Square Enix’s iconic HD-2D graphical style is instantly recognizable these days. The company has used it in both Octopath Traveler games and Triangle Strategy to great effect, and clearly, players love it and want to see it in other games as well. YouTuber and 3D artist Dott recreated Pallet Town from Pokemon Red and Blue in Unreal Engine 5, showing off what a remade HD-2D Pokemon game could look like by today’s standards.
You can check out the video for yourself down below:
It’s a short video showing off the protagonist walking around Pallet Town, but already, the nostalgia is palpable. It retains that classic vibe of the original Pokemon games, while also enhancing it with a modern twist. The smoke billowing gently from the chimneys, combined with the backgrounds blurring in and out of focus as you move –it all looks wonderful, and serves as the perfect blend of nostalgia and modernity.
Of course, asking Nintendo and Gamefreak to remake their next Pokemon game in this style is a pipe dream at best, but at least we’ll always have this lovely video to look back on fondly.