The Fan-made Pokemon Game That’s Better Than the Official Remake
If asked what comes to mind when thinking about an accurate Pokemon Sinnoh game in 3D, the fan-made game concept made by the 3D Artist Millenniumloops is surely the first thing that comes to mind. As many Pokefans now know, the Pokemon Diamond & Pearl Remakes are set to release this year in 2021. With this, it seems the anticipation has already spread so far that die-hard fans are coming up with their own interpretation of Diamond & Pearl on the Nintendo Switch. As a disclaimer, the spoilers ahead are strictly based on a fan-made project and not an official Nintendo project.
To start off, the cinematic trailer does a fantastic job of highlighting the events that happened in the original game as well as most of the features and mechanics. Fans and new players alike will see throughout the short video trailer that the concept captures the spontaneity and mystery that remains to be solved within the Sinnoh lore. The concept trailer also does well at making it look as if the viewer is watching gameplay footage with the character movements and animations as they are running and following the paths in the region. To top it off, the different routes, cities, and locations are recognizable for people who’ve seen diamond & pearl while capturing the essence that makes a pokemon game what it is today.
There are a few things that go into pokemon games which makes them distinct from other strategy games. When put into perspective, you travel the region collecting pokemon, items, and battling trainers, which is fairly similar to the anime. In these games, the main mechanic is being able to run into these pokemon by running through tall grass, caves, deserts, or swimming in the ocean. Simultaneously, the games offer an engaging story and plotline that’s unique to each game. In the case of remakes — which the franchise is known for doing quite often — players get to revisit a previous region and see pokemon that they may not have ever seen before with entirely new graphics and up-to-date facets.
The concept coordinator brings back many of the game’s old gameplay mechanics that are familiar to players that have been around the pokemon game franchise for quite some time. Starting with Hm’s or Hidden Machines, which are pokemon moves that are useful outside of battle. This added a dynamic to the main games that made the maps feel more expansive and made for some good puzzles that players would have to solve to progress through each section. In battle though, they were almost a nuisance because only a few were capable of dealing solid damage and they couldn’t be replaced with better moves after being learned. In this fan remake, however, Hm’s are brought back in a positive light and have fans wishing they still existed. In the trailer, the player is seen using Rock Climb to scale a large mountain on a Rhyperior’s back, Fly to soar above the blizzards found north of Mt. Coronet, and even the Dive Tm to explore the sea depths which was introduced only in the generation 3 also known as the Hoenn region games.
Another feature this trailer included — which fans are hoping the official remakes can replicate — is Pokemon seals and accessories which indicate that pokemon contests are present as well. So, if the player also wants to become a pokemon contest extraordinaire, they’d finally be able to do so as they make a return to the game after receiving different variations on later pokemon game titles.
Locations in the fan-made creation have been brilliantly designed to fit the ones in the classics. Locations like Canalave City, Oreburgh City, Lake Valor, Valley Windworks, and Mr. Backlot’s Mansion have been redone and look distinct enough to pick out in both the original and the concept. The elite four arenas have also been shown to be spot on in terms of accuracy. Millenniumloops brings the trainers’ final Sinnoh showdown to life as the elite four arenas are shown to have proper 3d shapes and modeling that closely resemble the lower resolution models back on the Nintendo DS. A job well done, but the conceptualization doesn’t only give its audience a copied and pasted product. Some new features have also been incorporated into the trailer, which fans would love to see in the main games.
The first feature the Millenniumloops gets right is the ability to ride pokemon. Whether this would replace the bike completely — as the riding Tauros did in Sun and Moon — is one that would ultimately be decided by game freak — the developers of the pokemon game series — however, riding a charging bull throughout the inner cities has always looked out of place to me. Another feature that game freak can piggyback off of is items being found with the usable Tm dive outside of battle. As mentioned before, the Tm “Dive” was only used in the generation 3 titles and if Hms made a return, it would only be fitting that players get to see the surface as well as the floors of the ocean. Doing this could make for more puzzles, items, and exploration that would add more hours to a game that kept trainers engaged with the Sinnoh story.
As many people who know the Pokemon franchise may understand, the main focus of any pokemon games though is the battles. Evident in the battle vs. Flint of the Elite 4, the creator takes a different approach to pokemon battles by putting the player in the perspective of the pokemon instead of the trainer. In traditional games, users are presented with a menu as the Graphical User Interface with different options for the trainer to choose from. These options allow the player to choose which moves they want to use when it’s their turn to attack. The way the creator of this concept envisions a pokemon battle in this game is similar to the way the pokemon trainer character works in the “Super Smash Brothers” series in that the trainer is seen in the background giving commands while the player controls the pokemon. The main games aren’t known for this style of play, however, it would be an interesting approach that would make the games feel more dynamic and less strategy based
Another cool addition to these remakes is a fan favorite known as Mega-Evolution. A reaction that happens between a trainer and pokemon after a lasting bond is created between the two allowing the pokemon to undergo a momentary transformation similar to evolution where the pokemon changes in appearance as well as battle strength. In this concept, original designs were shown for both Infernape and Empoleon who were battling it out in the Elite Four arena. At this point, it is unclear whether Mega-Evolution will ever make a return since its introduction in generation 6 or rather the Kalos region. Although if enough fans show enough desire to see it again — like they currently do — it is always a possibility that game freak and the Pokemon Company can answer that call.
There’s no doubt this fan-made Pokemon Sinnoh remake had many fans wishing it were a real game, however, fans can agree it was a treat to see creations the community can come up with, which is made true by the feedback received on the popular video. It would be cool to see the developers at Game Freak use some of the mechanics and concepts used in this trailer and incorporate it into an update for Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the Sinnoh remakes set to release later this year. Though it’s safe to say that the idea of using pokemon as playable characters is unlikely seeing that it would ruin the integrity of the main games, although it could inspire other creations somewhere down the road like another Pokemon mystery Dungeon game where the main characters are pokemon. The beautifully designed game concept done here shows that the opportunities for the Pokemon franchise and its games are limitless.
Works Cited
Millenniumloops. “Pokemon Adventures Sinnoh [Game Concept],” Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIlopKnC6JU, published on: 11 May 2021
