Pokémon Go’s April Fools’ Day update adds 8-bit graphics
Adam Newell 
Niantic is celebrating April Fools’ Day a little early this year by revealing a brand new update for Pokémon Go.
The update brings the classic sprites from the Pokémon series into the mobile game, replacing the current 3D designs that have been used in the more recent entries of the franchise.
“We feel 100 percent confident in saying that you’ve never seen Pokémon like this in Pokémon Go,” Niantic said. “Your Pokédex will feel lifelike in ways previously unimagined on any handheld device ever created.”
The ability to walk around the world and catch, battle, and see Pokémon in their traditional sprite style is a cool feature to have in Pokémon Go, even if it’s only for a limited time.
A lot of older fans of the Pokémon series were brought up with this old art style. Eight-bit sprites were used in the original Pokémon Red and Blue games on the GameBoy, and were featured until the fifth generation of Pokémon titles, Pokémon Black and White, on the Nintendo DS.
Related: New Pokémon Go missions reward players with Legendary Pokémon encounters
Pokémon X and Y, the sixth generation titles, were the first Pokémon titles to change up the formula, replacing sprites with 2D models and environments for players to explore.
Aside from this April Fools’ update, Pokémon Go’s new mission feature is now live, giving trainers a chance to capture legendary Pokémon like Mew. Trainers can also get an abundance of rare items for completing daily missions in order to help them level up and complete their Pokédex with ease.
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