Seeing Pixel Art Of New Pokemon Makes Me Want A Gen 9 Demake

thegamer.com:

You don’t play Pokemon for the graphics. Sword & Shield were much maligned for their low quality trees and ‘reused’ assets for the monsters themselves (the latter of which wasn’t actually true, but even if it were, it would be a good way of reducing the workload for design staff). In contrast, the towns and cities of Galar look positively stunning, but lack the depth of previous generations. Think about the magic of Ballonlea and the impressive ramparts of Hammerlocke. The subpar graphics are more than made up for with great art design, but that ends up lacking on the generic routes, which then stick in your mind for all the wrong reasons.

I had the same problems with Legends: Arceus. The gameplay was a clever innovation, and offered something new in a series that was slowly going stale. Nothing in Pokemon beats flinging Jet Balls at unsuspecting Bidoof, but as soon as I called in my Braviary and took to the skies, things took a turn for the worse. It wasn’t just air sickness, the landscapes of Legends: Arceus were suddenly blurs of shapes and colours, one area practically indistinguishable from the next.

Related: Pokemon Should Make A Game Set In Ultra Ruin

Things look to be improving slightly in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet. The graphics aren’t Sword & Shield levels, but they’re hardly up to scratch with other Switch titles like Monster Hunter Rise or Breath of the Wild. Once again, I found myself wishing that Game Freak committed to an interesting art style, rather than trying this semi-realistic thing that ends up halfway between uncanny valley and plain old bad.

If I think of the most beautiful games on the Switch, my mind immediately goes to Breath of the Wild, Gris, Link’s Awakening, and Octopath Traveler. (Sure,