Pokemon Yellow was released at the absolute height of the series popularity. After Red/Blue took the world by storm many wondered where Nintendo would next take the series. Few predicted that they would release another version of the same game. When the third version, Yellow, was released it flew off of store shelves. Fans still clamored for a real sequel, but this was a nice treat to help tide them over. At first I wasn’t planning to pick up this iteration simply because I had already played my Blue version to death. I simply couldn’t resist however. At its core Pokemon Yellow is the same game fans already played with just a few enhancements. In my opinion these changes make it the only version you really need. The new features don’t make a huge difference but they’re charming and round out the package nicely.
The story is nearly identical here; you’re a young boy who dreams of becoming a Pokemon trainer in a world filled with these cute but ferocious creatures. The first major change occurs right in the beginning of the game. In Red/Blue you had a choice of three different starter Pokemon. In this iteration you are automatically given a Pikachu. Some may lament the lack of option in this regard but I’m happy to report you’ll be able to get all three starters later in the adventure. This Pikachu is special. Instead of staying put in his poke ball he instead follows you around on the world map. You can interact with him to see his mood which is affected by numerous in-game elements.
Your rival in the story, Gary, now gets an Evee to start with. This will evolve into one of three different forms based on choices you make during gameplay. This is in place of him starting with any of the original starters, and is a pretty neat change if you ask me. Your goal in Pokemon is still to travel to all towns in the region of Kanto. You challenge Gym leaders (they’re best considered the boss characters of this game) along the way and collect their badges. When you possess them all you may challenge the elite four; the strongest Pokemon trainers in the world in a bid to become the master Pokemon trainer in the land.
Pokemon Yellow is a mostly traditional RPG. The camera sits overhead as you wander across various paths in the world to towns, caves, and more. Battles with wild Pokemon occur at random when you’re wandering through tall grass. The same holds true when you are inside one of the various caves or other dungeons type areas. In these encounters you’re met with a single Pokemon and thus ensues a battle. If you don’t want to fight you can run away, or defeat the enemy by depleting their hit points to zero. In these wild encounters you can also capture the enemy Pokemon by first weakening, and then throwing a poke ball at them. If you’re successful the Pokemon is added to your collection and can be used in battle from that point forward.
Enemy encounters also occur when you catch the glance of one of the many other trainers that populate the world. These battles are usually more difficult because you’ll face more than one Pokemon in most cases. Additionally they’re usually at a higher level than wild critters in the area. You’re generally rewarded with more experience points from winning these encounters as well as money. It’s well worth seeking these guys/girls out. Gym leaders are the most difficult but each follow a specific element which allow you to plan ahead for these encounters.
The game contains 151 different Pokemon with several systems in place to differentiate them from one another. First you have the basic RPG stats such as attack, defense, speed, etc. Each creature has different strengths and weaknesses based on these. Unfortunately some Pokemon just aren’t very strong in any area. Next up are types. These are your basic elements such as fire, water, grass, electricity, and ice. You also have other more unique types like ghost, poison, dragon, fighting, etc. Pokemon aren’t limited to a single type and many are given two. Each of these are have their own strengths and weaknesses in the pool of elements.
The only overpowered types here are psychic and dragon but they’re pretty rare in the game. There are only three dragons and a handful of psychic Pokemon that you’ll encounter here. All pocket monsters learn moves as they gain levels, and these fit with the type scheme as well. Each Pokemon can only know four at a time. It’s up to you to pick which ones to learn or forget. Many of the pokemon are rare and you won’t be able to get them all in one playthrough. This is because in some places you’re given a choice between two that appear no where else in Kanto. This game emphasizes trading and battling human players, and half the fun is in choosing which Pokemon to use on your team.
The enhancements in this version aren’t anything major, but they’re definitely worth mentioning. For starters the only pokemon you can start with here is Pikachu. Unfortunately you cannot evolve him in this version, and cannot catch another one. At specific intervals in the game you will be given a charmander, bulbasaur, and squirtle (the three starters in the original releases) which is pretty cool actually. Some pokemon will learn more moves naturally which is nice. In addition this version offers Game Boy Color support and because of this looks a lot better than the originals.
This game follows the TV show a lot more than Red/Blue which means you will encounter Jessie and James of Team Rocket in some areas and even battle them. They have their trademark ekans/meowth/koffing as well which is a nice touch! Finally the game features new graphics for all of the enemy pokemon, and you’ll encounter a combination of those offered in Red/Blue. Unfortunately this means you need to connect to both games to capture all 151, but it isn’t a big deal. The new additions are decent, but it feels like another take on the same game.
Graphically this game doesn’t represent a huge upgrade. The enemy pokemon now feature different designs, and most of them are decent, but it’s not a big improvement. The out of battle sprites are extremely simplistic and don’t look particularly good even by Game Boy standards with chibi characters and very few scenery details. The battle scenes are significantly more impressive. While there’s no real background the pokemon look really nice, and considering the fact that there are 151 of them and this is on the original Game Boy it’s simply astounding.
The new character models in some cases are really good, and in others they’re just okay. None of the pokemon are significantly downgraded here, and it looks like the original artists were at work and simply drew them in new poses. The Game Boy Color support is a nice upgrade and the pokemon are all appropriately vibrant. Pokemon Yellow looks better than the originals, and has some of the best graphics on the original Game Boy. It’s not particularly impressive now though.
The soundtrack was pretty much ported from the original releases. This isn’t a bad thing, because the music is extremely memorable and charming, but it would have been nice if they had re-mixed the original songs. The various battle music is extremely well done, and my favorite is the track which plays during Gym leader encounters. The world map themes are okay but it’s nice that there are so many different tracks for this. Towns generally have their own music, but these are the weak links in the soundtrack as far as I’m concerned.
It’s really impressive that every pokemon has their own battle cry, and these same samples were used in most of the titles that followed. The sound effects haven’t really been upgraded either, but Pikachu has his signature cry from the TV show here, and though it sounds scratchy and is hard to make out it’s still fairly impressive that they included it. Although the audio isn’t bad it would be nice if they changed it up a little here.
Thanks to the additions made with this version Pokemon Yellow is the definitive edition of the original titles. Unfortunately the battle speed wasn’t sped up and is therefore still as slow as molasses which makes this game very difficult to return to. Like in the originals you cannot trade up past Gold/Silver, and with Fire Red and Leaf Green available on the Game Boy Advance this just isn’t worth playing in modern times aside from nostalgia. It’s a good game for sure, but I would go with the remakes instead. If you absolutely must return to the originals this is your best bet.
