Project Maple – A Canadian Pokémon Fangame

Summary

Around a century ago, people from other regions started immigrating to the land of Adanac, only inhabited by its Pokémon and the natives of the region, who were living in harmony with the abundant nature and energy flowing around them. A land that was once protected by its people and Pokémon, some even rising to the ranks of Guardian through the flowing Maple Energy, was now being rapidly populated by settlers of other regions, alongside their modern ideals. The land of Adanac was split into ten districts, and while some were able to accept the change, corruption was also born as a result of the clashing values, bringing forth the Beasts upon the region.

At the rise of it all, you, the player, arrive to Adanac, hoping for a better future by seeking lower expenses, coming from the region of Unova. While your goal may be simple, and your intentions the same as anyone living in Adanac, peace, you will find yourself amidst the turning tides of this clash of forces.

Will you take part in it? Whose side will you be on? How will you decide what is best for you when such a colourful world is in reality grey, and much more sinister at its core?

The Game

Project Maple is a Pokémon Fangame inspired by the ten provinces of Canada. While it is greatly inspired by the works of GAME FREAK and co., its vision aims to deliver a unique spin on the series through a much more fleshed out story and slower pacing. As such, Part 1 sets the groundwork for future installments by subtly introducing most key aspects of the game and some important choices, from which the repercussions may only be felt later. The game also differs in many other ways from the traditional formula.

In this game, you are NOT the protagonist. While your role gradually gains importance, the world doesn’t turn entirely at your convenience. Few trainers wait aimlessly on routes for your arrival; most have a purpose, and among those who don’t, some may later leave their position. A choice of starter Pokémon is not handed to you. Evil Teams don’t wait for you to progress to train their Pokémon. While the divergence isn’t extreme from a main series game, the shift is gradual and hopefully refreshing.

Part 1 is around 3-5 hours of gameplay. In the beautiful region of Adanac, you will walk through a diverse environment and meet many characters that will influence the flow of the story from many different perspectives. If you’re looking to avoid grimdark or overly light stories, you might be pleased to find that Project Maple fits nicely in-between, offering a very rich and vibrant world at peace on the outside, but influenced by harder themes at its core, and some very sinister entities. Similarly to other works of mine, morality is more often left as grey, rather than pushed to an extreme. With many of the game’s choices and a less linear story, it’ll be up to the player to decide what’s right or wrong.

Part 2 of the game is being steadily developed. It will expand the game from one district to three districts, adding both Princeward and Novus, basically tripling the game’s content. You will be exposed to the Guardians and the Beasts for the first time and encounter part of Team Scorch and Team Frostbite. Two more gym badges will be obtainable and between 15-25% of the game should be done by then, although that remains a loose estimate for the time being, just like its release date. Check back here for an updated changelog and new releases over time.

A lot of emphasis was put on the feel of the game, even remaking the game entirely in a past version with a complete tileset overhaul. In Adanac, Pokémon typically found through the first five generations walk among the abundant trees and rivers, in addition to new species of Pokémon scattered sporadically throughout the region.