There’s been plenty of things to discuss about the Pokemon franchise lately, and even when it’s not official works being talked about, fans give us plenty to look at. For example, Pokemon Black and White has been the talk of the community for a long time now. Why? It has to do with the trend of remakes that The Pokemon Company has done for years now. They’ve been slowly going back and remaking past generations so that people can enjoy them in a new light and style. So far, they’ve upgraded Gen 1-4, which means that the Unova Region is due for an overhaul.
For the last couple of years, fans felt that Gen 5 was on the verge of a remake announcement due to teases by The Pokemon Company, but nothing came of it. Just as important, most people admit that should the remakes come, they’ll be in the style that came with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, meaning a 3D remake that looks fine but is hardly revolutionary.
Enter Shemne, who decided to do something a little different with Pokemon Black and White than what the publisher is likely to do. They decided to recreate part of the game’s world and combat systems not in 3D, but in HD-2D. You know, the upgraded sprite style that has been popular because of certain Square Enix games? Yeah, that one.
To be clear, he didn’t recreate all of Gen 5; they’re only one person. However, they were able to redo many of the main character sprites and the Pokemon sprites and made some of the towns in the HD-2D style. You’re basically going to see the opening parts of the game, which is still quite a feat for someone to do in such a short amount of time.
The video below showcases not only his finished product, which does look good but also the process of making it all happen:
It’s a convincing look, and it would be curious to see how a full-scale title in the franchise would look with these graphics. The reason that The Pokemon Company might not try this is that it might actually be cheaper to make things the 3D way as they did before. Doing the 2D-HD style is apparently labor-intensive. So, while it is visually stunning and can create a unique look for the RPG it’s often attached to; it might take longer to make than you’d think.
Then again, that isn’t stopping the publisher from using this style for a spinoff title!
