What are the details on Kurusu and Honoguma?

[Somari]

I've always been a bit confused about them. We know they have official artwork but there's little else on them.

From what I've heard it seems like they were put into an early version of the game, sprites and all. It seems a bit unusual for Game Freak to get this far along with the starters only to completely change them later on. But what startles me the most is the fact that if this is true, we have no video footage or screenshots of them. Nothing at all other than their artwork.

Is there a proto-GS lying around somewhere with them in it?

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

If there was a proto-GS rom, then we would have proto-sprites of them. But none exist. Kurusu and Honoguma were solely shown in magazines.

Like in all game development, it's obvious that hundreds of concepts are considered for each generation, with some being drastically changed or dropped altogether. Kurusu and Honoguma, plus the other prototype Pokemon, are no different from that. And I'm actually pretty glad that Game Freak no longer shows prototype Pokemon in pre-release shows or magazines, as it causes too much hype. Sure it would be good if they did show their early concepts, but should really only safe them until after a generation has been completely finalized and released.

And honestly, I hardly say that both Pokemon were that "far along". Their designs, from what we have seen in scans, were very draft-like at best.

In regards to Kurusu and Honoguma, we will never know anything else about them. That's a given. It would be nice if Game Freak gave more feature to their early concepts, but that won't really happen, so it is just better to move on. I personally think they were just ordinary Pokemon that may not have been starters, though Honoguma seems likely.

 

[Garren]

I do wish we could see proto-type pictures of Pokemon post-release, though, like the original "Oni" designs of Throh and Sawk.

But I guess, in actuality, there are probably a lot of drafts for every Pokemon. And some ideas are probably dropped from one Pokemon and used for another later on, like the Beta-Blaziken with Latios' body, or how that one pre-release Pokemon, the ninja leaf-bug, probably became Nincada, a ninja cicada like it was, AND Sewaddle.

 

[Xenidal]

If there was a proto-GS rom, then we would have proto-sprites of them. But none exist. Kurusu and Honoguma were solely shown in magazines.

I wouldn't be so sure none exists... the programmers themselves had to start somewhere. And they probably made backup copies along the way... no doubt an early version is out there. But even so, no one would ever have access to it. And there's no telling if the sprites were ever made... they could have used placeholders, or even changed the entire idea before the game programming was even started.

However, according to Bulbapedia, Kurusu's Pokédex number is known, as it was viewed in the prototype ROM. I don't at all believe that though... if someone on Bulbapedia had access to the ROM then no doubt the ROM would be spread all throughout the internet... but it is not. And I've seen incorrect information on Bulbapedia before... such is the nature of a wiki

 

[Blockhead Pippi]

I meant a proto-GS rom available to the public. There's no doubt that Game Freak still has some of their older prototypes.

As for Kurusu's Pokedex number... I'll try to remember to point that out in the talk page later.

 

[Somari]

If there was a demo with sprites, which I doubt, then we can assume they were pretty far along unless it was a concept demo.