Pokémon is forever getting new games from new and familiar developers, ranging from spin-off titles like Pokopia to mindless mobile games. These, typically, aren’t developed exclusively by Pokémon’s primary developer, Game Freak, who usually only handles the mainline games and the recent Legends spin-off titles. Ostensibly, if it looks and plays like traditional Pokémon, it’s probably been developed by Game Freak.

As a result, Game Freak rarely gets to do much beyond Pokémon. While it has developed games in the past that aren’t related to the billion-dollar franchise, its primary focus is and always will be Pokémon. It makes sense, especially considering it makes up one-third of The Pokémon Company and therefore has a rather large stake in the success of the IP, but it is a shame considering that the studio evidently has ideas beyond it. Fortunately, that’s finally changing, as Game Freak has announced a brand-new game that finally utilizes pixel art.

Game Freak’s latest attempt at a non-Pokémon game didn’t go down quite as well as it likely expected, with even its most dedicated fans criticizing Beast of Reincarnation. One would expect then that its next non-Pokémon game would either not arrive for quite a while, or be a relatively safe bet, one Game Freak can reliably make and guarantee at least a modicum of success. Bizarrely, neither is true, as Game Freak’s next title looks utterly absurd and is releasing sooner rather than later.

Rainy Day, Sunny Girl is a mobile game about magical girls called Hare-onna who, when they put on unique outfits called Hare-gi, transform into a powerful, animal-inspired version of themselves based on their cute Pokémon-esque companions called Kumorin. These magical girls must fight Yamikumo, which are garbage that has been brought to life as a consequence of the negative energy surrounding them, not unlike Yo-Kai Watch. The cherry on top of this is that the real-world weather in the player’s region will affect battles as well as how quickly the player’s Hare-gi dries.

It certainly feels off-brand for Game Freak, but it is, undeniably, a fairly novel concept. There’s something rather interesting about combining the real-world weather with combat and general gameplay, as it forces players to rethink their strategies on the fly. What is particularly interesting about Rainy Day, Sunny Girl, however, is its use of pixel art. After having to rely on the best fan-made Pokémon games to deliver best-in-class pixel art, it is nice to see Game Freak’s first use of pixel art in almost a decade, with the Kumorin and Hare-onna getting sprite versions of themselves.

It isn’t clear just how these sprites will be used in-game, but it’s possible they’ll be tied to a potential gacha system players will need to use in order to unlock the magical girls and Kumorin. Regardless, it is great to see Game Freak finally utilize pixel art again, especially as the studio was so ahead of the curve with its gorgeous pixel art during the GBA era. Of course, if Rainy Day, Sunny Girl doesn’t quite appeal to you, Game Freak will be back on the Pokémon grind shortly, as Winds and Waves are scheduled to be released soon.

Video Game(s)

Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A

Created by

Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda

TV Show(s)

Pokémon

First Film

Pokemon: The First Movie