The Pokémon Center in Okinawa is a hub of all things Pokémon — a store, gaming space and information center to share the latest character and game news. To reflect the center’s redefinition of a retail store, I IN takes one of Pokémon’s iconic symbols — the spherical Monster Ball — and deconstructs it to create a space designed to make visitors feel as though they are stepping into a video game.

The Pokémon Center is split into two sections — a semi-circle entrance and an adjacent circular enclosure. Its continuous floor space leads visitors into alcoves of experiences that evoke caverns of the Pokémon universe, before guiding them back to the entrance to leave. The floor plan of the main enclosure resembles the schematics of a Monster Ball, and elements of the icon’s distinctive red, white, and black spherical case are repeatedly referenced throughout in minimalist graphic forms. This balance of branding and contemporary design subliminally shifts the visitors’ focus from the conventional function of a retail space to their experience and understanding of Pokémon that develops within it.

As an immersive experience — like a Pokémon quest for visitors — lighting, aural and visual stimulation are key to I IN’s vision. At the entrance, the Pokémon logo board behind a giant sculpture of Arcanine is dynamic. Most times it appears as lettering, other times its silhouette becomes a screen for Pokémon animations. Behind this, the cashier counters curve in the semicircle space, ahead of walls of back-lit graphic versions of the Monster Ball symbol. The floor, a pool of shimmering blue mosaic tiles, floods into the adjacent section of the Pokémon Center and evokes the clear waters of Okinawa, the location of the store.

Color and texture define each area of the Pokémon Center. Ocean blue is used for digital experiences, where an event space houses a huge monitor for presentations and visitors can try out video games in the enclosed core of the center. Here, rippled glass walls reflect blue lighting and floor tiles. Giant bespoke speakers flank the presentation monitor, their shiny hollow hemisphere woofers resembling Monster Balls and mirroring the surroundings to extra visual effect. Inside the blue circular core, gaming stations each have directional speakers above, allowing visitors to enjoy playing without the need of headphones. Black and grey create intimacy in a physical card-game section, where visitors are invited to sit at tables and play the Pokémon trading card game. Lime green carpeting enlivens the shopping area. Here, mirrors are used to create an illusion of a circular space and shelves line the walls with Pokémon characters for visitors to purchase, or “catch,” at the end of their journey.