The box art for the Pokemon series has changed over the years. Generation 1 began by showcasing the final evolutions of the starters in those games, with later entries featuring the main legendaries of that generation. As the Pokemon series changed, so too did the box art for the games.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have the simplest box art in the series so far. Now one fan has harkened back to the classic art style that the games had by editing the new legendaries onto Game Boy Color boxes similar to Pokemon Gold and Silver.
A Redditor going by the name CoffeeRacoon took the latest legendaries, the Pokemon Koraidon and Miraidon, and placed them on Game Boy Color covers. Both versions feature their respective Pokemon and have them displayed over a background matching the color of their version, with Koraidon having a red background and Miraidon having a purple one. The backgrounds were also scaled, which could be a reference to dragon scales. The artwork for the two pocket monsters was also washed out, matching the covers of the older games. CoffeeRacoon's work is a nice look back at what players used to see when they picked up a copy of a Pokemon game.
The cover artwork that CoffeeRacoon made has received a positive reaction. One commenter mentions how they love the fact that the colors were adjusted to be similar to the cover work of Pokemon Gold and Silver, with another stating that CoffeeRacoon should try making Generation 2 style sprites of Koraidon and Miraidon. One user called the works amazing, saying that they love these types of "de-make" box art designs. The art helps show that there is still love for the classic style that many gamers grew up with.
CoffeeRacoon is not the only artist that has worked the new legendaries into the art style of the older game covers. A Redditor known as VAC7 drew Koraidon in the style of the Pokemon Red and Green covers. The piece features the two-color background that covers of Generation 1 used and placed the new legendary in the center of the box surrounded by text with the game's logo placed over it. VAC7 did make some slight changes to Koraidon's design to fit the classic Pokemon art style, such as shrinking the "tire" that sits in its chest. The artist also washed out the colors of the Pokemon's art, matching the cover art from the first two Generations. It is an amazing throwback to the classic look that the series had in its early days.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet will release on November 18 for the Nintendo Switch.