Crystal Redux is a project started by Mori and xelados, members of the #pixelation channel on the Freenode IRC network. It started out as a simple desire to remake what the two considered Game Freak's best iteration of the Pokémon series: the Crystal version. Soon after casual brainstorming started, they began to realize the project's potential as an actual video game. This page will serve as an outline for the project.
Game Engine
The game will be displayed in a screen/window that is 256 pixels by 192 pixels. It will be 2-D, and follow the same general art style of the original Pokémon Crystal. Tiles will be 16 * 16 pixels, and the movement engine will be tile-based with diagonal movement included.
Battle System
Crystal Redux's battle system will be nothing more than a modified version of Pokémon Crystal's battle system. The statistics of some Pokémon will be changed, the type-matchups will be shifted, and some Pokémon types will be changed. All in all, the changes will be geared to make Pokémon more closely balanced in stats and movepool depth, and alleviate extremely poor type match-ups, such as Parasect's Bug/Grass type combination.
Stat Changes
- Hitmonchan's Sp. Attack should be raised in order to make proper use of the three elemental punches he's able to learn.
Type Match-up Changes
- Water-types will now have a defensive weakness to Poison-type moves. This will mean Water-types finally have a physical-type weakness.
- Grass-types will no longer have a defensive weakness to Flying-types. Flying-types will still resist Grass-type moves, however.
- Ghost-type techniques will now draw from Special Attack. It will lose its weakness to itself as well, gaining Bug-type as a weakness instead.
- Dragon-type techniques will now draw from Attack. Fire-types will gain a defensive resistance to Dragon-type moves, as well.
Pokémon Type Changes
Parasect will now be pure Bug-type, shedding the Grass-type. While the Pokédex mentions that the mushroom ends up controlling the insect, the majority of Parasect's body is Bug. Adding the Grass-type only adds weaknesses.
All Pokémon that are Normal/Flying-type, such as the Pidgey family, will now be pure Flying-type. The only exception to this change is the Hoothoot family, which should have a latent ability to combat Ghost-types thanks to their heightened level of awareness depicted in the Pokédex.