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Pokemon Insurgence is a fan-made Pokemon game that has finally scratched the itch of hardcore and casual Pokemon fans alike.
Pokemon Insurgence incorporates many of the features that fans have been craving for over a decade – an extensive Pokedex, difficulty levels, a robust post-game, and countless new Mega Evolutions.
In this article, I’m going to talk about everything that makes Pokemon Insurgence so awesome, and unique. I’ll cover its Pokemon, Region, story, and postgame.
I’ll also throw in some tips for good measure, so you have everything you need to start your new journey.
Pokemon Insurgence Pokedex
I mentioned the robust Pokedex, but just how many Pokemon are there in Pokemon Insurgence?
There are 925 Pokemon available to catch and train. The Pokedex includes every Pokemon from gen 1 – 6, so whether you’re a Gen Owner or a newer fan, you can collect all of your favorites.
Delta Pokemon
Pokemon Insurgence also has a nice array of brand new Pokemon. These Pokemon include what are known as Delta Pokemon.
In the lore of Insurgence, many Delta Pokemon was created by Perfection scientists, in search of the perfect Pokemon. They are extremely rare and usually look very cool.
I won’t spoil which Pokemon have Delta variants, but I will tell you that many of them are fan favorites.
Fan Favorite Features
Over the years, Gamefreak has experimented with many features. Unfortunately, most of these features will only last through a couple of generations. However, fan-made Pokemon games, like Pokemon Insurgence can add as many of these features as they’d like.
Let’s go over some of the best features from previous games that appear in Pokemon Insurgence.
New Pokemon Insurgence Mega Evolution Pokemon
Mega Evolutions are a mechanic that was introduced in Gen 6 and it completely changed the game. Not only did casuals love the mechanic, but it made waves throughout and was competitive.
Pokemon Insurgence decided to include Mega Evolutions and has given the ability to many new Pokemon. The developers created custom art, so we get to see how some of our favorite Pokemon, like Flygon, look after being Mega Evolved.
Secret Base
If you played Gen 3 (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald) or 4 (Diamond & Pearl), then you may remember creating a secret base and filling it with dolls, beanbags, and statues.
Pokemon Insurgence takes the secret base to the next level by allowing players to upgrade their base, and add in NPCs like nurses, daycare workers, and more.
In Insurgence, you can customize your base to your heart’s desire, and make it as pretty or efficient as you’d like.
No HM Slaves Necessary
I know that this just puts a smile on so many of your faces! HMs have been a hassle for most of Pokemon’s lifecycle. It wasn’t until Generation 7 that Gamefreak decided to do away with traditional HMs.
In Pokemon Insurgence, you do not need to teach your Pokemon HMs to use them. This means you can use Cut, Surf, etc., all you’d like. You don’t need to replace your Pokemon’s moves in order to progress with the story or reach certain locations.
This means you can focus all of your efforts on creating a great team with perfect movesets.
Character Customization
This is another new feature of recent Pokemon games that fans absolutely love. Pokemon Insurgence has a pretty simple character creator in the beginning. You can choose between being a Boy or a Girl, as well as one of three avatars.
The customizations go beyond the initial choice, though. Players can change their hairstyle and clothes throughout the game. Most of the time Pokemon Centers in large cities will have this option available.
Online Trading
I know that all modern Pokemon games have online trading available, however, this is something that is never seen in Pokemon hacks and fan-made games.
Pokemon Insurgence allows players to trade their Pokemon online with friends, even those unique to Insurgence like Delta Pokemon.
New Features
Pokemon Insurgence doesn’t just borrow from Game freak’s catalog of mechanics. It is rich with its own new features and quality of life improvements, which I’ll go over now.
Pokemon Insurgence Hidden Ability Mechanics
There are certain Pokemon in Insurgence that can have a hidden ability. Hidden abilities are much stronger than the Pokemon’s Primary ability, which is why they are so rare and hard to get.
In order to get Pokemon with Hidden Abilities, you must go to your hidden base and find the Friend Safari. Pokemon in the Friend Safari have about a 1/5 chance of having their Hidden Ability.
Pokemon Insurgence Custom Move
Pokemon Insurgence has all of our favorite moves from the original games, of course. But, it also has over 20 brand new moves, unique to the Insurgence game.
These moves include signature moves like Crystal Rush, which are exclusive to particular Pokemon, as well as some brand new TMs.
What makes Insurgence so unique is its Custom Move, which can be taught to any Pokemon. The player can change the name of the Custom Move, as well as its type.
It adds a whole new layer of strategy and team building for those competitive players. It’s also very fun for casuals.
Difficulty Levels
Finally, something that players have been asking for since Sun and Moon practically held our hands. Pokemon has been turning many older players off for the past few years due to its easy difficulty.
A region can be extremely fleshed out, interesting, and fun to explore. But, when every trainer only has one Pokemon that you can one-shot every time, the game can become boring.
Pokemon Insurgence has three difficulty levels, Easy, Normal, and Hard which change the levels and numbers of Pokemon that trainers have in major battles.
