Catch muddy Analogue Pocket palettes before they hide the game.
Import a native 56-byte APGB .pal file, inspect all four palette groups and the LCD-off color, then review luminance separation warnings. Everything runs locally in this browser.
No file loaded. The editable sample uses an original green palette.
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2-bit scene proxy
This CSS proxy checks color relationships only. It does not emulate a display mode, cartridge, core, firmware, game art or ambient lighting.
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Luminance & adjacent separation
Why this checker exists
Why an Analogue Pocket palette can pass format checks and still fail visually
A native APGB palette is small but not simple: it contains four separate four-color groups for the background, two object palettes and the window layer, followed by an LCD-off color and a five-byte footer. A creator can build a structurally correct file while accidentally placing colors out of dark-to-bright order or making adjacent shades nearly identical in luminance.
Those mistakes are scene-dependent. A projectile may disappear against a road, a character outline may merge into the background, or a status bar may lose separation. This tool surfaces mechanical risks without pretending to know the art, gameplay or target display conditions.
File validity and scene readability answer different questions. The byte check confirms that the browser can preserve the documented APGB layout; the luminance review only highlights relationships that deserve another look. It cannot see flashing sprites, transparency tricks, palette swaps, display filters or the colors surrounding an object in every room. Use the APGB format guide to understand exactly what is parsed, then read the scope and independence statement. A clear report is permission to continue testing, not permission to skip a cartridge, core and hardware pass.
Use the result honestly
Proxy first, real hardware last.
Import a file and confirm the exact 56-byte structure and 81 APGB footer.
Review dark-to-bright ordering for all four groups.
Inspect low adjacent luminance ratios and same-index OBJ/BG pairs.
Export the unchanged or edited values.
Test important scenes on the hardware, cartridge or supported target you actually ship.
Pocket Palette QA is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or certified by Analogue, Nintendo or any hardware vendor.
Warnings are deliberately review prompts rather than automatic rejection rules. A low adjacent ratio may be intentional for fog, depth or a quiet background, while an apparently ordered group may still hide a moving sprite in one important scene. Keep the exported file alongside a short list of scenes to test, compare both bright and dark display conditions, and ask another player to identify critical objects without coaching. The checker shortens that review loop; it does not replace visual judgment or accessibility testing.