The Enjey Project
Many people have tackled the task of attempting a complete fan-region for Pokemon. But not everyone has made a full map, story, and all the other creative elements that are often part of a Pokemon region. In my biggest passion project ever, I’ve been working on my Odyssey– the Enjey region. I’ll share more about this project in depth on my YouTube channel.
Below, you can view the full Pokédex gallery— a rendered illustration of every Pokémon design made for this project. Click on each one to view it up close!
The Enjey region is based on my home state, New Jersey. Its name is derived from the abbreviation, “NJ,” as well as “Enjoy,” because of the state’s reliance on tourism culture.
While the state certainly has a sour reputation as “America’s Armpit,” it certainly has a lot of good qualities, too. Beaches, wetlands, mountains, and proximity to two major cities gives a lot of geographic variation in a very small space. Of course, New Jersey’s rude reputation isn’t wholly unwarranted, so the story of this region won’t be afraid to dive into darker, sardonic elements.
Additionally, New Jersey itself won’t be the sole inspiration for features in the Enjey region. New York City, Philadelphia, and the New England area, and the North American East Coast as a whole will also serve as inspiration to give the region a wider, more comprehensive feel.
Researching the Pokédex
The most important part of any fan-made Pokemon region is its Pokedex. After researching the process that the Pokemon company uses to develop its world, I’ve found that often times, the Pokedex comes first after the region concept is finally selected, and its character designs and story follow the inspirations of these Pokemon designs.
Additionally, they usually come up with about three times as many concepts as they actually need for the region. A Pokemon region typically consists of 100-150 individual Pokemon. This means that each generation probably has around 300 concepts floated around, and only a third to half of them actually makes it to the finish.
Naturally, I have completed this same process. I have a spreadsheet of all the concepts I’ve come up with, including their production names, types, niche, and what level of finish their art/design is at. Doing this spreadsheet forced me to become more fluent in using Excel and similar software. I also have a regular notes document, containing images and more in-depth thoughts on each of these ideas.
Closing Thoughts
It’s no exaggeration to say this is perhaps the longest project I’ve ever undertaken. At this point, Enjey has taken over three years to complete, but I’m thankful to finally be sharing the fruits of my labor a little more with the public.
A large scale project isn’t so daunting to me, though. I’m a fast worker, and this is a subject matter I’m really passionate about. Pokemon, world building, character design… there’s a little bit of everything in this project. And when it’s complete, I’ll be glad to display the entire Pokedex, map, and character list right here on this website.
If you’d like some behind the scenes content about Enjey, you can support me on Ko-Fi.