Ever since the debut of Pokemon Red and Blue back in 1998, the series has since gone through so many changes that have made the long-running monster-catching JRPG series better than ever. It’s been over 20 years and when you go and look back at Pokemon Red and Blue screenshots compared to Sword and Shield’s, it’s crazy to see all of the differences between the two but you can really see just how far the series has come.
Title Opening of Pokemon Sword (2019) vs Pokemon Red (1998)
Just from looking at the opening sequence of both games, you can tell just how much more advanced Pokemon Sword and Shield are. The opening shows off one of the gyms in the game and you can see the sky which is full of clouds!
And even the logo itself is much more appealing to the eye compared to the bleak look of Pokemon Blue.
The one thing that I do like about Pokemon Red and Blue though, is that if you stand idle at this screen, you can see a bunch of Pokemon slide in and out of Squirtle’s place, giving you a peek at what to expect in the Kanto region.
Starting Town (Pallet Town vs Postwick)
Pallet Town is where you start your Pokemon journey in Red/Blue and there are literally only three small buildings for you to go inside of: You have your own house, your rival’s house, and Professor Oak’s laboratory.
It’s a very quaint town when you put it next to any of the massive cities/towns that make up the bulk of the gorgeous Galar region.
Choosing Your Starter Pokemon
Something that was introduced in past Pokemon games, being able to see all of the starter Pokemon at the same time wasn’t a thing in the Kanto region. You would have to go up to each Pokeball one by one and judge each starter Pokemon by a single static image and a little description.
Thank goodness that we get to actually see the personalities of the Pokemon before starting our grand adventure nowadays.
Your Bedroom
Several posters, a Nintendo Switch, a desk, a huge television, a bed, a wardrobe, and tons of little nods are seen in the new bedroom in Pokemon Sword and Shield and in Pokemon Red and Blue, you just have an old Nintendo system, a lonely plant, a small bed, and a PC to chat with your AOL friends on AIM.
You can totally tell the difference here and I’m actually very jealous of the Pokemon bedroom on the left… why can’t my entire house look like that?
Your Mom
Oooh, look at that stylish momma over there in the Galar region! She’s got some cute overalls one and she’s ready to go on a date as a strong, independent, single mom. The mother in Red and Blue is cool too but she has literally no personality at all.
She just sits there at the dining table and probably watches soap operas on that little CRT television.
Look at her! She probably doesn’t even know that her son is leaving on a journey to eventually battle against an evil organization.
Pokemon Battles
There are so many big changes here to bring up such as the eventual inclusion of an experience point bar, genders, backgrounds, and animations that are all part of the battling experience.
We went from static 2D images of Pokemon to fully 3D models with sound effects and pretty cool move animations as well.
Battles are better than ever this time around but you can’t forget where it all started.
Caves
We finally got some cool-looking caves that I don’t mind to be in while playing Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Galar region. I can’t say the same for the terrible caves in the Kanto region... those Zubats, man.
Thanks to the removal of completely random encounters in Sword and Shield, you no longer have to deal with annoying bats stopping you every single step of the way to freedom.
The Pokemon Center
The safe haven in any Pokemon game. The place where you can go to recover your precious Pokemon team, purchase healing items, and stock up on some Pokeballs and in past regions, the place where you can trade/battle with others.
The Pokemon centers have gone through a lot of changes over the past 20 years or so but you can’t deny just how useful the Pokemon center is in Sword and Shield.
The item shop is now part of the Pokemon center, you can relearn/forget moves, you can check out the PC and edit your League Card, and you can have someone rate your Pokemon names.
It looks better than ever and it’s hard to go back to the original without thinking of how good it all is nowadays on the Switch.
It’s insane to see just how much the series has changed over the years and it will be incredible to see comparisons when Pokemon is 30 years deep…
(Images captured from World of Longplays video of Pokemon Blue)
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