It can be difficult to remove the rose colored glasses that can often cause the games of our youth to seem spotless, flawless, or even perfect. It can be especially difficult to do so with something as important to so many gamers’ childhoods as Pokemon. It is still taking the world by storm but in the mid nineties, it had engulfed the entire world into a frenzy. Everyone knew many of the names and almost everyone was playing the games. It isn’t difficult to find someone who poured hundreds of hours into Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow Versions. Gamers everywhere were a part of the phenomenon, and I’m sure they still fondly remember details from their many adventures. Everyone remembers Missingno and we all remember the many rumors that were surfacing on the playground, in the classroom, and on the internet. The impact and the legacy of Pokemon R/B/Y is absolutely undeniable but are they as perfect as we all remember?
Pokemon R/B/Y begins with a promise. It begins with Professor Oak telling the player that their very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold – and he couldn’t be more correct. The game starts you off in your room in Pallet Town. You go on to get your first Pokemon here and battle your rival for the very first time. After a quick turnaround to deliver a package to Professor Oak and receive your very own Pokedex, you’re on your way! Pokemon allows you the freedom to check off boxes on your Pokemon To-Do list however you want. Your only goals are to travel the world, catch all 150 Pokemon, get all eight badges, defeat the Elite Four, and battle every willing trainer along the way. What you did in between and how you achieved those goals was up to you. This freedom allows everyone to personalize the journey into their journey. It does all of this in a time when choices weren’t as common in the industry – and on a portable device no less! The magic was alive and well in 1998 and it still is today!
The game design of Pokemon is, well, for the most part, flawless. There are some issues but overall there is just so much greatness that drowns them out. The story of Pokemon is in the background but still very much there. It’s perfect for a gameplay centered adventure. The atmosphere greatly supports the story with every step of the journey and everywhere you look reflects this. NPC’s and their dialogue are charming while also conveying the importance and prominence of Pokemon in this game’s long and winding road. The signs you read along routes and in cities post helpful information about the world and also charmingly break the fourth wall and teach you about the game. It’s reminiscent of Earthbound in that aspect and it’s very welcome. The game drives this sense of exploration that just compels you to keep moving and exploring; before you know it you’re fully engrossed and six hours into a single session of gameplay. It’s magnificent that it can be so immersive despite the graphical limitations of its era.
Battles also draw the player in by making you feel like you’re gripping a Pokeball with clenched fingers yourself. Type differences combined with attack types, stats and items; the battle system is as exhaustingly detailed as you want it to be. And that’s before we even get to EVs and IVs (don’t worry – we’re not going there!). The one hundred and fifty different Pokemon that you can choose from by catching and trading is invigorating. If you don’t like your current team or just want to change or tweak it, it’s not a problem! Trekking through caves, running through grass, biking down trails, fishing off a dock – the sky really is the limit. Seriously, you can’t catch Pokemon in the sky. But other than that, they’re everywhere! When you finally need or want the Pokemon that aren’t in your respective game then you can still trade with friends and family! That’s right! Nintendo updated a twenty year old game so you could still enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed. Trading and battling is supported via local wireless so you can still catch ‘em all! While I do think it would have been nice to support Wi-Fi trading, I understand why they may have chose against doing so. It would have gone against the original spirit of the games. The local wireless simulates the original vision without being limited by the original hardware capabilities.
These games may feel old at times when viewing the world of Kanto within the limitations of the original Game Boy but they have a certain charm about them. The graphics may look inferior to what is possible today but they still get the job done and look neat in the process. Many older games have retained their charm graphically and Pokemon R/B/Y is among them. That being said if you do want color in your game then I would highly recommend Yellow Version. All three of them are technically original Game Boy games but they all had a bit of color if played on the Game Boy Color; some Game Boy games had random splashes of color added to them when played on the Game Boy Color or Super Game Boy Accessory. Yellow was more or less optimized for the Game Boy Color so it won’t have as much color as actual Game Boy Color games ,but it has quite a bit more than other Game Boy games did. They all look and sound great though, especially considering they came out twenty years ago.
