I’ve played a ton of fan-made Pokemon games, and from my experience, they all share the same sentiment; passion and dedication. Pokemon Halcyon is a love letter to all the Nintendo narratives that we love.
I absolutely love this game! The setting, Pokemon line-up, and story hit all the right beats of a fun adventure that balances dark and wholesome themes in an easily digestible, simple story that keeps you engaged.
Pokemon Halcyon uses generation three graphics, but if you prefer the newer, more modern visuals, give Pokemon Halcyon a chance.
Every bit of heart and soul has gone into every little detail of the region. From the dialogue that pulls you in right from the start to the meticulous detail of the region.
You feel as though you’re reading an interactive book. Developed by the talented Relic Castle community and presented by Ekat in their eighth game jam Pokemon Halcyon should be on any Pokemon fan’s list.
Before I begin with the walkthrough, note that while there are moments of difficulty, this is not a super hardcore experience.
If you’re looking for a Pokemon game that will push your battling skills to the limits, you won’t find it here. So with that out of the way, let’s jump into the Halcyon region and follow the story of Octavia, an aspiring psychic trainer.
Story Synopsis
Octavia is a 7-year-old with psychic powers who can read people’s and Pokemon’s minds just like her mother.
She has all the excitement and simplicity of a young child who struggles to interpret grown-up situations and dilemmas. Unlike other Pokemon fan-made games, Octavia will talk to characters and is scripted, making for some funny interactions with Pokemon.
Octavia and her mother move to Arcadia Town in the Halcyon region after Octavia’s grandmother passes away.
Octavia’s mother and the sinister Mr. Higashi, an apparent “estate agent,” must prepare Octavia’s grandmother’s house to be sold. However, as Octavia explores, eavesdrops, and spends time in Arcadia, mysterious revelations are made about her family.
Octavia’s mother desperately tries to keep her family’s past from Octavia. However, Octavia’s psychic powers and wonderment for the world inevitably lead her to uncover a dark shadow living in the underbelly of the peaceful and tranquil Halcyon Region.
Key Features
- Octavia’s Psychic powers allow her to read Pokemon’s thoughts and talk to them, giving you extra dialogue and side objectives throughout the game.
- There is no Pokedex or any Pokemon gym battles as Octavia is seven; therefore, in the story, she is not officially a Pokemon trainer but does battle and catch Pokemon.
- Pokemon Halcyon is dense with side objectives and secrets to uncover.
- A fun, interesting narrative that takes center stage in the game.
Walkthrough
Prologue
Unlike the mainline Pokemon games or fan-made games, you jump straight into the story as you role-play Octavia instead of creating your own character.
The prologue starts with Octavia and her mother arriving in Arcadia Town. Octavia’s mother’s psychic barriers lock much of the town to keep Octavia safe. Your first objective is to meet your mother and Mr. Higashi at Ocvtavia’s grandmother’s house, found on the east side of town.
- Before you go to the house, enter the right door of the inn to find five Daybreak Pokeballs. (Pokeballs that make it easier to catch Pokemon during the day).
Once you reach Octavia’s grandmother’s home, Mr. Higashi and Octavia’s mother will open the garage door, only to be attacked by three wild Pokemon. Triggering your first battle, you’ll be fighting an easy triple battle with a Kirlia with help from Mr. Higashi’s Amaldo.
Entering the garage reveals a pile of rubbish and old junk; Mr. Higashi will ask you to talk to the scrap dealer who lives in the purple house to the north, passed Sandy’s broken bike.
Octavia’s mother gives you a Kirlia in case any Pokemon attack you. At this point, some of the barriers around Arcadia Town will be lifted. Unlocking the Pokemon Center to the west and Sandy’s house to the north.
Outside of Sandy’s house, you will find Combee Hives, where you can battle Combees in a triple battle to earn Flying Gem, talk to the Combees and buy Honey from them.
- You can catch a Combee in these battles but remember that only a female Combee will evolve into a Vespiquen.
