Pokémon has been a major part of my life for the past 20 years, and as I find my way as an adult in this confusing and scary modern world, I find myself turning towards the franchise more and more. I watch the anime, I play the TCG at my local league, and I've amassed hundreds of hours in the most recent Switch games.
Yes, unlike some Pokéfans, I have a mostly positive opinion of the gen nine games and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The former is likely due to the multiple sleepless nights I spent roaming around Paldea while recovering from surgery in 2024, but I still reckon it's one of the best stories Game Freak has ever written for the series. But, as a certified gen three lover, I still yearn for the simpler days of chiptune soundtracks and pixel graphics, and I know others do too. Luckily, I think there's a solution to please all Pokémon fans.
This year, I had the absolute pleasure of writing both a Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D Remake review and an Octopath Traveler 0 review, and I've consequently fallen in love with the HD-2D style. Square Enix first coined the term to refer to Octopath Traveler and has since used it for games like Triangle Strategy, the Live A Live remake, and three Dragon Quest remakes. The style uses 2D character sprites in a 3D game world, with the addition of modern elements like complex lighting and shadows, particle effects, and depth of field.
Despite their retro origins, these games look and feel entirely modern, and utilize the latest game engines to create something truly unique. I think that using this style would be the perfect way to keep the Pokémon series moving forward technologically while capturing the nostalgia that keeps so much of its maturing audience coming back for more. While Square Enix swiftly trademarked the term HD-2D in 2018, it doesn't own the art style itself, so Game Freak is free to experiment without any legal ramifications.
I'm clearly not the only person who wants this, as you can find at least two fantastic fan renders of Pokémon Red in HD-2D style on YouTube. Several outlets covered Dott's showcases of Pallet Town and Vermillion City back in 2023, which are so faithful to Octopath Traveler's lighting, color palette, and building style that they look like they could be upcoming DLC locations. More recently, Nionx taught themself Unreal Engine 5 to have a go at recreating Kanto. This version is more colorful and vibrant, which I think suits Pokémon a lot better, though they admit that the render mixes in "Black and White style and other inspiration" alongside Square Enix's proprietary aesthetic.
Speaking of Black and White, the gen five games are the closest that Pokémon has come to experimenting with this art style, using 2D character sprites in 3D environments and a slightly shifted perspective. We've been begging for a Pokémon Black and White remake for years at this point, and the games' original 2.5D perspective makes for the perfect proving grounds for an HD-2D port. Game Freak could punch up or even reuse existing Unova sprites and build out a detailed, textured world for us to explore. Remakes make the best Pokémon games from older generations more accessible, but we've seen from the community's reaction to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl that tampering too much with the source material is bad news.
Personally, I'd love a fully-fledged Emerald remake in this style, complete with Mega Evolution to fit in with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but I'm biased. I still need to get my hands on the gen 5 Pokémon games to experience them for myself, so a remake for the upcoming 30th anniversary would be awfully convenient. I don't see Game Freak diverting from its current trajectory of 3D mainline games, and gen ten leaks seem to confirm this, but HD-2D remakes of previous titles would fill them with life once again, and might even get us to shut up about wanting a Pokémon retro collection on the Switch.
What do you think? Come and chat to me about all things Pokémon in the Pocket Tactics Discord server, and check out our lists of the best new Switch games and new mobile games coming out in 2026 to refill your gaming backlog.