Twitch Plays Pokémon (TPP) is a series of social experiments that started in February 2014 in which commands representing buttons on an original original Nintendo DS (up, down, left, right, A, B, X, Y, L, R, start,) and touchscreen coordinates are entered into a chat on Twitch, and then translated into a game of Pokémon via an IRC bot. In short, thousands of people are fighting over a controller. Throughout its life, Twitch Plays Pokémon has spawned hilarious characters, memorable moments, and even a few religions.
The seventh entry in the series takes the Mob to Unova, where their worst fear shall be realized: A whole Team dedicated to releasing Pokémon.
The run began at 00:00 ED, June 14th, 2014 after the completion of Twitch Plays Pokémon HeartGold. It was completed on June 26th, 2014, and will be followed by Twitch Plays Pokémon Black 2.
See also here
for the archived progress of the game, here for the archived status of the run, or here for live updates, which have been archived here. There is also a recap page, found here.
Tropes found in Twitch Plays Pokémon Black include:
- Alternate Continuity / Gaiden Game: After beating the game and returning to the title screen, the Mob selected the New Game option and selected a female protagonist. However, they were quickly cut off by the streamer after the initial battles with Cheren and Bianca.
- Anticlimax: After struggling for 62 runs against the Elite Four, N and Ghetsis were taken down on the first try each, without Reshiram. Tropes Are Not Bad, though, as that's really awesome in its own right.
- Darker and Edgier: The fact that the Mob didn't even make it through two days without getting most of the party killed off shows that things are way more serious this time around.
- As of Day 8, there have been more releases in Black than any run since Red, and currently more than Crystal, Emerald and FireRed combined. Clearly Team Plasma has had an influence here.
- Deconstruction: If the story heads out the same way it did in the original Black and White, then you will expect to see this show up.
- Despair Event Horizon: Releasing Tepig, Pansage, Purrloin, and Lillipup. To the point where people were actively trying to soft reset the game and start over.
- Eagleland: The Unova Region is located in a nation similar to it.
- Gaiden Game: Possibly the truest example in the franchise so far, being the first one to take place on a completely different continent.
- Heaven: The Entralink was once stated to be the home of the Fossil Gods. Now that the trolls have abused the C-Gear to trap GMYC and the Mob there constantly, it is now being dubbed Hell.
- Hell: The Mob constantly gets stuck in the Entralink due to the trolls using the C-Gear, so they have taken to referring to the Entralink as the 'Human PC'.
- It has also been made akin to Hotel California.
- Long Song, Short Scene: Averted in areas where a normal player wouldn't spend more than a few seconds in, like the hallways connecting routes and settlements. GMYC sometimes takes a while to get through, so the song plays its full duration.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: The C-Gear has been treated as one of these, considering GMYC's constant trips to the Entralink before it was disabled.
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Low-Level Run: Of the "no evolutions" variety. Started off as accidental due to trolls cancelling every evolution, but once the streamer said he'd force evolutions in Black 2 if nothing ended up evolving, it became a strategy of sorts. - Mad Scientist: Fennel, for giving GMYC the C-Gear.
- Make Way for the New Villains: After Bill's ultimate defeat, Team Plasma has claimed the spot as the villains. (Or possibly Fennel, thanks to the Entralink.)
- Not Allowed to Grow Up: None of the party members have been allowed to evolve, to the frustration of most of the mob.
- Obvious Rule Patch: After multiple instances of the player character getting trapped in the Entralink, the C-Gear was eventually disabled, preventing players from teleporting there anymore.
- Peninsula of Power Leveling: Doctors and Nurses, who are found in the middle of a route and heal the party, were introduced this generation. Two places the Mob liked to go to in particular are the Desert Resort and Victory Road.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Part of what escalated Massacre Monday. In addition to trolls wanting to take Tepig's release and ride with it, several mob members angry over Tepig's release were demanding "revenge" in the comments.
- Running Gag: , the Tepig was released, continuing the unbroken rule that Fire-type starter Pokémon are always released.
- Sadistic Choice: Streamer's answer to the problem of Trolls is one of these. Either they can keep trolling Black, only for the next run to implement an evolution-forcing Action Replay code; or they can let a Pokemon evolve.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: The Mob fought over getting Joltik and Zebstrika and tried depositing at least one Pidove into the PC for them. They released Tirtouga and Petilil in the process and still wound up with two normal birds, albeit the second-stage Tranquill.
- Take Your Time: Noticeable throughout the franchise. Here, for example, GMYC has taken a few days trying to defeat the Elite Four whilst Shauntal says a challenger (N) had recently battled her.
- The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: After the Streamer disabled the C-Gear, the access into the Entralink, with an Action Replay, Fennel may or may not have informed Ghetsis about the Streamer's existence, possibly putting them in their hit list along with the Mob and Hosts.
- Trapped in Another World: Entralink. The Mob kept entering it and halting progress until it was disabled.
- Technically, the Entralink is actually an island in the center of Unova. But considering the only way to or from there is by teleporting, as well as the fact that it serves as a gate to other universes in the actual games, it's not that big of a stretch.
- You Can't Fight Fate: The fire starter is released, yet again!