Sandy’s dad agrees to take the scrap metal from the house and tells Sandy to help bring it to the scrapyard. As you both leave Sandy’s house, Sandy will battle Octavia.
Sandy Battle #1
- Lickitung: Lv. 20
It’s pretty much impossible to lose this battle against Sandy, as Psychic will knock Lickitung out within a couple of rounds.
Return to Grandmother’s House
Back at grandmother’s house, Octavia’s mother begins to move all the junk using her psychic powers but is interrupted, causing junk to be flung all over Arcadia Town. Your next objective is to find three pieces of scrap around town.
- Before you go galivanting off looking for metal. Interact with the Hammer in the garage to trigger a battle with a Trubbish. The Hammer can be brought to the elderly lady in the Pokemon Center.
- The repair man in the Pokemon Center will give you a Lemonade if you talk to him. He will also explain that he needs an Instruction Manual.
Before you can retrieve all three scrap pieces, visit Sandy’s house and speak to Sandy’s Dad to obtain Lavender Oil, a Key Item that soothes aggressive Pokemon. This will allow you to get past the Manectric to get one of the scrap pieces.
Talking to the Burmy in Sandy’s scrapyard will cause it to join your team. The lady with the Burmy outside the Pokemon Center will give you a Metal Coat for showing her your Burmy.
In addition, you can give the Lemon Meringue Pie given to you by the old lady in the Pokemon Center to receive five Sitrus Berries.
Now you’re ready to collect the scrap:
- The first scrap piece is found on the Pokemon Market roof. To get to the roof, you must talk to Sandy in the shop to cause a distraction.
- The second scrap piece is found next to the Honey Stall by Sandy’s house. Combee will attack you if you don’t have the Lavender Oil.
- The third Scrap piece is found opposite the Manectric. Holding the Lavender Oil will allow you to sneak past it.
With all three scrap pieces found, return to the garage and interact with the bike to trigger a vision; this will cause Octavia to black out. You will need to pick up the bike outside the inn and give it to Sandy the following day.
Stop off at the Pokemon Mart and repeatedly interact with the Pokeballs on the counter. Eventually, the Mart Man will battle you and give you access to his stock.
Deliver the bike to Sandy, enter grandmother’s house, and talk to Octavia’s mother. She will ask you to visit Lady Bellis, who lives in the manor with Manectric guarding the entrance.
Mischievous Rotom Up To His Usual Tricks
You can enter the room to the left to pick up the Machine Manual and talk to Rotom, triggering it to possess appliances in grandmother’s house. You can give Rotom an egg to speed up the hatching process in the kitchen.
Rotom can also be found in the Vending Machine, giving you free healing items. Later you can purchase TMs using coins from Rotom in Sandy’s scrapyard.
Once you speak to Lady Bellis, she will ask you to retrieve apples from Rosales Orchard. Octavia’s mother will remove her psychic barriers allowing Octavia to travel east to Daisy Pass to get there.
Daisy Pass and Whitecap Cave
Daisy Pass has a few trainers to battle along the route and lots of side objectives for you to complete along the way. Daisy Pass connects to Whitecap Cave, a small cave with three entrances that leads to Rosales Orchard.
- Entering Daisy Pass, you will see a painter. You can bring him a Pikachu found in Whitecap Cave; in return, they will give you TM 73 Thunder Wave.
- If you bring Moomoo Milk to the Delcatty on the wall at the entrance of Whitecap Cave, it will give you the Fluffy Tail item.
- In Whitecap Cave, a trainer uses their Swinub to dig up mushrooms. If you talk to Swinub, then the trainer, you will receive a couple of Big Mushrooms.
- You can speak to the Burmy in Whitecap Cave and get it to join your team.
In Daisy Pass, you will find several Chewtles hanging out by pools of water. They will respawn whenever you re-enter the route and are great for grinding levels.
I caught a Litleo in Daisy Pass, which became a strong team member throughout the story. But you can also catch a Swablu, but both are quite rare.
