There have been plenty of fanmade mock-ups of what an HD-2D Pokémon game might look like, but a new mod for Pokémon Red and Blue has finally made this idea a reality, and it’s a perfect way to go back and play the original games for the series’ 30th anniversary.
The mod is part of the Pokémon Gen 1 Recompilation Project, which is a recreation of the original Game Boy games that introduces several modifications, such as being able to swap out character sprites from other games, change up filters and graphics settings, and now, a Voxel mod that allows you to tweak the look of the game to turn the environment upright like a 3D diorama.
Creator bryanthaboi admits the project is still not perfect. There are some odd visual glitches and sprites that are missing some colors. As such, he’s asking folks to join the community on Discord if they want to help playtest it further. But still, Pokémon Red and Blue look pretty damn good with this new perspective and shading. The battles look different as well, because they now take place in the overworld as they do in games like Scarlet and Violet, rather than in a blank void as they did on the Game Boy.
Pokémon Red and Blue do feel a bit dated by modern standards, and if you’re looking for what is considered the “definitive” editions of the games, the FireRed and LeafGreen Switch ports are available now. But there is still an almost period piece–like charm to the original games that can’t be found in a lot of the modern Pokémon games. If you want to see them in a new light, look no further.