This Pokemon HD-2D Remake looks Incredible

YouTuber recreates Kanto with amazing HD-2D visuals with Unreal Engine 5

As much as I love the Pokemon series, it is hard not to be a little disappointed by the series’ modern 3D visuals. While the newest game resides on Nintendo’s Switch 2, the game looks far from “current-gen”, and this has been a common complaint for the series for years. Now, a YouTuber has showcased an incredible path forward for Nintendo, showcasing that the Pokemon Kanto region would look like the “HD-2D” visuals. It looks awesome!

Using Unreal Engine 5, NIONX has recreated Kanto with a mix of 3D art and effects and 2D pixel art. When combined, we get an aesthetic that looks modern while maintaining Pokemon’s classic pixel art style. Visually, it looks like a mix of Pokemon Black/White’s visuals and Square Enix’s “HD-2D” remakes of its classic games. With this art style, Pokemon has never looked better.

Note that NIONX has not remade Pokemon in its entirety. Battles, conversations, and other gameplay elements are missing. Currently, the project has the Kanto region, moving NPCs, and what appears to be a functioning day/night cycle. Regardless, this project should act as a stunning proof of concept for future Pokemon games. Yes, Pokemon’s current art style has its place, but this HD-2D aesthetic looks too good to ignore.

Sadly, this remake is not available to download or play. This is a personal project, not one intended for public release. Regardless, it showcases a path forward for Pokemon for future remakes or entirely new games. Future Pokemon games could look awesome, even without cutting-edge graphical effects. Game Freak, you should be taking notes right now.

You can join the discussion on Pokemon’s fan-made HD-2D remake on the OC3D Forums.