The Story
The story of Insurgence has very dark themes, which I’ll talk about in a second. But generally, you’re going to be fighting against many cults and investigating a prophecy in order to recover your lost memories (Perhaps stolen from you by The Cult of Darkrai).
Dark Themes
Pokemon Insurgence has an extremely dark story. The story features death, cultists, violence, and even human sacrifice. It gives us something we could never experience in the traditional Pokemon world.
If you aren’t okay with death in your Pokemon games, that’s okay. The developers decided to include a Lighter mode, which allows you to play the game without character deaths and some of the darker storylines.
The Region
The Torren Region is a classic Pokemon region and feels like it’s straight out of Game freak’s files. There are cities, towns, routes, professors, rivals, Gyms, and even an Elite Four.
The Gyms in Pokemon Insurgence are type-based just like the original games, while the Pokemon Insurgence Elite Four are based on specific moves (I won’t spoil what they are).
Pokemon Insurgence Route 5
Route 5 is a special route in Pokemon Insurgence because it hosts Samsara Cave. While the route itself is pretty simple (just travel West), Samsara cave has a little secret.
In order to navigate through Samsara Cave, you’re going to need the HM Surf. You don’t need to go through this cave at all. But, if you do, you might just run into a Legendary Pokemon, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Pokemon Insurgence Post Game
Post-game content is what many players look forward to throughout Pokemon games. The content is usually much harder and gives us a reason to continue playing the games we love.
There are 13 quests available after the game is over, some of which recommend that your Pokemon be level 95+ which means you’ll also need quite a bit of strategy to win.
You can even grab a Shiny Stone. The Pokemon Insurgence Shiny Stone is equivalent to a shiny charm. It allows you to catch shiny Pokemon much easier!
Pokemon Insurgence Nuzlocke and Challenge Modes
If you haven’t heard of the Nuzlocke challenge, then I strongly suggest doing a quick Youtube search and watching someone try it (then try it yourself!).
Pokemon Challenges are a fantastic way to replay your favorite games with an extra layer of challenge and twists that will revitalize your love for your favorite games.
Pokemon games typically do not support these challenges, and require you to set the rules for yourself, or download hacks in some cases (randomizers for example). What’s great about Pokemon Insurgence is that it has these challenges built-in.
Nuzlocke
The Nuzlocke challenge is an all-or-nothing challenge and extremely difficult. The player must nickname every Pokemon they catch (to force you to get attached). When your Pokemon faint, they are gone for good.
You can’t revive them with items or Pokemon Centers. You lose the game when you run out of usable Pokemon. In a typical Nuzlocke, you are also only allowed to catch one Pokemon per route, so your options become very limited very fast.
Randomized
Pokemon Insurgence eggs, wild Pokemon, trainer Pokemon, trades, and gifts are all completely randomized in this mode. This means you have the chance to encounter a Mewtwo as your very first encounter.
Randomized games are very fun, and you can even mix and match to play a randomized Nuzlocke challenge.
Egg Challenge
The Egg Challenge or Egglocke challenge fills the player’s PC with eggs. Anytime, the player catches a Pokemon, it will be swapped out for an egg from their PC.
This makes the randomized aspects of the previous challenge a little more tedious and difficult for you grinders.
Solo Run
The Solo Run challenge has you choose any non-evolved Pokemon you’d like (excluding Legendaries). This will be the only Pokemon you can use throughout the entire game.
Some players choose their favorite Pokemon, while others choose the most challenging. Solo Caterpie anyone?
Mystery Challenge
The mystery challenge is a very interesting one that I have only seen in Pokemon Insurgence. Every encounter will have a hidden sprite and name, so you’ll never know what you’re battling until you catch it.
Non-Technical Challenge
The non-technical challenge means that you will not be able to teach your Pokemon TMs or HMs. It’s very simple and mostly used as a bonus to Nuzlockes and randomized challenges.
PP Challenge
No dirty jokes, please…
PP or PowerPoints are the number of times your Pokemon can use certain moves. Usually, the Pokemon Center will refill these, but in PP Challenge mode, only items and berries will be able to restore your Pokemon’s PP.
Bravery Challenge
The Bravery Challenge takes away your ability to run from battles. This is another challenge that’s great as an add-on for Nuzlockes that will add a new layer of challenge.
Wonder Challenge
A wonder trade is a random trade across the internet. You trade your Pokemon and receive a completely different Pokemon from another trainer doing the same thing.
Wonder trades are exciting because some players will trade really strong Pokemon, while others will trade really bad Pokemon.
The Wonder Challenge automatically wonder trades every single Pokemon you catch, which is similar to the Randomized Challenge, but just a little spicier.
Ironman Challenge
This challenge is not for the faint of heart. The Ironman Challenge completely erases your save file when all of your Pokemon are knocked out.
On top of this, you must play the Ironman Challenge in Nuzlocke mode, which means every knockout is permanent. This challenge is extremely difficult, but so much fun.
I’d only recommend this for Pokemon veterans, and players that have already played through the Hard mode of Insurgence.
There you have it! A comprehensive review of Pokemon Insurgence. While you’re here, also feel free to check out Pokemon Yellow Sheets, and 50 Best Pokemon Memes.
