No. 905: Enamorus

Oh baby. What is going on here.

I've never been a fan of the genies, and while at least Enamorus isn't another palette swap, that doesn't make her any good. There's too much sassy-ass tomfoolery going on in this design, and I refuse to spend another word on it.

Incarnate Form: 1/10

Like all the others, Enamorus also has a Beast Mode, which completes the "Four Cardinal Beasts" quartet that nobody even noticed was going on. It's a Chinese mythology thing, with a Tiger, Phoenix, Dragon, and now - Turtle. Since the others got their Therian Forms all the way back in BW2, a full decade ago, I have to wonder... was Enamorus planned from that long ago, and just never implemented until now? Or was it a coincidence that the others took on the forms of a Tiger, Phoenix, and Dragon, and then somebody said "wait a minute... we can work with this!"

Either way, the end result is a garish pink turtle that not even Barbie would be caught dead with. Yet somehow, still better than the base form.

Therian Form: 2/10

I'm going to be mean and round down the average, because I think this Pokemon is fucking awful.

Overall: 1/10

Hisuian Braviary

Feathery Flying God

Only unlocked once you're almost done with the game, Hisuian Braviary's flight somehow manages to not-quite-trivialize every other mode of Poke-transportation. Which is an achievement of game design, I think! You still need Sneasler to gain significant height. It's still more convenient to use Wyrdeer and Basculegion for short distances. But at the same time, Hisuian Braviary is so useful for scanning the terrain from afar, moving long distances, and getting the hell out of dodge when things get dicey. The way all the mounts flow from one to another as you trigger them feels nice, and it's put to the test wonderfully in that last obstacle course challenge. (we don't talk about Ursaluna here)

As for the Pokemon itself... well, it doesn't disappoint. Unova's Braviary was already a legend, and Hisuian Braviary manages to kick it up a notch. Giant psychic birds with flaming psycho-kinetic crest? Sign me up. This is one of the best Pokemon in the whole region, and even if the old HM system where I needed one to use Fly, I'd make it a mainstay on my team. Which is not something I often say about bird Pokemon!

Overall: 10/10

Hisuian Goodra

Wide Load Comin' Thru

See, now we've got a bit of the opposite problem - Goodra was the only member of its line that truly deserved its Dragon typing, but now it's doubled down on the snail motif to justify its Steel typing. Which I support on one hand, because consistency in evolution is key, but on the other hand... doesn't it look unbalanced? Like it can barely move? Hell, I'd just remove the legs and go Full Snail.

also, what's up with that dripping mucus? It's metallic, cuz it's a Steel-type, I get that. But like... why? Is it dripping mercury? Is this some sort of Metal Slime I should kill for massive EXP? Or did somebody just greyscale Goodra and not care about the implications? idk why green slime is so much more acceptable to me than silver slime, but it just is.

As a result of all of this, I somehow like Hisuian Goodra less than the normal version.

Overall: 6/10