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20 interesting things to spot in Pokemon X and Y

What to watch out for in Kalos

20 interesting things to spot in Pokemon X and Y
|
3DS
| Pokemon X / Pokemon Y

Pokemon X and Y have finally been released, exposing the world of Kalos to the masses.

There's a whole host of things to see and do in Kalos, and plenty of oddities to find, too.

We've spent dozens of hours in the Pokemon X and Y world, and we've seen lots of strange and interesting goings-on.

If you simply can't wait to dive in and fully explore the world of Pokemon X and Y yourself, though, check out this handy guide to the most intriguing parts.

Read on and be enlightened.

1. Those people who play a lot of Pokemon will know that the protagonist's father is regularly missing, with little explanation given as to where he is and why he's never about.

With Pokemon X and Y, Game Freak are not going to break with tradition. Although your dad cannot be found in X and Y (at least, I haven't found him yet!), you are told that your father bought the PC in your bedroom for you (after your examining it). It's a little unsettling, in a way.

2. Each Pokemon world is based on a real-world place. You might already know that Kalos is based on France.

So, cafés offer "chocolat chaud", "limonade", and "cafe au lait" on the menu. And people in Kalos kiss each other on the cheeks and say "Bonjour" and "Au revoir".

Furthermore, firefighters are called "dashing pompiers", loads of people around town wear berets, and the Prism Tower looks a hell of a lot like the Eiffel Tower.

Told you.

3. While Kalos is based on France, Game Freak does give plenty of nods to other surrounding European countries here, too.

One German girl, for example, tells you: "Pokemon sind im Pokeball. Ich sitze auf dem Stuhl." Roughly translated, this means: "My Pokemon is in its Pokeball. I'm sitting on this chair."

She's not lying, either.

4. Although in previous Pokemon games you had to receive the running shoes before you could rush around the place, you are granted the ability to run immediately in X and Y.

But there's also an alternative movement option. Using the D-pad, you can walk / run like normal. After switching to the Circle Pad, though, you can dash around on the roller skates. These can be pretty tricky to control at times, but do enable you to grind along bars and reach secret areas.

5. There are special kinds of discoverable battles in Pokemon X and Y that are new to the series. Hordes, for example, will appear randomly and throw five low-level Pokemon of the same type at you at once.

Sky battles are new, too. Some trainers will wait for you on top of ledges and mountains. If you have at least one Pokemon that can fly, you can challenge them to a battle in the clouds.

6. Pokemon X and Y contain plenty of references to past Pokemon games, but there are also references to other Game Freak games. Yes, Game Freak actually make games other than Pokemon!

See if you can guess which Game Freak game is being referred to in this Shalour City Pokemon Center dialogue: "I've been playing this totally sweet game recently. You play as some cool little dude, who runs around and whacks enemies to the beat of the music."

7. Lucario was the first-ever Pokemon to achieve Mega Evolution, thanks to its trainer Korina of the Shalour City gym. Kalos is also the only region where Mega Evolution has been achieved.

Professor Sycamore has tried to learn the ways of the Mega Evolution, but didn't have what it takes. There are other trainers in Kalos, however, who have managed it - and you'll no doubt meet plenty of them on your adventure.

8. You'll find a Snorlax asleep on Route 7. He's blocking your path, and you need to wake him up to progress further.

Sound familiar?

That's because it's a cheeky nod to the same situation in the original Pokemon Red and Blue. Indeed, you even have to use a Pokeflute once again to wake him up. All the while, a character in the game tells you, "Here we go again."

9. It's a small point and not exactly mind blowing, but the protagonist will kneel down to talk to kids and smaller Pokemon while wandering around. It's really nice to see attention to detail like this. 10. There are four sections to the Pokedex this time around, each covering a separate region of Kalos. Central Kalos covers the Pokemon caught inland, while the Coastal Pokedex covers the, err, coasts.

Meanwhile, the Mountain Pokedex covers - yep, you guessed it - the mountain areas. The National Pokedex contains all the other Pokemon who can be caught by other means, such as through friends and other Pokemon games.

11. One of the most interesting elements of the original Pokemon Black and White games was that you could only find new Pokemon, and had to beat the game before you could even catch a glimpse of Pokemon from previous games.

In Pokemon X and Y, Game Freak turns this concept on its head to a large extent. You'll be a dozen hours into play before you've even seen a small handful of new Pokemon - you won't start seeing them in droves until the later stages of the game.

12. Remember Gary? Of course you do. He was your rival in the original Pokemon Red and Blue, and was the grandson of Professor Oak. Here's something interesting - he's currently in Kalos.

Although I haven't found him myself, people will tell you that he's around "studying aboard". One person in particular tells you that he's got the "bonjour" down to a tee, but still says "Smell ya later" instead of "au revoir". Charming!

13. Although the majority of the towns and cities in Pokemon X and Y have similar layouts to those in past Pokemon games, the grand city of Lumiose is very different. There's a free-roaming camera, wide-open spaces, and miles of environment to explore here.

This means that it's rather easy to get lost, especially with so many explorable cafés, museums, and shops. Fortunately, there are taxis dotted around the city, and you can pay money to travel to any specific place. So, that's pretty neat.

14. Speaking of Lumiose City, there are some pretty odd folks wandering around the city. As you walk by them, you can eavesdrop on their conversations.

But the strangest folks are the people who are hiding in alleyways. They will challenge you to a Pokemon battle in the street if you talk to them, then mysteriously disappear before your eyes after the battle is over.

15. The fastest train in the real world can reach speeds of 302mph, which, let's be honest, is pretty darn fast / scary.

The Pokemon world laughs in the face of our 'slow-mo' trains, however. The fastest train in Pokemon X and Y can go a very nippy 310mph.

16. Just in case your Pokemon adventure is boring you, you can entertain yourself with some real hands-on work in Pokemon X and Y. Hotel management, more specifically.

The manager of the Richissime hotel in Lumiose City will hire you to make beds; provide room service; and sort through the lost and found if you ask nicely. New jobs are available each real-life day, so it's worth going back every day for more cash.

17. The Richissime hotel also houses quite the oddity - a door that will simply not open. A man stands in front of it, and tells you it's called "The Unopenable Room" if you ask. I've not managed to get it opened as yet... 18. There's a boy on Route 18 called "Inver". He will challenge you to what is easily the weirdest Pokemon battle you can have in X and Y.

It's called an "Inverse Battle", and every move that is super-effective against certain types will suddenly become not very effective.

Equally, "not very effective" becomes "super-effective". Sounds simple, but it's really not. Go give it a try to see what I mean.

19. The very first optional outfit you're given as a girl is a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. In fact, if you plough straight ahead in the game, you can switch out the skirt for trousers in the first hour. How modern and forward-thinking.

Pretty sure that dudes can't wear skirts, mind.

20. There's a guy in a pink suit called "Mr. Bonding". You can regularly find him wandering around the halls of Pokemon Centers and hotels.

When you talk to him, he will give you a new O-Power ability, and then disappear in a flash. His mysterious persona and wacky dialogue will no doubt become the subject of internet memes.

Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.