Pokemon Red and Blue look enticing as a Baldur's Gate-like RPG

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Wonder what a Pokemon CRPG would look like no more

Pokemon Red
(Image credit: The Pokémon Company)

A user-experience designer has mocked up what Pokemon Red and Blue would've looked like as classic RPGs.

Just below, you can see a post on the Pokemon subreddit, published last week by user cometscomets. In the post, the user has effectively retooled Pokemon Red and Blue to be more like old-school RPGs, moving the camera from a top-down perspective to a 2.5D look, with people and Pokemon alike running amok around Viridian City.

In the comments just underneath the actual post, the UX designer delves into their thinking behind the design. The inspiration behind this recreation is actually Baldur's Gate, hence why we're looking at a creation where the player's comrades are represented down the right side of the screen, and the sleeping Pikachu option on the side menu is how you would pause the game.

It's not just a great look at a retooled classic, but also a neat look into how UX design informs the game and the player at large. For example, the UX designer notes how the pause button in Baldur's Gate wasn't just a play icon, but an animated sun and moon, suggesting that the player is the architect of time in the in-game world since they pause and resume the world at will.

Anyway, the thought of Pokemon playing like a tabletop RPG is certainly an intriguing thought. We could've had Rattatas rolling for a Dexterity-saving throw, as one commenter points out, or the player character rolling for a PokeBall throw. 

Check out our guide to the best Pokemon games ever made to see if Red and Blue made the cut. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.