[Let's Go] The art style

[Hiroshi Sotomura]

Until I realised that this was the 2018 game and not the next-generation flagship coming in 2019, I was a little irate at the art style.

Coming off Sun and Moon, which had a more realistically-proportioned style and much richer visuals, and also expecting more from the Switch (Breath of the Wild to me is the gold standard for a Switch game) I almost saw this as a regression.

But now it just looks like a bigger version of ORAS… which, for as a simplified offshoot, by Game Freak, I can live with it, I guess.

What about you?

 

[strangerhypno]

Could be better. Kind of lazy. But what else can one expect from GF?

 

[Hiroshi Sotomura]

Something better, from say, the flagship Switch game in 2019? :P

 

[strangerhypno]

Call me pessimistic but there's a chance that the Switch game will also look like a bigger version of ORAS.

 

[Hiroshi Sotomura]

Call me pessimistic but there's a chance that the Switch game will also look like a bigger version of ORAS.

They have little reason to roll back from what they've established in SM.

Which is a visual treat in some respects. Admit it.

 

[strangerhypno]

Alright I was being a little too hard on GF. The Switch game being a main series title definitely look nicer.

 

[PkmnTrainerElio]

I get the whole OR/AS comparison, it does look like one, with the chibi models and all, but I love how Kanto looks.

 

[ruxy_100]

I am happy with the style for this one. It still looks visually impressive, while being simplistic enough to evoke nostalgia befitting a remake.

I feel the more chibi style evokes a sense of fun that a more realistic style probably wouldn't.

I do hope they step it up for the 2019 release though. One of the main justifications for moving to the Switch was that they felt they had pushed the games to their limit on the 3DS. Hopefully everything will be stepped up in the next game to demonstrate what that jump to a new console truly allows.

 

[L'Belle]

I think it's cute, and still looks pretty good.

I don't think it's appropriate to call Gamefreak Lazy at all, by the way.

 

[Skystrike]

To be honest, it actually looks okay here on the Switch. Looking back on XY and ORAS, the chibi style, to be frank, looked terrible, but here it seems like they can actually pull it off.

I do hope that SM's more realistically proportioned style returns for the 2019 game, though.

 

[Yotes]

I love it actually. I think Chibi characters and smooth, stylized Pokemon with bright colors just looks better than the gritty/realistic/anime style like we see in Pokken.

But the games have been looking great since the jump to 3D in XY so no complaints on any front really. Game Freak knows what they're doing.

 

[blue]

I was expecting this kind of art style tbh and I'm fine with it. I'm presuming they'll enhance the graphics for the 2019 title anyway so it'll be interesting to see the transition between the two.

 

[Hermione Granger]

I think the games look good graphically.

 

[Mana1]

I like how it looks too tbh! :)

 

[Blue_Pigeon]

It looks fine. I quite like the cartoon style for what it is, and I really like the house designs (I don't know why but they look really appealing). The water as well looks really good, and the pokemon themselves look crisp with some of the saturation returned to them. I also really like the girl character design, although you can certainly tell that she was designed with Eevee in mind as her partner.

I do, however, feel that I am just slightly disappointed with how bland Kanto looks - beautifully bland, but bland nonetheless. The improved art style and graphics really does expose how old Kanto the region is as the environments look too similar, with similar greens and blues. I understand that these games are remakes (of remakes it seems as some environmental accessories are from the FRLG games such as lamp posts) but surely it wouldn't be that lore shattering if some routes had dryer or marshier or rockier colours or backgrounds. Some variation like in the later games would be nice.
A similar art style face lift was done with the ORAS games and there was a lot of different colours and backdrops for routes, so I know that they could have done likewise with this artsyle and it would look splendid.

 

[Caaethil]

Am I crazy or am I the only one here who can't see any resemblance to the old chibi style? I need to make a comparison.

Pretend there's a delay here.

Aaaand, done. Nope, they look like SM to me. Be wary of perspective, we see a lot of top-down characters in this trailer while we've seen SM characters from many angles. But pay close attention the the grown man I've included from the Let's Go trailer. That is definitely not the ORAS style. We can argue all day about the protagonists but judging by the feet and hands I think they're just younger, or the same age but more realistically depicted for that age.

https://prnt.sc/jom2si

I think maybe part of this 'ORAS-esque' feeling is the colours. ORAS had very vibrant colours, whereas SM was a bit more muted, unless my memory is wonky. SM was very nice looking, and the colours were more realistic. But the greens in the grass in ORAS were very green, for example, and this is similar to that.

 

[Cherrim]

Honestly I wasn't really a fan of the realistic proportions of SuMo. I think a more cartoony art style suits Pokemon a lot more, so I'm really happy with the direction they've taken for this game.

It's way cuter, which is fitting considering this is supposed to be more of an entry-level game for young kids. :P

 

[Imperator161]

I'm fine with it, though I'm still undecided as to how I'll feel if they use this same style for the 2019 games. It's bright and colorful, though it's not the graphical upgrade I was hoping to see a la BOTW or Odyssey.

The main thing that bothers me about all of the newer games is just how young your character looks. Sure, you've always been a kid, but it wasn't so apparent in your proportions relative to other characters before the transition from sprites to 3D. And I guess when that is coupled to the "dumbing down" of the franchise, in some ways, it bugs me.

 

[Hiroshi Sotomura]

Am I crazy or am I the only one here who can't see any resemblance to the old chibi style? I need to make a comparison.

You aren't crazy — I was referring more to the overworld design. The facial style they do the models is similar across all three styles, but yeah, it takes more pages from SM's models. It is, however, less realistic compared to SM, so I'm not the biggest fan of it as a result.

 

[Hyzenthlay]

Ehhh, not a fan of chibi trainers, but they look worlds better than X/Y at least! A little plain appearance-wise, perhaps.

The graphics are just darling, so soft and colourful! It's my favourite aspect of the games so far. The textures remind me of Super Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.