I LOVE beta pichu /vnOh85T9b4- CAT BASTARD Antenna Cleffa (Cleffa prototype) The internet has gone absolutely mad for this little legume-mouse, which is why I can't stop thinking of him as one of those cartoon "Mameshiba" beans that roll out of kids' dinners and belt out inappropriate trivia. Pichu is in the beta, but its design is barely more than a bean with pointy ears and tiny limbs. Cruz is of note because even though Totodile eventually took its place as Gold and Silver's Water-starter, Cruz's final form ("Aquarius") looks like a cross between Generation V's Samurott and Generation VII's Primarina. The other starters include a Fire-type bear ("Volbear") and a seal / sea monster Water-type ("Cruz"). Aquaria (Pokémon Gold and Silver's lost Water starter)Ĭhikorita is the only starter in the beta who's familiar on any level, though. Hanamogura eventually became Bayleef, whose design shares a lot in common with Chikorita's final evolution, Meganium. "Hanamogura" (whose name means "plant mole") is very flower-like. Starter Pokémon are kind of notorious for having boring second forms, so it's cool to see Game Freak intended to go in a completely different direction with Chikorita's second evolution. May Arceus let their memory shine as bright as the tail-flame of a healthy Charmander. There's already a spreadsheet containing all the information available so far, and it's updated regularly.Īrmed with these new pages of Pokémon zoology, I decided to pick out my ten favorites who underwent big changes before launch-or were taken out behind the barn before they had a chance to frolic in an actual game. Pokémon fans on Reddit and Twitter are picking apart the data and translating it. It's also interesting to see who made the cut in the final game, who was wildly altered, and who was discarded entirely. It's cool to get a glimpse of these iconic characters in their awkward teenage years. They're real, they're strong, and they're our friends. We grew up alongside our favorite monsters. Pokémon's remained relevant for decades because of how attached we are to the series' titular monsters. A ROM of the Pokémon Gold and Silver beta shown at Space World 1997 leaked onto the Internet, and it's a veritable treasure room of unused sprites, maps, and Pokémon. News got out earlier this week about Game Freak's plans for Pokémon on the Nintendo Switch, but the hottest bit of Pokémon news might be from 20 years ago.