon which have recently appeared in this mysterious place. Since the three Pokémon you now have in your possession are level 7 and your opponents are merely level 4, you can use your creatures in pretty much any order you wish in order to defeat your shadow-shrouded opponent. Also, due to the fact that this entire sequence turns out to be a dream, you do not have to worry too much about alternating your flock in order to spread the damage of the attacks and therefore preserve the relative health of each of your Pokémon. You may wish to consider this tactic in later battles that take place in the real (but still fictional) world. After the battle is over, Professor Oak tells you to visit the laboratory to pick up your first Pokémon.

You wake up the next day in your house, with recent events having turned out to be merely a dream and nothing more. The game instructs you on how to walk (though anyone with a shred of common sense would have already guessed that the arrow keys are the secret to in-game movement) and as you go downstairs, your mother reminds you that either ‘Z’ or ‘Spacebar’ can be used to interact with objects. Exit your house and head towards the building with the circular windows to the left; enter it and engage in conversational procedures with the professor.

I Choose You!

It becomes obvious that, much like in the original Pokémon games, you must make a choice from the three Pokéballs on the table of which one you would like to be your starting Pokémon. Again, the choice is between the three Pokémon that you saw in your dream. It is up to you which Pokémon you choose, and since I cannot possible write a guide that covers each alternate reality that is created when you choose a different Pokémon, I went for Cyndaquil, purely because of my affinity for fire Pokémon, and because his name is the most pleasant to pronounce. Go outside and politely follow the action as it unfolds by playing with your Pokémon as the Professor suggested.

Things have moved on since Pokemon Red; instead of Bulbasoar, Charmander or Squirtle, your choice of starting Pokémon are of a different generation.

Oh dear: it seems your Pokémon ran away. Try not to worry too much, since it is nothing personal; it runs away regardless of which Pokémon you pick. I guess this is what happens when humans try and control the natural world around them, and ‘insert conceited statement about nature always prevailing and the destructive tendency of the human race here’. Talk to the girl that is just below you; she will tell you that she has seen your Pokémon and make a comment that is specific to the Pokémon you chose. Walk down and to the right, approaching and interacting with the still, round-headed gentleman. He will tell you where your Pokémon is, and in this case, you are told to head north. Go to the left and to the top of the area where you are able to follow the path to the exit above you.

You find your Pokémon cavorting about a wooded area, possibly unaware of the dangerous situation that is unfolding around him. Shadow Pokémon have surrounded the other two Pokémon from the laboratory, and it looks like it is up to you to stop this nonsense. You are told that the opponents will be entering from the bottom, and that you must use your Pokémon to defend the apparently defenceless ones from the laboratory. After the ‘Ready’ and ‘Go’ warnings appear, you must drag your Pokémon into one of the four squares available to you and get your first taste of the tower defence action.

First Blood

You can prevail in this battle by putting your Pokémon in a number of places, but the one with maximum potential for a clear line of attack is the bottom right square. Place your Pokémon here and watch it attack as the offenders enter from below. The ‘battle’ shouldn’t really take too long since your level is superior to those of the Pokémon which are attacking. If the shadow Pokémon do manage to get far enough to pilfer yours, then you may reposition them as you see fit in order to squeeze off the highest number of attacks you can. You should have prevailed with ease over the shadow Pokémon: you will be thanked for your bravery. As a result of gaining experience from battling, your Pokémon will also have levelled up; in the case of Cyndaquil, this results in him learning the ‘Smokescreen’ move. He will also now be more effective in his attacks in general due to this levelling up. Return to the lab with the professor and receive some more compliments.

As you exit the laboratory you are summoned by someone who asks you to come and talk to them in the south east part of the area; walk in this direction and you will see a red-haired figure in the trees. Go over and talk to this person who turns out to be your good old rival Silver (don’t ask me who this is, there appears to be a bit of previous between these two) who challenges you to a friendly battle. You have no choice in the matter but to follow the game’s course of events and participate.

Continue on to Silver & Route 29