Rosales Orchard
Talk to the farmers by the Rosales Residence, and the middle farmer will tell you that they cannot sell you the apples you need, but there are some in the Orchard. If you talk to the farmer again, she will heal your Pokemon.
- You can purchase Pokeballs and healing items from the farmer on the right-hand side of the market and pick up the Miracle Seed, an item that boosts the power of Grass-type moves.
You must sneak past the farmers guarding the orchard to retrieve the apples. If you walk in the line of sight of one, they will catch and battle you. After the battle, you’ll spawn at the entrance of the Orchard.
Manectric And Farmer Rosales’ Apples
In the northeast of the orchard, you will find a barn where you can heal, raise, rename, and relearn moves for your Pokemon.
The apple is found in a basket guarded by the Manectric, but the Lavender Oil won’t work on this Manectric. You must retrieve Honey from Combee hives and place it by the basket.
Once you’ve picked up the apple, you be caught by Farmer Rosales, who will presume that Lady Bellis sent you; the feud between Lady Bellis and Farmer Rosales is not shared with their Pokemon, and Lady Bellis and Farmer Rosales investigate what their Manectrics are up to in Whitecap Cave.
Before you leave the Rosales Residence, you can talk to the Quiz Man, who will reward you with valuable and useful items for completing his quiz:
| Question | Answer | Reward |
| Siglyph uses Skill Swap on a Slaking, giving itself Truant. On Siglyph’s next attacking turn, it uses Fly will the move fail because of Truant? | Yes | Amulet Coin |
| What item will allow Siglyph to complete the move Fly while it has Truant? | Power Herb | 3 x power Herbs |
| How many U’s are there in this Pokemon (pyukumuku)? | 4 | Expert Belt |
| Lapras uses Perish Song on Girafarig, who then Baton Passes into Exploud with Soundproof. Will Exploud be affected by Perish Song? | Yes | Life Orb |
| Does Perish Song affect Dynamax Pokemon in Max Raid Battles? | No | 5 x Apple Pies |
| You’re fighting with a Giratina holding its Griseous Orb. Your opponent hits poor Giratina with the move Knock Off! Giratina changes forms based on whether it’s holding the Griseous Orb. Will it change if the orb is knocked off? | No | 5 x Max Repels |
| What other groups of items can’t be knocked off? | Mega Stones | Big Nugget |
| Wailord uses Soak on Vanillish. Wailord then hits it with an Ice Beam. Can Vanillish be frozen by this? | Yes | Shell Bell |
Before you join Farmer Rosales at the Whitecap Cave entrance, walk to the northwest side of the Rosales Orchard and talk to the guy with the Silicobra, Silicobra will join your team, and you’ll earn a bit of cash.
Whitecap Cave And Manectric Love
With Rosales Orchard complete, meet Farmer Rosales and Lady Bellis in Whitecap Cave to discover that their Pokemon are in love!
After this revelation, Octavia, Farmer Rosales, and Lady Bellis travel back to Lady Bellis’ Manor in Arcadia Town, where Octavia is given the pages she was promised, and the two Manectric enthusiasts will sort their Romeo and Juliet problem out.
Visions and Casinos
A time-lapse will occur, bringing you to the entrance of your grandmother’s house. Interact with the Voltorb Flip table in the main room to trigger a vision of Octavia’s grandmother on a mission to steal the Emrit Ruby.
You will be able to collect coins while in the casino, which can later be used to purchase TMs from Rotom in Sandy’s backyard. All items that you purchase or pick up during a vision will be added to Octavia’s inventory.
After you complete the vision in the casino, a time-lapse will occur. The following day Octavia and Sandy decide to play in Lamicei Forest. But before you can enter the forest, you will be stopped by Lady Bellis and Farmer Rosales, who will present you with a baby Electrike called Banana.
Lamicei Forest
Lamicei Forest ups the difficulty in wild Pokemon level and trainer battles. However, for your first visit, Sandy and his Lickitung will accompany you for double battles.
You can acquire TM Grass Knot and Sticky Barb item in the northern part of the forest. Travel west to reach Lotad Pond, where Sandy finds a Lotad wearing sunglasses. Sandy will tell you to play with the other Lotad in the area.
