A small group of fans have reimagined Pokémon Red and Blue. The team took the original game’s artwork and ran with it, fully realizing the world with a modern vision.
A Twitter account under the guide @Pokeyugami posted a short clip of its remake of the Gen-1 games. The account claims that the group is comprised of those “creating fan art with the theme of Pokémon in [a] space-time different from ours.” In a post, the account shows a brief look at a reimagined Viridian forest, an early location in the game.
Pokémon Red and Blue features a sprite-heavy art design when exploring the world and navigating from town to town. However, when in battles, the game transitions to a beautiful art style, showcasing each Pokémon. Pokeyugami took that aspect and blends it with a 3D-inspired design. The result is a painted art style that maintains the original look of each Pokémon.
これは時空の歪みによって生まれた、懐かしくも新しい『ポケットモンスター 初代』！
(トキワの森編)#pokemon pic.twitter.com/Mm7bF4M80F— ポケモン時空の歪み研究員 (@pokeyugami) May 20, 2022
The short 17-second clips show us Weedle, Caterpie, and Pikachu, who at the time had a slightly different design. Even the look of the Bug Catcher trainer is maintained yet updated.
While I certainly love the attention to detail and care put into the project, it is an unofficial fan’s piece of work. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have no ties to this remake. With that in mind, my dreams of playing this remake are very slim.
That said, The Pokémon Company has been experimenting with various art styles in recent years. Pokémon Let’s Go Pickachu and Eevee incorporate some heavy use of 3D models and environments. This trend continued in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Additionally, Pokémon Legends Arceus takes a very different route and delivers on an open-world vision. Finally, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl incorporate a Chibi-style design into their world.
While I don’t expect Pokémon games to ever adopt an art style like this, I can appreciate there are those who value the original art style first brought to light in 1996.
Image credit: @Pokeyugami
Source: @Pokeyugami Via: IGN
