Animal Crossing New Horizons was released on March 20th for Nintendo Switch. The game revolves around players using in-game tools to design their own island. Since the release, the internet has been flooded with island-envy inducing photos and videos of players' own island designs. With so much work and creativity going into building islands, like these Showa era inspirations, there’s a lot to be impressed by. If you’re a fan of the Pokémon series, however, one player has created what might just be the best island in Animal Crossing New Horizons to date.

Japanese YouTuber, and Pokémaniac, Hinotchi ヒノッチ, has used the game’s design tools to masterfully turn their island into a recreation of parts of the Pokémon Johto region. The impressive island’s design is so faithful that it has wowed millions of netizens across the world, inducing nostalgia for the Pokémon Gold and Silver games in which the region was introduced. Check out photos and videos of the island below!

Taking a Johto Journey in Animal Crossing

Hinotchi designed their island to look just like areas from the Pokémon Gold and Silver games released in 1999 for the Gameboy Color. Wild natural areas feature the same charming pixelated patches of grass, tall trees, and lakes that appear in the games. The built-up town parts of the island contain Pokémon-esque benches, bins and even a railroad track like in Johto’s Goldenrod city.

YouTube: "【あつ森】ポケモン金銀の世界へ レッツゴー!!【マイデザイン配布】☆ あつまれどうぶつの森 ☆ 島クリエイター ☆ AnimalCrossing Designs ☆ ポケモン"

There’s also adorable Pokémon sprites dotted around the island, like Pikachu.

Or the gargantuan Snorlax that waits to greet visitors to Hinotchi’s island when they get off their DAL flight.

YouTube: "【あつ森】ポケモン金銀の世界へ レッツゴー!!【マイデザイン配布】☆ あつまれどうぶつの森 ☆ 島クリエイター ☆ AnimalCrossing Designs ☆ ポケモン"

Watching Hinotchi walk around their island in the video below will definitely bring players back to enjoyable hours spent gazing at their Gameboy Color screen.

Impressively, Hinotchi has recreated some of the most memorable scenes from the Gold and Silver games:

YouTube: "【あつ森】ポケモン金銀の世界へ レッツゴー!!【マイデザイン配布】☆ あつまれどうぶつの森 ☆ 島クリエイター ☆ AnimalCrossing Designs ☆ ポケモン"

The Red Gyarados in the Lake of Rage, nearby Mahogany Town in the original games. The lake has been lined on both sides with tumbling waterfalls, recreating the same sense of awe players felt when they encountered the Red Gyarados for the first time in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

YouTube: "【あつ森】ポケモン金銀の世界へ レッツゴー!!【マイデザイン配布】☆ あつまれどうぶつの森 ☆ 島クリエイター ☆ AnimalCrossing Designs ☆ ポケモン"

Pokémon Master Red is even waiting at the top of the island! Sorry Tom Nook, this is Animal Crossing’s big boss!

Hinotchi recreated the Johto Region using the game's custom pattern creation tool. This enabled Hinotchi to create identical patches from the game which they used to decorate their island. The addition of signboards featuring items and trees for players to interact with add some elements of 3D interactive feel to the island too.

なつかしの ジョウトちほうへ・・・！！ ▼#どうぶつの森 #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch #ポケモン pic.twitter.com/KxS1qadBsK

— ヒノッチ (@hinopika) April 14, 2020

One of the best Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands in Japan

Hinotchi’s island has earned hundreds of thousands of likes and shares on twitter and even attracted attention from other YouTubers. The Pokémon island features in popular YouTube channel MTV Tokyo fried rice guys’ video “Visiting Islands Trending on Japanese Twitter” which at the time of writing has attracted almost 3 million views.

With much of the world restricted from traveling, it may not be possible to go on a real Pokémon adventure. But now is the perfect time to join other wise Pokefans by exploring a new world of Pokémon in Animal Crossing from the comfort of your couch.