Two more bird Pokémon enter the fray, these ones based on the humble duck and regal swan.  Are they interesting?  Probably not?  Are they powerful?  I doubt it.  Do I like them?  Heck no, but let’s look at them anyway.

Part of me assumes that Ducklett and Swanna are supposed to reference the fairy tale of the ugly duckling, the repulsive-looking baby bird who was shunned by his peers and the rest of the animal kingdom, suffered untold hardships in a cruel world he was not made to live in, grew strong from adversity by learning the true meaning of friendship, and died alone in the middle of a swamp, upside down with his head jammed into a hollow log filled with soft peat.  Or something like that.  I’m a little hazy on the finer details.  Anyway, I originally assumed that’s what Ducklett and Swanna are about, but I’m no longer sure that can be it because Ducklett really isn’t ugly.  She’s not flat-out adorable but she’s reasonably cute.  If that is what Game Freak were aiming for with this design then they picked a strange way to go about it. Continue reading “Ducklett and Swanna” →