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This time, the keyword is real-world accuracy—looking at the kinds of real-life elements that show up within games.

In MapleStory, there have been quite a few cases where real-world subjects were recreated as in-game pixel art through various collaborations, and because the level of detail is often surprisingly high, it seemed worth gathering some of the best examples in one place.

Real-world foods recreated in pixel art

Back in 2015, MapleStory collaborated with the ice cream bar Dwaeji Bar, bringing related items and pixel-art versions into the game. Since then, continued collaborations have also produced in-game versions of Isaac Toast, Hero Ramen, Nene Chicken, and melon bingsu, all rendered in a way that looks impressively appetizing.

There are also examples that went in the opposite direction, where a food appeared in the game first and was later made real offline. A representative case is Nemi’s Lunchbox, a fairly iconic item in its own right. It was turned into an actual menu item sold at Mejit, a MapleStory-themed PC café.

GOD Park Jun-hyung and comedian Jang Dong-min

This event took place quite a long time ago, so I did not take part in it myself, but I still remember being fairly impressed by the advertisement and the event page at the time.

Even now, the event itself does not look especially unusual, but what made it so memorable was how remarkably well the two of them were recreated in pixel art, as you can see here. There are other examples of celebrities being rendered this way as well, but in terms of sheer detail, these two still feel like the strongest examples.

MapleStory Ambassadors: Kim Je-deok, BLACKPINK Jisoo

The MapleStory Ambassadors program was a 2021 project, and according to its official description at the time, it was intended “to spotlight MapleStory heroes actively working across various fields both in Korea and abroad, and to spread MapleStory’s positive influence.” In practice, it was a collaboration format where celebrities who actually play MapleStory participated in donation campaigns.

The first ambassador selected was archer Kim Je-deok, and a package modeled after him was released at the time.

The second ambassador was BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, and in her case as well, a chair modeled after her was distributed as a gift. Since then, no additional collaborations have been carried out under the MapleStory Ambassadors title.

BTS Jin

The collaboration with BTS Jin is still ongoing, and with several separate events already held, there are naturally more in-game results based on him than on the other figures mentioned here.

Jin pixel art from the 2022 event <Jin’s Worldwide Handsome>

Jin pixel art from the 2026 event <Jin’s Mysterious Garden>

Jin pixel art from the 2026 event <A-MAZE-JIN Hot Time>

Jin pixel art and illustration from the 2026 event <Maple Hero Jin>

Seen together, the subtle differences from one version to the next make the whole set feel especially meticulous. It is hard not to think that, before or since, there may not have been another real person in MapleStory represented through such a wide range of pixel art and illustrations.

The art balloon at Seokchon Lake D

Lastly, Seokchon Lake, the Maple Attack event map that now has just one month left, has currently been changed to a night view to reflect the real location.

The Lotte World backdrop is also well recreated, but the most recent addition here is the giant Orange Mushroom balloon positioned on the left side of the map.

This cute giant Orange Mushroom balloon exhibition began on Friday, May 22, and it includes not only the balloon display itself but also various exhibitions, offline events, and collaboration merchandise sales, so if it catches your interest, please check the official website.

Thank you for reading.