We’ve had Hawaiian Pokémon, we’ve had British Pokémon, and after seeing this incredible fan art project by VivinkArt, I’m convinced it’s time for an Australian Pokémon next.
It all began a few months back as a simple joke:
(Yeahnah is incredibly common and mighty useful Australian slang that basically means yeah, I understand and/or empathize with what you’re telling me, but no, I don’t agree).
“It was definitely a joke I did from earlier this year that started it,” VivinkArt tells me. From there, though, it got a bit more serious. “It got me inspired to make an entire region and game based in Australia,” and as Pokémon Sword & Shield kept having more information and new Pokémon revealed, VivinkArt started fleshing out the world of Yeah/Nah alongside it.
“Steve Irwin as a Professor/Champion made tons of people happy, which really motivated me to keep going. Seeing so many people positively reacting and being touched by the idea of Irwin being a Pokémon Champ meant a lot.”
In the months since, VivinkArt has expanded Yeah/Nah to the point of it looking like a full-blown game pitch, conjuring up a ton of Pokémon, their evolutions, trainers and even a game world.
Let’s take a look at some of it. First up, the game world, which manages to include nods to both the outback and Melbourne’s terrible weather:
Next, the trainers, who have appropriately Australian names:
With a guest appearance as a professor by Steve Irwin:
As for the Pokemon themselves, they’re a mix. Some are based on actual Australian animals, others on mythical creatures and a couple (Gallopoli and Popia, based on the WW1 commemorative poppy flower) even further left-field, drawing inspiration from Australia’s military history.
For handier reference, here’s a Pokédex with everything done so far (VivinkArt is constantly adding to it).
If you want to see more, or keep up with the project, you canfollow VivinkArt on Twitter.