The evolution of Pokémon

Pokémon have been part of my childhood since as long as I could remember. I first chanced upon Pokémon while watching the television and immediately fell in love with the lovable creatures, interesting storyline and all that the fascinating world could offer. It originally started as a digital game and flourished into the world wide frenzy it is right now.

Pokémon is a role playing game video game (RPG) where the player follows the journey of a young trainer, as they train and level up their Pokémon to become a Pokémon master. Each series has their own storyline and missions to be accomplish. When I was young used to spend hours with my eyes glued to the screen, fighting Pokémon after Pokémon in order to level up and defeat the gym leaders.

This game now has a total of 8 series with many different versions and remakes, from “Red and Blue” created in 1996 to “Sword and shield” released in 2019. In this article I will be sharing about the changes in design of the series over the years and my thoughts on those changes.

Red and Blue

The first series takes place in the region of Kanto, which is based on the real-life Kanto region in Japan. It is played in a third person view with an overhead perspective. It consist of three basic screens, the overworld (Fig1), the side view battle screen (Fig3a) and a menu interface (Fig3b). The graphics are monochrome and rather pixelated, and the game was set in an elongated rectangular frame. The font used in the chat box is large and significantly wide, making it difficult to read at times. However at that time -1996- the Gameboy could only support up to 4 shades of grey which explains the plain graphics and animation.

Fig 1. Town layout

Fig 2. Dialogue interface

Fig 3a. Battle interface

Fig 3b. Menu interface

Gold and Silver

After 3 years, Pokémon Gold and Silver made its appearance. This series takes place in the Johto region, which was inspired by Japan’s Kansai and Tokai regions. By this time, Gameboy colour was released and it could support up to 56 colours. Needless to say colour added a burst of vibrancy to the background and made gameplay much more appealing. The game perspective and interface was largely similar to the previous series. Minor changes were that the layout was changed to a more squarish frame of the newer Gameboy which captures more details. The font also became less stretched out and easier to read.

Fig 4. Town layout

Fig 5. Dialogue interface

Fig 6. Battle interface

Fig 7. Battle interface (choosing attack)

Ruby and Sapphire

Next emerged the Ruby and Sapphire series in 2002. This takes place in the Hoenn region which was based on the Japanese island and region of Kyushu. The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the previous games, however the graphic was not as pixelated as the previous two series and the art style improved substantially. The town layout was simple but easy to navigate and the font in the chat box was the easiest to read due to the decrease in size and better font choice.

Fig 8. Town layout

Fig 9. Dialogue interface

Fig 10. Battle interface

This was the series that I first started playing when I was young and I remember being really satisfied with the art and gameplay. My cousin once lent me the old “Red and Blue” version to try out and I refused to play it after taking a look. That is because I could not get used to the monochrome colours and pixelated characters of the older version. This made me realise how vital colour and aesthetics are in attracting users.

Diamond and Pearl

From this series the medium for gameplay was changed from the Gameboy to the Nintendo DS with dual screens. The gameplay and basic mechanics are largely the same, however new features were added such as the day and night cycle and touch screen features for the Nintendo DS. The synchronization of time to the real world results in a more interactive and relatable gameplay, while the touch screen features makes the game more intuitive and easier to maneuver. A major improvement was the use of the dual screens to allow easier battles (Fig13&14), as compared to the previous interface (Fig 7) where the attack option would cover the Pokémon which results in a seemingly messy interface.

Fig 11. Town layout (night)

Fig 12. Dialogue interface

Fig 13. Battle interface (top screen)

Fig 14. Battle interface (bottom screen)

Black and white

In 2010, Pokémon Black and White was released. The setting takes place in the Unova region, based on New York City. As can be seen the graphics are becoming increasingly 3 dimensional(Fig15). This provides more depth and creates a realistic environment which allows for an impression of immersion, making it easier to get involved in the story and enjoy the experience. In addition, the dialog boxes of previous games have been changed to speech balloons that appear over other characters’ heads (Fig16), allowing more than one character to speak at once. During battles, the sprites of the Pokémon are fully animated and the camera changes position to highlight specific parts of the battle. This changes allows a more intuitive and dynamic gameplay, which is a significant leap from the previous versions.

Fig 15. Town layout

Fig 16. Dialogue interface

Fig 17. Battle interface

X & Y

The game is now presented in fully 3D polygonal graphics, allowing for more interactivity with the overworld and more dynamic action during battles. The game perspective is now context sensitive. The cut scene transitions ranges from third perspective close ups (Fig18) to aerial views (Fig19) and the art is increasingly vibrant and attractive. In addition to becoming more dynamic, battles became more lifelike, where we can view the battle in their actual location (Fig22) instead of the usual grey/green/brown circles under their feet (Fig17).

Fig 18. Background layout

Fig 19. Town layout

Fig 20. Dialogue interface

Fig 21. Conversation interface

Fig 22. Battle interface

Sun and Moon

The sun and moon series came out in 2019, it takes place in the Alola region, based on Hawaii. As can be seen the environment is very vibrant and 3 dimensional, from the shadows under the player’s feet to the shades of the buildings and nature. The character models in Sun and Moon possess more realistic proportions compared to chibi-styled models in the previous series, not to mention the plants and buildings as well. A new function for this series would be the option to steer the conversation (Fig26) compared to the usual yes/no in the previous series. This promotes user interaction and hence engagement with the players. The Pokémon battle however is similar to the previous series.

Fig 23. Town layout

Fig 24. Town interface

Fig 25. Dialogue interface

Fig 26. Dialogue interface

Fig 27. Battle interface (screen 1)

Fig 28. Battle interface (screen 2)

Sword and shield

Finally sword and shield was released in 2019, the most recent and up to date series. The game takes place in the Galar region, based on the United Kingdom. The art and scenery is by far the most captivating and realistic, from the azure blue sky to every cottage and mellow, the essence of a small cozy town in the United Kingdom is effectively portrayed. The most apparent change to me is the battle style. As the newest series is made for the Nintendo switch, the game layout is changed from dual screens back to a single one. However, the interface have upgraded tremendously compared to the previous one(Fig7), with a simpler and more intuitive layout(Fig33). Overall, the most significant improvement was in the aesthetics which improves user experience as a whole.

Fig 29. Town layout

Fig 30. Town layout

Fig 31. Dialogue interface

Fig 32. Background layout

Fig 33. Battle interface

In a nutshell, I find it fascinating how the graphics of the Pokémon series improved constantly over time, from the black and white graphics to the three dimensional animation. The progression in gameplay can also be seen really prominently from the development of each generation. Ultimately all this leads to increasing engagement and hence a more satisfying user experience for all players.

As a Pokémon gamer, I have played Pokémon red, sapphire and black. I am looking forward to purchasing the sword and shield version due to the fantastic interface and art style. Hopefully, my article can help those budding Pokémon trainers out there who are unsure of which series to start with.

As all Pokémon trainers say — Gotta catch em’ all!