Some sequels just add things. Pokémon Gold and Silver rethought everything without breaking anything. A hundred new Pokémon, a real-time clock, breeding, two brand-new types… and, just when you think the journey is over, a whole second region to explore. Twenty-five years on, our verdict hasn’t changed.
A sequel that dares everything
The core idea is unchanged: a young Trainer leaves their village, catches Pokémon and takes on eight Gym Leaders before the League. But the world around has grown richer. The clock sets the rhythm of the days: some Pokémon only come out at night, one trainer only appears on Fridays, a contest takes place three times a week. The PokéGear rings for a rematch. Pokémon hold items, have a gender, lay Eggs. None of this was in Red and Blue.
Breeding
The Day-Care produces Eggs, brand-new baby Pokémon and inherited moves. A depth that has fed twenty years of strategy.
Two new types
Dark and Steel finally rebalance a game where Psychic reigned unchallenged.
Shiny Pokémon
One Pokémon in 8,192 has different colors. The red Gyarados of the Lake of Rage introduced the concept to millions of players.
Two regions for the price of one
The best surprise is saved for last. After the League, Professor Elm gives you a ticket to Kanto: the region of Red and Blue, three years later, with eight new Badges to win, Gym Leaders whose lives have changed and, at the summit of Mt. Silver, the battle against Red. To pull off this feat, the developers had to compress the game to the extreme, a technical achievement that has been praised ever since.
What has aged
- An uneven difficulty: the wild Pokémon in the second half of Johto are underleveled, and the Gym Leaders’ levels in Kanto force you to train a lot.
- A somewhat empty Kanto: fewer trainers and items than in Johto, and a few locations removed.
- The limits of the Game Boy Color: few different wild Pokémon per route, and many HMs to learn.
And Crystal?
A year later, Crystal adds a playable heroine, animated Pokémon in battle, a plot centered on Suicune and the enigmatic Eusine, the Battle Tower and many tweaks. It is the most complete version, the one we recommend for a first playthrough.
Our verdict
Gold, Silver and Crystal are the very definition of a successful sequel: richer, livelier, more generous than their predecessors, without ever losing the simplicity that made them successful. Their world living to the rhythm of the clock, their second region and their finale at the summit of Mt. Silver remain unmatched. If you could only play one Game Boy-era Pokémon game, this would be the one.
Back in 2001…
Pokémon France’s first review, published at the French release, already presented Gold and Silver as two “absolutely essential” games. It marveled at the experience bar that was finally visible, the gender symbol of Pokémon and a world “twice as” big. A quarter of a century later, it is hard to prove it wrong.
