Those who owned Game Boy in their childhoods, likely started an adventure or two in Pallet Town. It’s arguably one of the most iconic locations in a handheld game to date, and now a fan ofPokemonhas paid tribute to the fictional town by recreating it in a 2.5D style. This fresh perspective is bound to trigger nostalgic memories for fans of thePokemonseries.
Pokemonwas first released to the Japan market in 1996 for the Game Boy, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. The rest of the world was introducedPokemonRedandBluein 1998. Few gamers will need an introduction to the monster battling adventure game, which has been a part of many childhoods over the decades, spawning a cartoon series, trading cards, and becoming the massive franchise it is today.
RELATED:Fan Remakes Pokemon Red and Blue As 3D Games
Last year,Pokemoncelebrated its 25th anniversary, but it all started with the Kanto region fromPokemonRedandBlue, where players begin their adventure in Pallet Town. The little town featured three buildings: the player’s home, their rival’s home, and Professor Oak’s lab. It was in the latter that we were introduced toPokemonfor the first time, and where players had their first battles.
OnePokemonfan has given Pallet Town an update with a 2.5D-style tribute to the iconic town, complete with character movement, animations, and working signs. Reddit user StarborgDev posted their creation to the /r/pokemon community, with a video showing the remade Pallet Town. It features sprite assets from the 2004 Game Boy Advance remake,Pokemon FireRedandLeafGreen.
Some of the assets are projected onto 3D planes in a flat style that is reminiscent ofPaper Mario. Other assets, such as the buildings, have a 3D look to them that is likePokemon DiamondandPearlfor Nintendo DS. The mix of 3D and 2D elements preserves the charming, pixelated style of the GBA graphics, but adds extra depth to the world. It’s like looking at a remastered version ofPokemonfor the Nintendo Switch, should Game Freak ever do a retro-sensitive restoration of the game.
Reddit users complimented the project, praising the charming feel and comparing it toPokemon BlackandWhite, which also uses 2D sprites in a 3D world. Others suggested thatPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlshould have used this art style.
This isn’t the first time Pallet Town has been given a 3rd dimension. In December, aPokemonfan recreated the town using graphics from the original 1996 release. Earlier in 2021, Mark Diaz from id Software also teased a3D remake of Pokemon built in Unity. StarborgDev did not reveal how they remade Pallet Town, but they appear to be working on other projects using the Godot Engine, an opensource 2D and 3D game engine. It’s not clear if this is just a concept or the start of a full-blownPokemonclone, but it would be fun to see a complete 3D restoration of the Kanto region, the place that started it all.
Pokemon Red and Blueare available for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console.
MORE:The Major Similarities and Differences Between Pokemon Red and Blue
