Pokémon is a phenomenon unlike anything video games has ever seen. Pikachu is every bit as recognizable these days as Mickey Mouse or Snoopy, if not arguably more so. It feels like Pokémon is too big to ever be stopped these days, but that wasn’t always the case. Once upon a time, a little game called Pokémon Red & Blue captured the imaginations of countless people, sending them on a riveting monster-catching journey. There was nothing else like it — that is, until Pokémon Gold & Silver managed to one-up absolutely everything done in the first games, crafting what might be the greatest sequel in history.
Gold & Silver introduced the brand-new region of Johto, a massive area even bigger than the first game’s — also filled with 150 brand-new creatures to capture. Johto is a fascinating location filled with diverse cultures and locations, but what’s even more astounding is the major twist after you become the Pokémon Champion — the entire region from the first game is unlocked.
It’s an absolutely mind-blowing moment when you think you’ve seen and done everything, only to find out there’s basically another entire world for you to explore. It’s one of the single most rewarding moments in video game history, instantly making the world of Pokémon feel massive and interconnected, while simultaneously providing dozens of hours more to play.
While experiencing the surprise and delight is often talked about as the best example of what makes Gold & Silver special, the brilliance of these games goes so much deeper. It’s genuinely not hyperbolic to say that Gold & Silver improved on everything from the first Pokémon games, even just looking at the game’s graphical presentation — the first in the series with full color.
The basic structure is the same — you travel around the region collecting Pokémon and leveling them up to take on the gym, then heading to the next one. But there are so many extra little features that help make Gold & Silver feel so rich and vibrant. This game introduced a time system with day and night cycles, with different Pokémon and events happening depending on the time of day. Pokémon can now hold items to receive boosts in battle, and the berry system was introduced, which provides an even more robust set of boost options. Then there’s Pokémon Breeding, letting you leave two creatures at the day care to produce an egg, resulting in a brand-new Pokémon that can inherit traits from both its parents.
Past all that, you have new Pokémon types like Steel and Dark, and some of the most brilliantly imaginative creatures the series has ever seen — from the bizarre living tree Sudowoodo to the simultaneously ugly and cute salamander-like Wooper. The Pokémon designs in Gold & Silver are consistently creative, and sometimes downright strange, and that’s what makes them so memorable.
But digging even further, Gold & Silver’s storytelling is filled with vibrant moments that make the world feel alive — from Team Rocket running a black market trade for Slowpoke tails to the way the three legendary dog Pokémon appear at random moments in the story. Gold & Silver are still freeform games entirely about your journey, but their subtle storytelling is richly enhanced to make you feel more like a part of the world — there’s more lore, a deeper connection to your rival, more meaningful roles for gym leaders, and even a chance to test your skills against Red from the previous games.
While Red & Blue were the first games in the franchise, it’s fair to say Gold & Silver really set the foundation that Pokémon has been building on ever since. Many fans, myself included, will vehemently tell you that the franchise has never managed to reach the same heights again, despite plenty of other fantastic games. I still remember hiding under my covers as a kid with a flashlight playing Gold & Silver, pretending to be asleep when my parents came to check on me.
The leap in quality and scope from Red & Blue to Gold & Silver is so mind-boggling that you almost can’t believe it’s real. Coinciding with the anime really taking off, it helped secure Pokémon’s spot as an unstoppable franchise that’s only grown bigger in the decades since. But you know Gold & Silver are special when you can pick them up and have every bit as much fun as you did when you were 8 years old.
