Ten years of dedication have created one of the most extensive fan-made Pokémon mods out there, all contained within the world of Minecraft.
Fans have wanted to see the world of Pokémon open up beyond its typical constraints for a long time, even before Pokémon Scarlet and Violet was first announced. However, as evident by Scarlet and Violet’s technical problems, building an open-world game from scratch is by no means an easy feat. While talented fans could have explored the idea through their own original fan games, the time investment required was likely far beyond their scope in most cases. When making a game from scratch isn’t an option, the world of modding is almost always an option.
Enter the fan-made Pixelmon, a Minecraft mod that’s been in active development for ten years. Pixelmon is an extensive fan game that seamlessly integrates a lot of Pokémon’s core mechanics into the sandbox gameplay of Minecraft. As of this writing, Pixelmon features 905 Pokémon from across the series, with each having original 3D models created specifically for the mod. Pixelmon goes far beyond just catching Pokémon, however, as it’s a wholly unique open-world Pokémon experience.
Pixelmon Is a Labor of Love Made for Fans, by Fans
One of the most impressive aspects of Pixelmon is just how much content it contains. Even with ten years of development behind the project, it’s amazing how many iconic aspects of Pokémon the mod creators were able to faithfully recreate. The actual Pokémon themselves are handled pretty well, even if their 3D models can sometimes look out of place in Minecraft. Players who enjoy being able to interact with their Pokémon out of battle are in luck as well, as players can send out anyone in their team at any point.
Later-generation battle gimmicks such as Dynamaxing, Z-Moves, Raid battles, and Mega Evolution are not only present but expanded on. For example, Wild Mega Evolved Pokémon can appear as special boss encounters that drop rare items and crucial crafting resources. Of course, players won’t have access to most of these mechanics at first, as they’ll need to unlock them through special NPC quests.
Rather than simply going through the motions of a standard Pokémon Gym challenge, Pixelmon leans on Minecraft‘s core principles. To get the most out of Pixelmon, players will need to explore the world and find the adventure waiting for them. Legendary Pokémon shrines, for example, are scattered throughout the game world. How to use them to encounter some iconic Legendaries, however, is left completely up to the player to figure out.
Pixelmon Aims to Blend Pokémon Into the Core Minecraft Experience
Pixelmon has wonderfully adapted the existing Pokémon mechanics into Minecraft, but where the mod shines is what it adds and changes to make Pokémon feel like they belong within the game of Minecraft itself. For one, players will rarely need to ever visit a PokéMart thanks to the new crafting recipes. Not only is money particularly hard to come by early on, but it ends up being far easier to just craft things like Pokéballs and healing items.
The actual Pokémon are also integrated quite well into Minecraft‘s world. Every biome has its own set of Pokémon that can spawn there, with some Pokémon also requiring a certain time of day or weather effect. The Nether and The End are also given unique spawn lists, as are caves and oceans. This makes seeking out a specific Pokémon feel much more like an adventure, even if it isn’t a particularly rare one.
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Finding the right Pokémon can even give players new ways to explore the game world. Pixelmon has gone the way of modern Pokémon by getting rid of HMs. Instead, flying simply requires a large enough Flying-type Pokémon that the player can ride. Similarly, certain Water-type Pokémon give players the ability to surf and dive without having to worry about their oxygen. In this way, the Pokémon that a player catches can massively change how players interact with some of Minecraft’s core mechanics.
Source: cbr