You can talk to a Phantump in this area who will give you a Link Stone if you bring back a Banette from Lamicei Forest.
If you leave Lotad Pond to the west, you can catch a Lapras on the beach of Lakeshore Grove. You won’t be able to explore the south as two fishermen block it.
If you fail to catch it, you can respawn Lapras by re-entering the area. I used Lapras to grind a few levels throughout the game.
To carry on with the main objective, talk to the Lotad and complete three mini-games before battling Sandy again. Who will reveal that Lotad has joined his team, prompting a battle with Sandy.
Sandy Battle #2
- Lickitung: 35
- Lotad: 30
Follow The Man In Black
A man dressed in black will enter Lotad Pond after the battle with Sandy. Sandy and Octavia decide to follow him into Lamicei Forest. Under the codename Rocky, Sandy tells you that the man was last seen traveling north…
Follow the man into Lamicei Meadow, and pick up the Twisted Spoons item in the middle of the meadow. This item increases the power of Psychic-type moves. Approach the underground entrance, and the man in black will reappear to battle you.
Man in Black Battle
- Shiftry: Lv. 32
- Crawdaunt: Lv. 29
I led my Ampharos into this battle but switched to Mothim, my prized Bug-type Pokemon. I used Quiver Dance to increase its stats and eviscerated Shiftry with a four-times super-effective Bug Bite.
Before knocking Crawdaunt with a Bug Bite also, since Dark-types are weak to Bug-type Pokemon, and Octavia is foremost a psychic-type trainer, it made sense that the antagonizing faction would specialize in Dark-type Pokemon.
Therefore, I suggest you train a strong Bug-type Pokemon. I later swapped out my Mothim for a shiny Whilipede that I caught in the Lotad Pond area.
The Train Vision
After the battle, there will be a time-lapse, and Octavia will be back at the inn. The following day visit the house and walk through the second-floor middle door; Mr. Higashi will make dust a room.
Walk on each tile with dust to clean it; once you complete the room, you will unlock another vision.
This time you will see a vision of Octavia’s grandmother and Marius, Octavia’s grandfather, on a train as they search suitcases for the second Emrit Ruby as they search a suitcase in the next train cart to the right. If the suitcase does not spawn next to Marius, re-enter the train cart.
This will cause a second faction to enter the train, and Octavia’s grandmother and Marius attempt to escape, but unfortunately, Marius is captured.
Back In Arcadia Town
Back in reality, a storm breaks out over Arcadia Town, and Sandy and Octavia can be found playing video games in Sandy’s house. You will need to beat a round of Pacman to progress the story.
After Sandy is made to work the Honey Stall, you’ll be free to explore Arcadia Town. The rain has triggered several trainers to spawn in town. Once you’ve defeated them, visit Mr. Higashi in the house, and he will ask you to bring him a set of keys from the kitchen.
After Mr. Higashi leaves, talk to Octavia’s mother by entering the middle room in the main hall. You will then have to clean the dust from two rooms on either side of the manor. After completing the second room, you will unlock another vision of Octavia’s Grandmother’s past.
Veneto City Vision
The vision opens up to Veneto City, where Octavia’s grandmother has a vision of Marius being attacked by the mysterious group that seeks the Emrit Rubies.
You can talk to a chef in town who will sell you expensive but valuable Pizza and Gelato items that can raise the PP of your Pokemon’s move and HP.
In the Veneto Hotel, Octavia’s Grandmother saves Marius from three agents killing them before the vision ends, and you’re brought back to reality.
Octavia will question her mother about what she saw in the visions and will get kicked out of the house. A short time-lapse later, Octavia enters Sandslope Pit to the south of Arcadia Town.
- If you need to heal your Pokemon, you can return to Arcadia Town at any time. I highly recommend that you stock up on healing items as the next Pokemon Center is located far from Sandslope Pit, and you will face many trainers along the way.
