Every time a new generation of Pokémon is announced, clever online scammers try to fool us all by designing “fakemon” – fake Pokémon that look real enough to make the public believe they are leaks. real rust.
Of course, some are more reliable better than others, but there are certainly at least some games that fool everyone with each new set of games. But aside from obvious sayings like the Japanese text doesn’t actually spell anything, what makes one set of fake Pokémon designs more believable than others? Good, a “Fakemon” artist recently put on Reddit to break down exactly what makes a Pokémon look like a Pokémon.
The post is long and worth reading in its entirety, but to summarize, u/Xelshade breaks down the Pokémon design into four components: Number of Colors, Level of Details, Anatomy and Proportion, and Possibly Related Features. While there are exceptions to each of these rules (Ditto pops up a lot), Pokémon basically have about 2-4 colors in their design, a moderate level of detail (not too complicated but also not too complicated). too simplistic), stylized but not exaggerated anatomy (somewhere between Digimon and Yokai Watch), and two or more of the following elements: eyes, mouth, and extremities.
Okay, yes, some of that sounds a bit silly. But when they break it down, it makes a lot of sense. Most Pokémon have one or two dominant colors, then one or two more can be added to support details like eyes or patterns. Very few Pokémon have super intricate patterns or rows of tiny and detailed spikes, but overall (excluding Ditto again) is more complex than an amorphous blob. They use relatively simple shapes (e.g. Xelshade compares Charmander to Agumon) and largely respect the size ratio for the body, head and face. All are relatively balanced. And yes, most Pokémon have faces, and exceptions like Staryu tend to be portrayed as having two legs so people can better personify it.
Much of this design situation exists due to the limitations of the original game — with a limited color palette and only 56×56 pixels to work with, you can’t get too hung up on the details. The capabilities have evolved since then and allow for more color and detail, but the designs have remained largely consistent.
After reading this far, you’ve probably thought of a bunch of exceptions, but Xelshade goes a step further to explain why those work. For instance, Ultra Beasts messes with faces and proportions to make the creatures feel alien and scary, while Mega Pokémon uses additional levels of detail to create a more complex and dramatic feel.
Overall, Xelshade explains, the key to designing fake Pokémon is balance. These four factors help explain a quote from designer Ken Sugimori on creating creatures that are both warriors and friends:
In terms of how we decide which ones to cut…hmmm. Well, in the game, Pokémon plays two roles. They fight for you, but they are also your companions. So a Pokémon needs to look ferocious enough to fight, while also looking lovable enough that you want it to be your friend. It cannot be too aggressive. It’s very difficult to strike that balance, so that’s probably the biggest criteria we’re looking for.
So next time you see a potential ‘fake devil’ in the wild posing for a leak, consider running it through this acid test to see if it’s viable. maybe become a Pokémon. Or, you know, just waiting for the official reveal like everyone else.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
