A creative Pokémon fan has created a digital chess game that incorporates Pokémon battle mechanics from the early games. Infusing Pokémon gameplay into different games has been popular both in the modding community and with indie developers. Turn-based battles allow players to utilize interesting strategies, and this mechanic adds an intriguing flair to a game of digital chess.
When creating Pokémon-themed mods or personal projects, many fans often draw from the classic visuals and 2D, pixelated art style instead of using concepts from newer games in the series. This is because the earlier games like Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow are iconic to most fans of the series, and the older mechanics were simple compared to the 3D models and complex battle elements present in titles like Pokémon Sword and Shield, making them easier to recreate. The older games have also been ported to newer consoles as well as being made available unofficially via Game Boy emulators for PC, making the code accessible to copy and use in other projects.
A Pokémon fan by the name of veskei on Reddit has created a unique digital chess game as a personal project. While the simple, top-down chessboard resembles what many would expect to see in a game of this type, things take a surprising turn when one piece moves to capture another. The board flashes similar to a wild Pokémon encounter, before taking the player to a minigame where the pieces must battle it out to stay on the board. The battle looks exactly like a classic encounter, but instead of Pokémon being thrown out to do battle, the pieces must square off. Players have a menu on the side with options to fight, run, access a bag, or view other Pokémon, but only the "fight" option is seen to be useable in the video. The pieces Strike or Block, lowering an HP bar in either corner of the screen.
I made Chess, but if a piece lands on an opposing piece, a side game of Pokemon is played to determine which piece gets to stay on that square (Playable link & source code in comments!) from gaming
See the original post on Reddit here.
The inclusion of Pokémon battle mechanics in a game like chess could inspire other casual developers to use similar mechanics in other projects. A Pokémon battle could be used as a minigame in games like Minesweeper, where a bomb explosion leads to a humorous stand-off between a player and an angry bomb sprite. It could also be added to a Tetris, with certain lined up colors leading to a side battle between block types. These could give a point bonus if the player wins, or perhaps end the game if they lose.
It could also be interesting to see a Gigantamax form of a chess pawn in this fun minigame. The creator could design a 2D Gigantamax sprite for a King, Queen, or Knight piece, giving them an exaggerated appearance and a fun new move like smite or conquer. The inclusion of these Pokémon mechanics makes a simple development project not only fun but humourous to share with friends and other gamers online.
Source: veskei/Reddit