Pocket for the Pokémon Trading card game Players have been raving about the cards’ graphics for months, but many are only now realizing that some of the monsters hide details connecting them to the Game Boy games.
An investigation into the clues of some Pokémon cards began over the weekend when a Reddit user asch_win he pointed out that Spearow has several famed landmarks. The Normal/Flying type is surrounded by grass, a fence, a few trees and, most importantly, two buildings. However, these aren’t just any buildings, as asch_win explains that the building in the purple and yellow background actually appears to be the Celadon City Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen department store. Just to the left of Celadon City is Route 16 in the Kanto region, which happens to include a fenced-in patch of grass where players have a chance to catch a Spearow.
It cannot be denied that the developers of Creatures Inc. and DeNA intentionally created this card to nod to the iconic games that helped launch Pokémon into the phenomenon it is today, but the fun details of Pokémon TCG Pocket don’t stop there. Reddit user jteede spotted even more connections to early titles, including a full-art Diglett card set east of Vermillion City, a Haunted card located next to the infamous Lavender Town tower, and more. Asch_win too he held the magnifying glass up to several Support cardsrevealing that they also reference specific locations from Pokémon history.
Most of the card illustrations depict monsters living in dream-like areas, seemingly unrelated to Pokémon lore. Some, including one Pikachu variant, are even recognizable as cards that can be collected in the real world. Others, however, only exist in Pokémon TCG Pocket, where many players find these well-hidden Easter eggs.
The Pokémon TCG Pocket community spent the weekend tearing apart other cards for additional references. Highlights include what appears to be the SS Anne cruise ship hidden within a full Gyarados art card, as well as the Oddish, Venonat, and Bellsprout cards that come together to tell a story set by the seaside Snorlax from FireRed and LeafGreen.
Just one additional expansion set, titled Mythical islandhas been released for Pokémon TCG Pocket since it hit mobile gaming fans in October, offering a total of four packs to choose from. Of course, more are expected to appear in the future, with additional cards making their way into the collection from time to time via Wonder Pick events and other updates. As Creatures and DeNA continue to deliver more cards across multiple generations of the series, players should keep an eye out for any other references.
In the meantime, you can read on current Wonder Pick eventwhich puts Charmander and Squirtle in the spotlight. Be sure to check it out too why developers act coy when it comes to whether package choice matters or not.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor to IGN. He began writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work on outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP and Gameranx.
Be sure to follow him on Twitter @MikeCripe.