Sandslope Pit
You’ll be able to catch Trapinch in this area. Moreover, you can battle a shiny Honedge, who will join your team once you defeat it. There are a few trainers in Sandslope Pit that you will battle as you travel south on the route.
You can enter Jeanot Cave to the southwest of Sandslope Pit, where you can pick up the Assault Vest, TM Toxic, and Pokerus for your Pokemon. Pokerus doubles the amount of EVs that your Pokemon receives for defeating Pokemon in battle.
- Talking to the Swalot in the cave will trigger a battle with a Ditto; defeating the Ditto will cause it to join your team.
Once you’re done with Sandslope Pit, enter Whitecap Cave to the south. You will find a couple of Hiker trainers in the cave and TM Stealth Rock. Exiting the small cave will open up to Foggy Lakeshore, where you must collect rocks to unlock another vision.
After experiencing the vision, Mr. Higashi will appear and give you a Sun Stone and Dawn Stone. (I used the Dawn Stone to evolve Kirlia into a Gallade).
Mr. Higashi will explain Octavia’s family’s past. But, before he explains the big details, he walks into the next route Tulip Bridge.
Tulip Bridge
Tulip Bridge is thick with trainers and strong wild Pokemon; you won’t be able to walk straight over the bridge as a Pokemon battle is being fought on the bridge. Therefore, you will have to walk down into the field of flowers.
Below the bridge, you will find Farmer Rosales and Lady Bellis having a picnic, and to the west, you can find a Garchomp and Sharpedo in an argument about who is the best shark Pokemon.
If you agree with Garchomp, you will have to fight Sharpedo, and in return, Garchomp will give you a Gible.
Once you get back onto the bridge, you can either follow Mr. Higashi into Farmers Stretch or walk east to pick up TM 43 Volt Switch.
Farmer’s Stretch links to the west entrance of Arcadia Town and connects to Lakeshore Grove to the north.
Farmer’s Stretch
Farmer’s Stretch is home to the highest-level wild Pokemon in the game. At this point, you will be running low on supplies. Luckily you can find a barn to heal your Pokemon by walking south at the fork in the path.
You will have to fight some farmer trainers along the way, but if your team is beaten up like mine was at this point, then you can sneak past the farmers when they change direction.
To continue the story, you must travel north to the Gelato Shop and speak to Mr. Higashi, who will explain everything. However, just as these revelations are made, Octavia and Mr. Higashi pass out, poisoned by the gelato they eat.
Underground Hideout
Octavia and Mr. Higashi awake inside a cell in the underground hideout located in the Lemaicei Meadow. It’s revealed that Octavia’s grandpa, Marius was alive the whole time and was working as a double agent the whole time he was with Octavia’s grandmother.
After this startling revelation, Octavia and Mr. Higashi come up with a plan to break out of the prison cell. Requiring you to repeatedly ask Mr. Higashi to play rock, paper, scissors until the guard loses it.
Once you escape, you discover that Marius has imprisoned Rikiya Octavia’s father, too; we learn that Mr. Higashi’s true name; is Mason. Now all three must find a way out of the hideout and find a way to break out Octavia’s father.
You will now be able to walk down the second staircase, where you will have to fight the Man in Black again, only this time, his team has significantly got stronger.
Man in Black Battle
- Vullaby Lv. 37
- Malamar Lv. 38
Malamar is Psychic/Dark-type making it four times weak than Bug-type Pokemon. It’s by far the strongest of the two Pokemon that the Man in Black owns.
However, Vullaby can strike with Flying-type moves, so deal with Malamar as fast as possible. I equipped my Scolipede with the Expert Belt, an item that boosts the power of supereffective attacks of the wearer.
Regrouping At Grandmother’s Home
After defeating the Man in Black, you’ll be free to leave the hideout, where a time-lapse occurs, and the family plans their next move of what to do with the recently discovered Emrit Rubies.
Octavia has the idea to give the Rubies back to Mespirit on Weeping Island. and the family agrees to the plan since Mespirit is powerful enough to get rid of Marius for good.
