Should the Pokémon series return to 2D games?
The Pokémon series got its start with 2D Game Boy games, the main series remaining entirely 2D up until the DS era before finally embracing fully 3D models for its worlds and models in the 3DS era.
I know that a return to 2D games would be a hard sell for the majority of the Pokémon audience. Many seem to view 3D as a comprehensive upgrade over all aspects of the 2D games. But I maintain that there were merits to the aesthetics and design philosophies of the 2D era, and it may be worth considering developing a side-series of 2D games.
For starters, the 2D aesthetics of the series are iconic. The games still use 2D sprites for Pokémon and objects within the modern 3D games, both for menus and as decorative objects throughout the 3D world. Pokémon Home uses 2D player sprites from the games as avatars. Pokémon's 2D sprites are evocative and instantly recognisable for so many Pokémon fans.
Secondly, given that Gamefreak used 2D sprites throughout the first five generations of the series, they hired a lot of 2D sprite artists and animators and I think by the fifth generation they had become quite skilled at it. The fifth gen sprites are very animated, colourful and attractive. They capture a lot of the charm of the older Game Boy sprites while modernising them and making good use of the more advanced technology as it became available over time. I personally think that generation 5 is the best the series has ever looked.
Furthermore, however you personally felt about Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, I think we can all agree that the "chibi" aesthetics were quite divisive. The look did not resonate with everyone. Perhaps utilising 2D sprites for future remakes would be an ideal solution, given that the look served the series so well for over two decades, would not necessitate redesigns of older environments to accommodate diagonal or even 360 degree movement (or cause problems in the design if greater movement were not accounted for) and modern hardware could still deliver better graphical fidelity and more detailed spritework than was ever possible on the Game Boy, GBA or DS. Older design aesthetics enhanced with modern technology.
Also 2D games would not require full 3D worlds to be developed, allowing for greater detail to be applied to the parts of the world we do see in greater focus.
Finally not only do I suspect these games would be quicker to develop, allowing them to easily slot in to development schedules between (or alongside) 3D games and meet modern industry demands for multiple releases per year (how advisable such release schedules actually are is another matter) but I believe they would play to Gamefreak's strengths, historically being a smaller developer focusing on handheld 2D games with their earlier releases. Being less graphically demanding titles, I would argue they might even be more portable, allowing for releases on hardware like smartphones, which is something Nintendo dabbles in these days.
So what do you think? Would you be interested in 2D Pokémon titles? Would you buy them? What would you like to see them do that would not have been possible on older hardware or in modern 3D titles?
Comments
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I think that 3d is overall superior to 2d. The Pokémon have a more “alive” feel to me in 3d.
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Honestly, if going back to 2D sprites means that Pokemon can actually DO more with their games (as in add more features and maybe even a full National Pokedex again), then I have to say I'm all for it. I've seen some people put Pokemon in an art style like Octopath Traveller, which uses sprites on a more 3D environment.
Highly doubt it's going to happen though- once you turn 3D there's no going back.
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I feel the exact opposite. Perhaps in stills it might look better, adding a literal extra dimension to the characters, but in gameplay the Pokémon feel static and lifeless. They just stand there. Compare modern 3D battles to gen 5 battles. In the latter the Pokémon are virtually dancing on the screen and full of life.
That is not to say 3D Pokémon cannot be done well. Ironically during the 2D era 3D games like Pokémon Colosseum and Battle Revolution had much more animated models. It can be done.
What do you mean by design, just to clarify? Visual design or gameplay design? Or both?
The Pokémon do have a bit more life to them in camps. It is a shame that a side gimmick is where all the focus on animation went, rather than the core mechanic of the game.
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I could see 2D games being thrown in the mix (in addition to, not replacing 3D games) because they could potentially be a way to give us a game that can house all 1000+ pokemon. That's the main draw for me.
But looking at what they've done with 2d pokemon in the Switch era doesn't inspire a whole lot of hope. They're lacking in content, modern mechanics, direct connectivity to the latest generation, and don't even have any of the new pokemon. If the game doesn't check any of those boxes then it makes me wonder what was the point of going 2D in the first place. You're getting the worst of both worlds rather than the best.
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I feel like 3D games are better than 2D just because options like Pokemon Camp would give us more detail into a Pokemon's personality. 3D games also feel, I don't know, more modern? I mean the animations look the best when they are in 3D and almost no mainstream game is in 2D which could lead to the lost of a lot of money due to people thinking that the new games are outdated, which could potentially lead to Game Freak rushing even MORE projects to make sure their stocks are still stable, which would lead to an even bigger catastrophe.
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I think if Gamefreak, or even a company outsourced to make a hypothetical new 2D game, were prepared to do the work to modernise it it could be very worthwhile and appealing. I would love to see gen 5 (or better) sprites for modern Pokémon we have only seen in 3D. I would love the games to have a full Pokédex. I would love them to innovate and expand on the 2D worlds of old games in addition to creating new ones.
I am talking about the potential of the fully realised concept.
Gamefreak and Nintendo keep leaning into the nostalgia for the older games (why did they bring back the gen 1 starters and Mewtwo when the series first jumped to 3D?), and the 2D sprite aesthetics are a big part of that.
How often when we first see promotional trailers for a new generation does at least one start with a Game Boy playing Red and Blue, before showing the evolution of the series. It is iconic, and it resonates with a lot of people. There are even those who prefer sprites over 3D models, myself included, though I accept I am not the majority.
I am not saying we should force the series to abandon 3D. I am not saying we should bring back the 2D rendering and sprites we saw on the Game Boy, GBA or DS, warts and all. We can take advantage of modern technology and artistic techniques to produce 2D sprites with modern sensibilities and rendering. The best of both worlds.
There is definitely an audience for it. Look at how many indie games use sprites in 2D or so called "2.5D". Look at more mainstream games on the Switch right now like Octopath Traveler.
I think a gen 5 remake in that vein would be far better received than a BDSP-style Black and White.
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Starting with gen 6, the "remakes" should be 2d demakes instead. That way we can experience those games both ways.
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Not going to lie, I like the 2D animations way better than the 3D versions.
One problem with the 3D models is that moves don't look good when performed with certain pokemon, a classic example being Hydro Pump on Blastoise. The same could be said for 2D games, but it just feels very weird with the 3D models.
Another thing with the 3D models is that in my opinion, the 2D games have better animations. The 2D pokemon in BW and BW2 have cool animations when they appear for battle, where as for 3D games like SwSh, its just a roar and like almost every pokemon has that animation.
If Gamefreak were to fix these problems for the 3D models, they could fix animations for moves like the for pokemon like Blastoise and Clawitzer for ranged moves. They don't have to go too far for like making unique animations for each move for different pokemon, just noticable moves on noticeable pokemon. For the animations just make it so not all pokemon have roars, like how Igglybuff and Jigglypuff don't roar in the Sun and Moon games, more pokemon should have encounter animations like them.
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