Fan re-imagines Pokémon Red as a Square Enix HD-2D game
Wynaut?
A Pokémon fan has created an impressive HD-2D take on the series' original Game Boy games.
Several videos made by 3D pixel artist and designer Dott have surfaced in the past week, showing off what Pokémon Red might look like if reimagined in an HD-2D style similar to recent Square Enix titles like Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveler.
It's a design which has sparked excitement from fans at how future Pokémon remakes could be made, after the rather lacklustre response to 2021's Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and more general gripes about the series' visuals in all-new entries.
Dott's videos show various locations from Pokémon Red remade in Unreal Engine, showcased alongside their Game Boy originals. There's a look inside the player's house and around Pallet Town, and a further section which shows off a remade Vermilion City.
It's not for everyone, but there's something about the hazy, bokeh backgrounds and pixellated 2D sprites which for me seems to suit Pokémon better than some of the 2.5D attempts at translating the series' earliest incarnations for modern day audiences.
While these are being made in Unreal Engine, don't start trying to recreate them yourself in Unreal Editor for Fortnite. Epic Games has already warned users not to use its new game creation toolkit for copyrighted content - although that hasn't stopped everyone from trying.