An artist has put a Pokémon Red and Blue spin on Squid Game's ddakji challenge by replacing the paper tiles with the original Game Boy cartridges. The hilariously clever post has been a success on Reddit alongside other recent Pokémon and Squid Game memes and artwork that have taken the internet by storm since the show's release.
Squid Game has been inescapable since it launched on Netflix this September, reaching every corner of the internet with memes, debates, and artwork. The show is now Netflix's biggest series launch ever, with 111 million viewers in its first 28 days. The nine-episode series centers around a series of games in which contestants compete against each other for a huge cash prize. The Korean drama ups the stakes when it's revealed that being eliminated from any of the games will cost players their lives. The show has spawned countless memes and fanart, with some fans even going so far as to remake Squid Game in titles like Animal Crossing.
Before entering Squid Game's competition, potential contestants are challenged to a game of ddakji, a paper flip challenge in which the first person to flip their opponent's paper tile by throwing their own wins. Redditor ImBigDave has reimagined the show's iconic sequence with fan art in which the tiles are replaced with Pokémon games, asking the question: "So which color do you wanna play as?" This isn't a simple edit though, with actor Gong Yoo masterfully drawn by the artist in black and white. The artwork has reached close to 30,000 upvotes at the time of writing, with an outpour of love from both Squid Game and Pokémon fans.
Squid Game (1998) from pokemon
See the post on Reddit here.
The choice of Pokémon Red or Blue was a big decision for those choosing their first Pokémon adventure when the games released in the west in 1998. The titles were the first games in the Pokémon series and featured Generation One starters Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. As with more modern releases such as Pokémon Sword and Shield, the biggest difference between Red and Blue were the Pokémon available in the game. Unlike the games of today, fans would have to use a physical link cable to swap Pokémon with friends who'd bought the alternate copy of the game in order to complete their Pokédex.
As more and more video game fans create crossover content with Squid Game, many have begun to wonder whether or not a Squid Game video game could happen. Netflix is moving into gaming, having recently acquired its first game studio, but what the streaming service's plans are isn't yet known. Unlike Pokémon, Squid Game is essentially a last-man-standing battle royale, which could adapt well to a video game. Fans of the show will have to wait and see what Netflix is planning for the future.
Source: Reddit/ImBigDave