What would the new Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield look like if they were done in the style of their Game Boy predecessors? Well, if that’s something you’ve ever wondered, wonder no longer as illustrator and pixel artist Pat Ackerman has created exactly that for the entire Gen 8 Pokemon lineup.
Of the group, it’s hard to pick just one that’s done particularly well, but as you might expect, the starters like Scorbunny and Grookey really stand out. You can check out Ackerman’s various Game Boy-style graphics for the Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield pocket monsters below:
Finally finished all of generation 8 in Gameboy form! They use the Pokémon Yellow palette. You can see some different versions and almost all Gigantamax forma as well on patspixels on instagram. #pixelart #pixelartist #pokemon #nintendo #NintendoSwitch #pokemon25 #gameboy pic.twitter.com/yr0Sf83Fm2
— Pat Ackerman (@patackart) January 20, 2021
Lol…so…Low Key form Toxtricity wasn’t in there either. THIS should be the final….#pixelart #Pokemon #PokemonSwordandShield #gameboy #nintendo #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/2u04ZYzQRn
— Pat Ackerman (@patackart) January 21, 2021
“When creating these, I use the 56 x 56 size canvas, which was the original size of the sprites in Pokémon Red/Blue/Green/Yellow,” the artist told Kotaku about their creations. “I also stick to the palette of Yellow. I really focus on the pose of the Pokémon, as that’s what used to really define who they were before 3D models. I try to make them dynamic and showcase something unique about the Pokémon.”
As far as the Pokemon video games go, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are currently available on the Nintendo Switch alongside the two DLC expansions, Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the Pokemon franchise right here.
What do you think about the Game Boy versions of the modern Pokemon above? Is this the sort of Pokemon fan art you like to see? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
