Pokemonhas never really been a series sold solely on its visuals. Sure, it’s hard to imagine how popular it would have been without Ken Sugimori’s iconic original character artwork. But contrary to what terrible dating coaches say, looks don’t matter all that much.
Still, there are some games in this legendary monster-catching series that stand out from the others visually, whether from art direction or just great graphics. Pokemon fans have been down on the series' look lately, but there are definitely a few entries that remain eye-catching.
Yes, parts of the fandom have focused on the Switch games,including Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as examples of the series' visuals beginning to stagnate. But consider this counterargument: nuh-uh.
Along with bringing a truly needed fresh new approach to the series' gameplay, Pokemon Legends: Arceus also brings some genuinely striking environments. Grasslands, snow, lava, it’s all there, because this is a video game, and the wide open areas in these biomes just beg you to keep exploring.
It’s difficult to properly convey the excitement permeating the playgrounds during the time leading up to Pokemon Gold and Silver. Not only were these the anticipated follow-ups to the games that finally made recess fun for the nerds, but they also brought full color to the series for the first time.
Gold, Silver, and eventually Crystal tookfull advantage of the Game Boy Color, making its environments pop in ways that honestly remain pretty impressive. Not only that, but the way the game looks at night is just an absolute vibe. Who would have thought 15-bit color could be this cozy?
What the Game Boy Color did for the series visually with Gold and Silver, the Game Boy Advance did with Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Deeper colors, more detailed sprites, and you could even see yourself in puddles. (Don’t laugh, that was a big deal in 2002.)
Along with FireRed and LeafGreen, which remade the first games on GBA, this was the first time a Pokemon game had a genuinely timeless look. Take a gander at any list of indie games these days, and you could easily see Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald among those delicious sprite-laden works.
The Nintendo DS library of games probably hasn’t aged all that well when it comes to visuals, especially any games with those characteristically low-poly 3D models. But there were a few diamonds in the graphical rough, and one just so happens to be a remake of an already stunning game.
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver updated what many still consider to be thepeak of the series with Gold and Silver. The new 3D environments work super well, and the expanded color palette of the DS could only add more of what the originals excelled at. Plus, your Pokemon could adorably follow you in the field now, a feature that automatically makes any game without it a lacking experience.
How do you make a modern Pokemon game that’s both visually and graphically impressive? You hire Bandai Namco. Pokken Tournament, an arcade fighting game based on Tekken, really sounds like an April Fool’s gag. But remember, so was the idea of Yakuza going turn-based. The moral here is that jokes are good.
Pokken Tournament and its Switch port, Pokken Tournament DX, shouldn’t even exist. But thank Arceus it does, because it’s such a wild concept that’s even more fun than it sounds. Not only does it play well as a fighting game, but it’s visually stunning, with some of the highest-quality Pokemon models you’ve seen duking it out in absolutely gorgeous environments.
This may be a contentious claim, but Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX slaps in the visuals department. A remake of the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games on Game Boy Advance, it has differences, including a change in art style, and gamers love that.
But despite the charm of the sprite-based originals, DX is drop-dead beautiful. Lush landscapes are accentuated by new 3D character models that lookstraight out of a storybook. The watercolor-like aesthetic ensures that nearly every frame could be a painting, much like Okami, albeit thankfully without any lecherous bugs.
When the kid-friendly Pokemon: Let’s Go games were announced, many gamers responded as they normally do when faced with something not made specifically for them: with the same poise and rationality normally reserved for closing time at Chuck E Cheese. But these games are good, and they look good too.
Let’s Go, Eevee and Let’s Go, Pikachu, apart from being very cool and fun to type out, are remakes of Pokemon Red and Blue with sleek 3D graphics and gameplay lifted from the always enjoyable Pokemon Go. The character art styles might be a little cartoony for some, but the Pokemon models and environments are absolutely top-notch for the Switch.
The long-awaited return of Pokemon Snap after a decades-long confinement to the Nintendo 64 felt as satisfying as gaining several thousand more polygons must have felt for the creatures involved. Who would have thought that a game about taking pictures of cute and colorful monsters would be such an emotionally gratifying experience? Millennials, that’s who.
New Pokemon Snap on the Switchbrought in gameplay improvements and additions to the beloved photography simulator. But more importantly, the developers knew full well that a game based on taking pictures would live and die on its visuals. The Pokemon and environments are all truly breathtaking, and you’ll never have a better time conking cute little animals with apples.
