News - Prototype Red & Blue Data Sheds More Light On Pokémon’s Origins

Prototype Red & Blue Data Sheds More Light On Pokémon’s Origins

<div><div class="media_block"><a href="http://images.nintendolife.com/8a11eca495596/large.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/8a11eca495596/small.jpg" class="media_thumbnail"></a></div>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Pkmn Cropped.original" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/8a11eca495596/pkmn-cropped-original.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/8a11eca495596/pkmn-cropped-original.900x.jpg" alt="Pkmn Cropped.original" /></a></figure>
<p>Similar to the <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/05/never-before-seen_pokemon_designs_show_how_gold_and_silver_could_have_been_very_different">previously unearthed prototype designs</a> for <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/gbc/pokemon_gold_and_silver">Pokémon Gold &amp; Silver</a></strong>, further discoveries seem to have been made about original <strong><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/games/gameboy/pokemon_red_and_blue">Pokémon Red &amp; Blue</a></strong> monsters. A fresh batch of prototype assets has been published by <a href="https://helixchamber.com/2019/02/16/what-dreams-may-come/">Helix Chamber</a> which includes clearer, better-quality versions of previously uncovered goodies.</p>
<p>The whole story surrounding the anonymous origins of these prototypes should have keen <em>pokéstorians</em> on their guard, <a href="https://twitter.com/helixchamber/status/1097431442265653248">as it did Helix Chamber</a> when the fan group was first approached, but the authenticity of the sprites has been independently verified against other data – all these assets appear to be legitimate.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/12/early_pokemon_red_and_blue_concept_art_shows_how_different_some_classic_mon_originally_looked">We already knew</a> from previous documentation that an earlier name for the <em>g</em><em>otta catch ’em all</em> game was ‘Capsule Monsters’, but now we get a much clearer picture of a prototype title screen which shows an early pokéball as the ‘O’ in ‘Monsters’.</p>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Title V1" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/4be881e8ac8fb/title-v1.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/4be881e8ac8fb/title-v1.original.png" alt="Title V1" /></a></figure>
<p>Another picture shows an early version of what appears to be a Rhydon standing over the revised ‘Pocket Monsters’ logo:</p>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Title V2" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/516a8df6cb02e/title-v2.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/516a8df6cb02e/title-v2.original.png" alt="Title V2" /></a></figure>
<p>There’s plenty more to check out: an entire folder’s worth of assets for fans to download and examine in detail, including an early Blastoise named ‘Totartle’ and analysis of the fabled Missingno – the well-known glitch that’s easily found in-game – plus a whole sheet of early designs.</p>
<figure class="picture strip"><a title="Pokemon" href="http://images.nintendolife.com/9748b45c25afe/pokemon.original.jpg"><img src="http://images.nintendolife.com/9748b45c25afe/pokemon.900x.jpg" alt="Pokemon" /></a></figure>
<p>Head over to <a href="https://helixchamber.com/2019/02/16/what-dreams-may-come/">Helix Chamber</a> for the exhaustive lowdown.</p>
<p><em>Think Pokémon would have taken over the world under a different guise? Are any of these prototype ‘mon more interesting than Metapod? Drop us a line in the comments…</em></p>
</div>