Video Shows The Evolution Of Fainting In Pokemon Games

Whether you’re in the mood for a bit of video game nostalgia or you picked up on the Pokemon games later into the series and don’t know as much about the older installations, there’s a new video out that’ll satisfy both sides by showing the evolution of fainting in the games.

As everyone who’s dabbled in training and battling most likely knows, a Pokemon faints when it’s HP hits 0, meaning it’s no longer able to be used in the battle. While the idea behind fainting has remained consistent throughout the series’ progression, the way it was portrayed has changed quite a bit over time as the games expanded and hopped to new platforms.

Uploaded to YouTube by user MasterOfHyrule, the video starts at the beginning with Pokemon Blue and Red, released in 1996 for the Game Boy. If you’re in the category of people who haven’t seen quite as much about the older games, this version will likely be a drastic change from what you’re used to. You can basically count the pixels here, and the dinging music that signifies your Pokemon being in peril seems much more potent.

You’ll notice some improvements in color and animation along the way along with some alternating between the notifications that your Trainer either “whited out” or “blacked out.” But the fainting scenes start to change a bit more once the video gets to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, both games that were released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. As we start to see some extra textures and environmental effects being put into the battle, the additions come at a price. In these games, the Trainer will drop some hard-earned Pokedollars after all usable Pokemon are defeated by a wild Pokemon. There’s no telling why you had your money out while you were fighting a wild Bidoof, but knowing you’ll lose some if you don’t win is an extra incentive to not lose to that goofy face.

A notification also began following the fainting scenes when you run out of Pokemon in Diamond and Pearl that said the Trainer gathered up their Pokemon and returned home to protect them. Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 and Pokemon X and Y had a small change in the screen that said you took them to a Pokemon Center instead, but by the time Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire came around in 2014, it was back to home again for the trainer.

Aside from the fainting changes, the video does an excellent job of showcasing the changes in battles as well. Starting out as black and white pixels, the games eventually build up to moving models and full-blown ecosystems to battle in. You’re still dropping money when you lose, though, so it looks like that won’t be changing anytime soon.