It is no secret that a large contingent of Pokémon fans are less than satisfied with Game Freak’s recent outings which suffer from severe performance issues and underwhelming graphics. Now, one fan’s interpretation of a past game in an isometric visual style has only emboldened this point of view.
The fan in question is Reddit user KyonC137, who shared their creation with the world on Nov. 24. Undeniably a very cute recreation of the main character’s bedroom in Pokémon Emerald—a location which is briefly explored at the start of the game—it comes complete with four character models. The male and female protagonist choices for Emerald itself are present alongside those found in its generational running partners FireRed and LeafGreen.
Viewers were quick to observe the similarity in artistic choice between this original content and the Mega Man Battle Network series. However, the Pokémon franchise itself has already dabbled with isometric worlds with the Ranger spin-off games most popular by a distance. Its last entry, Guardian Signs, enjoyed a staggered worldwide release in 2010.
As is always the case with fan content that innovates such as this, old wounds open for Pokémon players who dislike the current state of the mainline games. The most recent entries, Scarlet and Violet, were praised for a mature and engaging storyline but faced heavy criticism due to sketchy visuals and awful performance issues.
In response to another fan who had dipped into the comments to share his own thoughts on the subject matter, a user summed up this common viewpoint rather succinctly. “Pokémon has some of the most stale, cookie-cutter graphics since they went 3D”, they opened. “[Game Freak] don’t need to do anything above the minimum to get sales and so they don’t.”
To suggest Game Freak is deliberately not putting in the time and effort is punchy, to say the least. Like most game developers, they are expected to deliver to a deadline and have the added pressure of helming a household name in popular culture. One cannot ignore the fact, however, that they have struggled to inspire audiences, graphically speaking, since their first 3D offering of X and Y on the 3DS.
A return to even pseudo-2D environments and sprites could allow the Japanese company the freedom to explore more familiar waters once again. As breakout series such as Octopath Traveler have proven in the last few years, you don’t need extra dimensions to make a stunning experience.
