Summary
APokemonfan has shared their version of what the sprite could have looked like if Magmortar had been a Gen 1 Pokemon. The creative design and adherence to the originalPokemon Red and Bluesprite style hasPokemonfans waxing nostalgic and praising the artist.
Fans who grew up with the originalPokemon Red and Blueoften think fondly of the strange sprites that represented the 151 Pocket Monsters back then. Players who started after the games transitioned to higher fidelity graphics and even 3D models may think they look odd, but that’s part of their charm.Pokemon Red and Blue(and especially the precedingoriginalPokemon Red and Greenversions) had squashy sprites that didn’t strongly resemble their fully rendered concept art or their anime depictions. The longer the series has gone on, the more detailed in-game Pokemon representations have become, but some fans like reimagining later-gen Pokemon as though they’d appeared in the first entry.
Pokemonfan metalflygon08 shared their recreation of whatMagmortarwould look like if it had gotten its start back in Gen 1. The artist shared both a black and white and color representation of the same sprite. There are enough similarities to the finalized design for Magmortar here that it’s easily recognizable, but fans of the Pokemon will quickly notice that there are some changes to its overall shape and design. For example, Magmortar looks a lot shorter here, as though it’s been squashed down vertically, with significantly stubbier legs. The back of the sprite is so zoomed in that only the spikes on its back and the flame on top of its head are visible, which is pretty accurate to backPokemonsprites in the games.
Players Remember Pokemon Gen 1 Sprites With Nostalgia
Pokemonfans are reacting to the sprites with nostalgia and excitement. Several thought that the sprites perfectly emulated the Gen 1 style. Several fans referred to the sprite as “ugly” or “goofy,” but these comments were made with praise, considering how off-model someGen 1Pokemonspriteslooked. Metalflygon08 themselves said that the key to making these sprites is “turning them off model instead of trying to stay on model.” They’ve been quite successful in doing so.
It’s not all to hard to imagine that this could have been the actual design for Magmortar in-game if it had come into existence in Gen 1. The Pokemon’s family tree is interesting, with the middle-evolution Magmar launching withPokemon Red and Bluein Gen 1. However, it only received its baby form inPokemonGen 2, and eventually, its final evolution in Gen 4. By then, the artistic style of the games had shifted thanks to improving hardware capabilities, but if the development of the games had gone in a different direction, perhaps this design would have been how fans got to know the final evolution all along.
Pokemon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more.
