Pokemon fans have grand ideas for the franchise’s next remake
If there's one thing that Nintendo can rely on, it's that its Pokemon games will always sell well. Despite the divisive reception of 2022's Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, the games have still sold over 24 million copies and are certified chart-toppers.
One way to boost your sales is to remake classic games as we've seen with everything from FireRed and LeafGreen to HeartGold and SoulsSilver. In fact, Gen I has had another remake in the form of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Pokemon fans want Gen V remakes...with a twist
The most recent remake release was Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in 2021, and given where we are in the franchise's chronology, could a crop of Gen V remakes be next? Pokefans are certainly behind it, taking to Reddit to champion the idea of revisiting Black and White.
It's fair to say that the chibi-style redesign of Diamond and Pearl wasn't a hit, with some calling it a desecration of their beloved Gen IV favourites. Now, Redditor u/Berns023 has asked if you'd like to see Black & White get a HD-2D makeover.
The style has been popularised by Square Enix, and with the upcoming Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D remake going for an HD-2D style, we could see Black & White's detailed backdrops benefit from this more mature style. While there were plenty of players backing it in the comments, not everyone was convinced it'll work.
One concerned gamer wrote, "Apparently, Square Enix has a weird copyright on the HD2D style, you can't really market it as such, so that's why other big studios are wary of touching it." Someone else pointed out that Square Enix has likely only trademarked HD-2D, pointing to Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes for how a similar style can be created.
Loving the idea, one superfan cheered, "I frickin' wish, they’d never do it though unless they contracted it out to a company proficient in that style (which would cost a lot more money than the Pokémon Company wants to put down on a remake at this point)."
Another sceptic added, "It'd be cool, but Game Freak is allergic to quality," and someone concluded, "I’d love it personally. I know the general audience would be miffed about it being 2DHD, but it’s such a cool aesthetic." Black & White were criticised for their art style back in the day (so many bridges), so a modern remake would almost certainly address it.
As we wait for news on Gen 10 and are left hanging on tenterhooks for the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A in 2025, it seems that more remakes are inevitable. Black & White would be an easy sell, but taking a leaf out of Square Enix's book with HD-2D-inspired remakes seems unlikely - no matter how much we'd love it.