Many people have been enjoying Nintendo’s latest hit, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and many players have been experimenting through their island design, with their creative talent on full display. One such player is Japanese Pokémon fan and YouTuber, Hinocchi. Hinocchi’s island design recently went viral, attracting millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes across social media. Their island is heavily inspired by the second generation of Pokémon, featuring custom Johto tilesets, Pokémon art and clothing. Their video was even more spectacular, making use of Pokémon music, sound effects and even text boxes. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Hinocchi to discuss their amazing work.
*The following interview was originally conducted in Japanese and then translated to English. The original Japanese will be included in a spoiler tag down below.*
* 英語のインタビューの下、日本語で読めます。*
Sephazon: To begin, your design was a very original take on an island. When you look at it, you can feel a strong sense of nostalgia. What inspired you to develop this particular design instead of the more modern take of Pokémon games?
Hinocchi: The first inspiration was drawn from my feelings for Pokémon Gold and Silver as well as the Johto region. These were the first games I played in the series, so they represent a very important memory and place for me.
At first, I saw an item called a fountain and associated it with “National Park” from Johto, and, ultimately, I decided on a design that respects the Johto region, which I love every part of!
Sephazon: I see. For many, Pokémon Gold and Silver bring back memories of joy from childhood. Your design was inspired by these games, but you also displayed many unique ideas. How did you develop those ideas while maintaining that original sense of joy?
Hinocchi: I played Gold and Silver and made the most difficult parts one by one. Even if they weren’t perfect reproductions, it was still possible to create something similar.
For example, it was cool that Sudowoodo blocked the route, and I wanted to reproduce these events as much as possible, and so the idea of putting my design on the easel was born. Based on that, various signs and bonsai trees were added in the same way.
My clothes are based on Cyndaquil because he was my first partner in Pokémon. It’s been 20 years since then, and we’ve been friends ever since.
Sephazon: In fact, one of the most appealing parts of the video was your interaction with the environment. This was as impressive as your video editing. How long did it take to complete the design?
Hinocchi: Let’s see. It took two days to design the 47 images, but it took a week and a few days when combining both the construction and pasting image designs on the island.
Sephazon: Of course, what added to the appeal of the video were the emotions, sound effects, and music that you added. This really stood out as a special bonus. What was your video planning process?
Hinocchi: The plan was focused on how to best express the Johto region. I added music to make it easy to convey what map you were seeing. Furthermore, I wanted to make use of something that respects the nostalgic game text to give an impact to reproducing events such as Snorlax and Sudowoodo. I also used the original Pokémon cries.
Sephazon: Your unique combination of design skills and video editing made it a truly enjoyable experience for both Pokémon and Animal Crossing fans. It was truly spectacular how you combined these two worlds. It manages to perfectly express the fun that these games bring. My last question is this – how do you want your work to inspire fellow gamers?
Hinocchi: Animal Crossing is a game with infinite possibilities. Through this game, I was able to express the world of my favorite game. Please be sure to express your liking too. I want to see a lot of creativity through Animal Crossing! Deliver your passion and surprises to the world!
We want to thank Hinocchi once more for his time and for his amazing work. We certainly look forward to seeing more of his talent in future projects. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel as well as his Twitter to stay up to date with everything he makes.
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