When I was a kid, I absolutely loved Pokémon games. Pokémon Red and Blue were obviously two of the most influential titles of my childhood, followed closely by Pokémon Gold and Silver. When we moved into the GBA and DS era, I was still incredibly on board and loved how they still felt like 'classic' Pokémon games.
I guess what I'm saying is that I love that 2.5D, top-down, handheld-style Pokémon game from my youth and prefer it to the likes of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. And it seems that I'm not the only one, as a new RPG called Elestrals Awakened which looks very much like the old-school Pokémon games we know and love crossed with Link's Awakening and Echoes of Wisdom has raised over $1.1 million on Kickstarter with over 9,000 backers. To say that the goal was only $250,000, I'd call that a huge success!
'In a world shaped by gods and titans, the elemental forces that once held balance have begun to unravel. Long ago, divine power was shattered across the stars, giving birth to the creatures now known as Elestrals. As darkness stirs and conflict brews among the realms, the Gods call upon new Champions to rise. Will you protect the world… or reshape its destiny?'
Elestrals Awakened is the most funded game of 2025, which is an accolade I think every budding developer would love to have. I'm not sure how the bosses at Nintendo and Game Freak will view the player making bonds with monsters based in Ancient Greek Mythology, but if the Palworld lawsuit is anything to go by, it looks like the creators of Elestrals Awakened might not have anything to worry about!
This is the third Elestrals Kickstarter campaign we've had, the first being a physical TCG in 2022 and a digital version called Elestrals Clash! in 2024. You can pledge from $25 to get a code for Nintendo Switch, though the number of people who have pledged $1,000 or more to get their name or likeness in the game is astounding - people really love this game!
To be honest, it's not hard to see why. The 2.5D pixel-art graphics, the choosing of sprites like you're picking a starter Pokémon in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon or the main Pokémon games, that classic retro vibe to the gameplay - it's everything that we want to see from Game Freak and Nintendo with regards to a new Pokémon game and why we want those early games on Nintendo Switch Online.
While Elestrals Awakened isn't a retro title, it channels everything I loved about Pokémon from my formative gaming years, and that makes me excited. I never really cared about Palworld because it didn't look retro - it's just a Pokémon clone with weapons, and I'll die on that hill. Elestrals Awakened, however, does what Ubisoft tried to do with Immortals Fenyx Rising as an answer to Zelda but in a way that isn't a direct copy. It's clever, it's exciting, and it's on my 'one to watch' list when it releases next year!
There are currently 39 hours left to back the project at the time of writing, so head to the Kickstarter campaign page to pledge your support!