The music of Pokemon has the ability to transport you through time. Those that grew up playing Pokemon R/B/Y can attest to this. Wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, this music brings you back and it still sounds just as great as it ever has. It has about an hour of music and it will feel like even more. Despite the hardware limitations of the Game Boy, Pokemon sounds great. There is unique music for most cities and towns and then there are different themes for some routes too. It’s catchy and it stays right in your mind even hours after your 3DS is turned off. Each Pokemon has their own individual cry and, before long, you could play blind folded and know exactly which Pokemon you encounter. There are standout songs and sounds in Pokemon R/B/Y and I know before long you too will have the ‘Bicycle Theme’ stuck in your head.
Jumping on your bicycle and racing across the land of Kanto was always a blast and it still is. Going from city to town to gym leader and racking up experience points, items, and badges still feels like the adventure it was back in 1998. Pokemon is among many other games that prove that great game design is time less. Pokemon can be a great game for anyone to pick up and play and is absolutely a classic game with addicting gameplay, charming graphics, memorable music and infinite replay value. That being said there a few issues that may cause frustration to those revisiting the trilogy of games or those checking it out for the first time ever.
Psychic and Dragon Pokemon are awesome but they definitely have a problem. In fact, how awesome they are is the problem. They’re too awesome. Dragon Pokemon aren’t often a problem but that’s largely due to how often you’ll actually battle them but when you do, have fun and bring some patience. Dragonite’s stats are off the charts and the move set it learns is even more troublesome for those battling it. Psychic Pokemon have similar problems as well; they’re overpowered in general in these games. The special stat wasn’t split up into two categories and Dark-Type Pokemon weren’t added until Pokemon G/S/C. Later on with Pokemon X/Y, the Fairy type was added to balance the Dragon type out a bit more. Those that grew up with later installments that never played RBY may struggle with this a bit since it does throw the difficulty off balance and even over the edge at times.
There’s another issue that may damper the fun a bit for everyone, particularly those playing R/B/Y for the first time. Trainer battles are more frequent and there are plenty of stretches where Pokemon Centers are few and far between. This can lead to losing a battle in a cave and ending up at the last Pokemon Center one too many times for some gamers’ patience. This will require you to go back through the cave and potentially need to purchase additional repels – or just lose your mind from too many Zubats. Speaking of Zubats, R/B/Y has the random encounter rate cranked up to eleven in many areas and no matter where you are, they are more frequent than later releases. Sure, random encounter Pokemon battles are optional but each and every time you hit down, right, and A to ‘Run’ from a battle, you may just feel a bit of your soul die. It can just become monotonous at times but your patience will be refueled as soon as you see the cave’s exit.
All in all Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow have aged very well. The great gameplay and expertly crafted game design from 1998 is still there and it has aged magnificently. However the flaws it had have been especially magnified due to the developer addressing the majority of them in future installments and also attempting to make later games more accessible to newcomers. These games may also feel bare at times because of all the features that have been added over the years but R/B/Y has the absolute core of it nailed. The player and their comrades going on a journey across the land to be the very best. I’m all about newcomers joining in on the fun in the world of Pokemon but they will just need to be aware that Pokemon has evolved leaps and bounds in some aspects since R/B/Y. I can promise that if a later Pokemon release was your first outing then you will encounter some rough times in these games, but I can also promise something else: Your very own Pokemon legend is about to unfold!
Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow Versions
$9.99
Pros
- All around great RPG with solid game design
- Timeless graphics that serve the game well and still look charming
- Memorable soundtrack that will stay with you long after you stop playing
- Supports local wireless trading so you can catch 'em all again!
- Compatible with Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Sun/Moon
Cons
- Difficulty is unbalanced at times
- Random encounters are much more frequent than later releases
