After the success of games like Stardew Valley, Minecraft, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it seemed inevitable that Pokemon would dip its toes into the sandbox farming sim genre. When Pokemon Pokopia was first announced back in the September 2025 Nintendo Direct, I was skeptical of how it would blend Pokemon‘s iconic critters with elements from Minecraft and Animal Crossing. However, the thought of a game that combines the best elements of Pokémon and Stardew Valley had me cautiously optimistic about its release, as the two are among my biggest gaming addictions.

The Pokemon franchise appears lined up for an exciting future, and as a huge fan of the series, I couldn’t be happier. Coming shortly before the release of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the massive TeraLeak 2.0 hit the community and detailed plans for Gen 10 and beyond, including some surprises such as plans for a Pokemon MMO. A new piece of Pokopia prototype content has recently emerged from the TeraLeak, and it has me mourning the Stardew Valley-like that could have been.

Pokemon Pokopia’s Prototype Build Looks Like the Stardew Valley Game I Wish We Were Getting

The prototype of Pokopia that was leaked contains many of the same elements as the trailer for the final version. We see a voxel-based farm with Pokemon tending to the garden, only from an isometric camera perspective rather than the close-up camera from the official trailer. What sparked my longing for a Stardew Valley-like Pokemon was seeing the classic sprites for the critters rather than the 3D models that have become the standard for the modern franchise.

I’ve Been Hoping for Pokemon to Return to the Classic Pixel Art Style Since Gen 5

I don’t think I’m alone in wishing to see a new Pokemon game return to its classic pixel art style of the first 5 generations. With the revival of the retro aesthetic in the indie gaming scene, it would be nice to see the franchise embrace its roots in a spin-off game like Pokopia. Although the pixel sprites in the prototype footage are likely just a placeholder for the proof of concept, adapting that design for the final product could have given the game a burst of nostalgia to help sell casual fans on the premise.

Stardew Valley’s Charming Retro Aesthetics Would Have Been a Match Made in Heaven for Pokemon Pokopia

As an avid Stardew Valley player, the game has wormed its way into my brain over the years with its satisfying blend of:

• Relaxing farming mechanics
• Emergent gameplay that keeps me wanting to play one more day
• Unique personalities that inhabit Stardew Valley‘s Pelican Town
• Retro pixel art style that reminds me of classic Harvest Moon

Pokopia looks to have a lot of the features that keep me coming back to Stardew Valley, with the one exception being its art style. I don’t dislike the modern 3D models of the Pokemon series, but I’d like to see a shake-up when it comes to spin-off games. The protagonist Ditto disguised as a human, in particular, is unsettling and could benefit from a lower-resolution, pixel style to alleviate some of its uncanny features.

With the rise of HD-2D games like Octopath Traveler and the recent Dragon Quest remakes, a Pokemon game that utilizes this style with its classic sprites in a 3D environment seems like a no-brainer. The leaked Pokopia prototype already showcases how sprites would look in a 3D environment; simply cleaning up the world design to make the sprites feel more cohesive would be all that’s necessary.

As optimistic as I am about the final version of Pokopia, I can’t help but feel like we missed out on the perfect opportunity to give a Pokemon spin-off game the same appeal as Stardew Valley. At this point, I’m starting to feel like we will never get to see that classic Pokemon pixel art style used in an official game again, but I hope I’m wrong.

Released

February 26, 2016

ESRB

E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Publisher(s)

ConcernedApe