At the height of Pokémania, Pokémon Trading Card Game let you play the Pokémon card game without buying a single booster pack. Released on December 15, 2000 in Europe on Game Boy Color and developed by Hudson Soft, it faithfully adapts the TCG rules of the time and wraps them in a small adventure modeled on Pokémon Red and Blue. In 2000, we gave it 13 out of 20; with hindsight, it deserves better.
A card adventure
The player takes on the role of Mark, a young collector who dreams of the legendary Pokémon cards. After a tutorial at Dr. Mason’s laboratory, he chooses a starter deck, built around Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, then travels the island to defeat the eight Club Masters and win their medals. Next come the four Grand Masters of the Pokémon Dome, who hold the legendary cards. Ronald, the rival, regularly gets in his way. The structure is that of Red and Blue, humorously transposed to the card game.
The TCG rules, faithfully
The heart of the game is a very faithful adaptation of the card game rules of the time: 60-card deck, Active Pokémon and a Bench of five, Energy, evolutions, weaknesses, resistances, retreat and Prize cards. The first duel serves as a tutorial and is enough to understand the game. Opponents have themed decks, sometimes formidable, and each victory earns you booster packs to improve your own deck.
The game features the Base Set, Jungle and Fossil expansions, and adds exclusive cards that were never printed. Building and fine-tuning your decks quickly becomes captivating.
Ahead of its time
On Game Boy Color, the game displays colors the main games did not yet offer, and even lets you run, a feature the main series would only adopt with Ruby and Sapphire. The Card Pop! feature, via infrared, let you obtain cards by connecting two consoles.
What has aged
The rules are those of 1999: some cards, like Energy Removal or Professor Oak, are far more powerful than today, and the pace of the games is slow. The attack animations repeat, and late-game opponents take many duels to gather the right cards.
Should you play it today?
For fans of the Base Set nostalgia and the curious about TCG history, yes. The 2014 re-release on the 3DS Virtual Console has not been on sale since the eShop closed in 2023, so you need a cartridge. To play the modern TCG, Pokémon TCG Live or Pokémon TCG Pocket are a better bet.
Our verdict
An excellent pocket card game that introduced a whole generation to the TCG. Dated, but still charming.
What we like
- A faithful adaptation of the TCG of the time
- An adventure in the style of Red and Blue
- Exclusive cards that were never printed
- Ahead-of-its-time color presentation
What we like less
- Dated rules and cards
- Slow games
- Multiplayer lost in the 3DS re-release
Our reviews from the time: our 2000 review and our review of the 3DS re-release.