Octavia has the brilliant idea of using Sandy’s Lotad to corale the Lotad into swimming everyone over to Weeping Island.
However, while Octavia tells Sandy the plan, men in black appear all over the island in a bid to stop Octavia and her family. Triggering a double battle with the men in black in Sandy’s backyard.
Once you defeat the men in black, travel south to Sandslope Pit, where you will face more men in black trainers. You will have to fight an additional man in black in the Whitecap Cave and the remaining few in the Foggy Lakeshore.
The men in black typically use Dark-type Pokemon, so it’s best to lead with a Bug-type Pokemon. You will want to finish up any side quests and objectives you may have before agreeing to swim to Weeping Island, as this will roll in the final chapters of the story.
Weeping Island
Now that you have arrived on Weeping Island, you must enter the cave in the center to find Mesprit. But before doing so, pick up the items and TMs scattered around the island.
As Farmer Rosales and Lady Bellis stated earlier in the story, the Weeping Island is infested with Unown, so you can only fight Unown on the island.
Once you give Mespirit the Rubies, Marius, Octavia’s grandfather, will attack you. This is the game’s final boss battle, and you will have the choice of either battling by yourself or fighting alongside Octavia’s mother, father, or uncle.
Note that all three of the family members only own two Pokemon making the double battle significantly harder as you will have to fight one on two if they faint.
Marius Boss Battle
- Malamar Lv. 40
- Grimmsnarl Lv. 42
- Greninja Lv. 40
- Absol Lv. 40
- Honchkrow Lv. 40
- Umbreon Lv. 40
Marius will lead Malamar and Grimmsnarl into battle. His Grimmsnarl is his most powerful Pokemon, and unfortunately, your Psychic-types aren’t going to be much of use during this battle.
Once again, the Bug-types steal the show. However, a strong Electric-type is very handy for one-shotting Honchrow and Greninja.
Once you defeat Marius, Octavia and her family swim back to Foggy Lakeshore with Lotad, they watch Mespirit teleport Weeping Island away.
A time-lapse will occur with everyone back at the inn. At this point in the game, you will have completed the story, but you can still roam around the Halcyon Region and complete any quests you missed. You can speak to Octavia’s family for an extra bit of closure to the story.
FAQs
Question: Where Can I Play Pokemon Halcyon?
Answer: Pokemon Halcyon was created by the Relic Castle Pokemon community making it the safest place to download and play the game.
You don’t need any emulators to play Pokemon Halcyon, but you will need archiving software such as 7zip or Winrar.
If you enjoy the game, I recommend creating a Relic Castle account on their website and joining the discord to get the latest on their next projects, tips, and tricks for creating your own Pokemon fan-made game and streams within the community.
Question: Is Pokemon Halcyon Suitable For Children?
Answer: Although Pokemon Halcyon is very cute, with its dialogue between Octavia and the people and Pokemon of the Halcyon Region. There are some adult themes of death and murder.
Question: How Can I Use Apple Pie In Pokemon Halcyon?
Answer: Apple Pie is a healing item in Pokemon Halcyon that restores 85HP; however, the item is glitched, and you can only “Give” the item to a Pokemon.
It can be traded with a farmer in the barns on Rosales Orchard and Farmer’s Stretch to teach your Pokemon an old move.
Pokemon Halcyon: Conclusion
In conclusion, playing Pokemon Halcyon is like watching an interactive Pokemon special episode. However, the rushed ending is a bit jarring, but the game’s length is sufficient to create an enjoyable Pokemon experience.
I had a blast playing this game; it’s super interesting to play a game where the developers have created their own unique story that breaks away from the usual Pokemon formula of challenging the Elite Four, completing the Pokedex, and defeating the antagonizing team.
While Pokemon Halcyon features the latter, it feels more personal since the story is wrapped around a single family.
Scaling down the story made it impactful and was a great choice for considering the constraints of a Game Jam duration. Ekat states on Relic Castle that Pokemon Halcyon is fully completed, meaning this is the game’s final version that players can experience.
