Pokemon have never been seen in the land of Hyrule, but that didn’t stop artist parxy_art on Instagram from imagining what some regional variants might look like in Nintendo‘s The Legend of Zelda franchise! The artist took the three starters from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire and combined them with some of the most iconic beasts from the Zelda series. The result is a Treecko line based on Lizalfos, a Torchic line based on Cuccos, and a Mudkip line based on the River Zora! The result is an amazing amalgam, and one that might make fans of both franchises wish for an official collaboration!
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One of the Pokemon designs can be found in the Instagram post embedded below, while the rest can be found right here.
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What’s really impressive here is how parxy_art didn’t just create takes on the basic Pokemon, or on their final evolutions, but instead produced all three forms for each amalgam. As a result, the concept seems so much more fleshed out. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but the Mudkip line based on the River Zora really seems to be the winner out of all three. This take is clearly based on the River Zora that appear in earlier Zelda games, which could breathe fire at Link. That fact is reflected in parxy_art’s designs, which imagines the Mudkip line as Water/Fire-type Pokemon.
It’s always interesting to see some of the unique concepts that fans come up with for these types of designs. The idea of combining Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire with the Zelda series is a unique one, but it works in a way that some of the more iconic Pokemon wouldn’t. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into each of these designs!
For now, fans that want to see the worlds of Pokemon and Zelda interact in an official capacity will just have to settle for the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Since the first game released in 1999, Link and Pikachu have had the chance to interact there, and other characters from the Zelda and Pokemon franchises have been added, over the years. Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip have not appeared as playable characters, however, so fans of Ruby and Sapphire will have to settle for these unofficial designs, instead!
What do you think of parxy_art’s Pokemon/Zelda mash-up? Which of these designs is your personal favorite? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
