Niantic Labs rolled out an update to Pokemon Go today that brings a very special retro feature to the highly successful mobile game. All you have to do is take a look at your Pokedex index screen or list of available monsters to see that their usual 3D models have been replaced with adorable “twice the quality of 4K” sprites.
Here’s the full pop-up text as it appeared in Pokemon Go today:
“Experience Pokemon GO Like NEVER BEFORE with Brand-New Graphics!
Trainers, we always want to bring you the most immersive graphics experience possible, and were excited to share our latest breakthrough with millions of Pokemon GO Trainers around the world. Experience Pokemon GO like never before with cutting-edge 8-BIT GRAPHICS! Registering approximately twice the amount of definition of 4K, the chunky squares of each pixel provide realistic detail and unbelievable definition. Your Pokedex will feel lifelike in ways previously unimagined on any handheld device ever created. Enjoy it now!”
Also the Pokedex screen changes as well with the new “4K Sprites”, sadly only the index with all of your entries, when you click on an individual monster the usual 3D model will load. Here is a look:
I’ve been playing a lot more Pokemon GO this past week than I have in the past few months – solely thanks to the addition of Daily Quests and the chance to get the elusive Mew. If they made these retro sprites a toggle like the AR/Grass mode, I’d use them all the time!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.