Pokémon Renaissance is a fan-made game built by Team Renaissance on the Pokémon SDK engine, set in a brand-new region called Aldiris. The most immediate hook in its opening chapter is the starter selection. The three familiar Kanto starters return, but each one carries a different type than fans expect, and the change reshapes how the early game plays.
Quick answer: Aldiris gives the three starters new regional typings — Bulbasaur is Ice/Grass, Charmander is Ground, and Squirtle is Steel.
The Aldiris regional starter forms
Professor Blackthorne presents all three starters at his lab in Bluecoast Town. The sprites look like the classic designs, but their types are rebuilt for the region, which means their movesets and matchups feel different from the mainline games right away.
| Starter | Aldiris type | Notable early move |
|---|---|---|
| Bulbasaur | Ice/Grass | Powder Snow |
| Charmander | Ground | Scratch / Leer |
| Squirtle | Steel | — |
Picking the Ice/Grass Bulbasaur gives you a starter that can open with Powder Snow, an Ice-type move that classic Bulbasaur never learns. It evolves into an Aldiris Ivysaur at Level 16, keeping the same regional typing.
The regional theme extends beyond the starters. Shinx, for example, appears as a Fire-type in the Aldiris region rather than its usual Electric typing.
How the game and its region work
The story is set three years before the events of Red and Blue and aims to fill in gaps in the wider Pokémon timeline. The team behind it is a multicultural group of roughly 30 people, and the project leans on exploration and collection, with more than 200 new Pokémon and regional forms planned across the full game.
The first chapter, titled “A Glimmer Over Aldiris,” was released on September 26, 2026, for PC. The first demo runs around two hours of playing time.
Before the adventure begins, you set the difficulty. Four modes are available.
- Easy
- Normal
- Difficult
- Nightmare
Every mode except Nightmare can be changed at any time from the Options menu, and the difficulty choice does not affect how much content you can access.
The Bluecoast Town prologue
After a corporate cutscene about missing Pokédex records and character creation, you wake up in your bedroom in Bluecoast Town. Your sister Louise hands over a map and a quest journal, which set up the region’s optional objectives from the start.
The map opens up the Aldiris region, with Bluecoast Town as your starting point and a route leading toward the neighboring town of Clifton-Sea.
Once you choose a starter, Professor Blackthorne gives you five Poké Balls and a main objective. You must travel through Route 1 to Clifton-Sea to collect your official Pokédex from an Azorp Corporation courier. Lab assistant Celio and other townsfolk fill in details before you leave.
New regional Pokémon in the ruins and on Route 1
North of Bluecoast Town sits a ruined district, a rain-soaked area of craters and abandoned houses where wild Pokémon appear in the tall grass. It is the first place you meet many of the region’s original creatures.
The ruins and Route 1 are stocked with new species alongside a regional Mareep, which appears as a Grass-type here. Wild names seen in the opening include Speck, Odwig, Berrby, Fuirrel, Geenee, and Cobwing. Familiar creatures such as Ampharos also turn up later in the ruins.
Optional side quests around Bluecoast Town
The opening chapter is built around exploration, and several optional quests are available before you ever leave for Clifton-Sea. They reward items, catch materials, and extra Pokémon.
| Quest | Task | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| A Lack of Inspiration | Photograph a shell beach, a bridge, and a lighthouse for Paul-Vincent | Nugget and Red Flute |
| Hide-and-Seek in the Ruins | Find four hidden Pokémon and Lisa, then battle her | Rare Candy, Soothe Bell, Dusk Balls |
| Who Stole the Merchant’s Oran Berry | Track down the missing berries | Berries from the vendor |
| What Happened to the Mareep | Investigate Bruno’s missing Mareep in the ruins | Bruno reunites with his Ampharos |
| A Mareep for a Child | Trade a Mareep to a sick boy on Route 1 | Quest completion |
| Beat Them All! | Defeat six trainers on Route 1 | Duel with Ace Trainer Pavel |
The camera quest is worth noting because it spans both towns. Paul-Vincent loans you a Camera with three photo slots, and the lighthouse shot is taken later near Clifton-Sea, so the quest is not finished within Bluecoast alone.
The rival battle and the Pokédex handover
On the wooden suspension bridge of Route 1, your rival Thomas blocks the path and challenges you. His team in this fight is a Speck at Level 7 and a Squirtle at Level 8, both regional forms.
After the battle, Martin, head of Azorp Corporation’s research and development, arrives on the bridge and hands the official Pokédex to both you and Thomas. That delivery completes the main objective set by Professor Blackthorne and clears the way into Clifton-Sea.
You know the opening chapter has done its job once the Pokédex is registered and you cross into Clifton-Sea, where Professor Blackthorne meets you outside the town to continue the story. From there, the path leads toward the Serpentine Cave and the region’s first gym in Vestilia.
