Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version are role-playing video games created by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. These games are the first in the fifth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were first released in Japan on September 18, 2010, and later released in Europe, North America, and Australia in 2011. Sequels, Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2, were released for the Nintendo DS in 2012.
Like earlier games in the series, Black and White follow the story of a young Pokémon Trainer who travels through the region of Unova. The Trainer trains Pokémon to compete against others and stops the plans of a criminal group called Team Plasma. These games added 156 new Pokémon to the series, more than the previous record holder, Pokémon Red and Blue. They also included new features such as a seasonal cycle, rotation battles, triple battles, hidden abilities, and fully animated Pokémon images. The games are separate but share the same story. Players can complete each game individually, but trading Pokémon between the two is needed to finish both Pokédexes.
When released, Black and White received mostly positive reviews for improvements in gameplay. However, some reviewers had mixed opinions about the designs of certain Pokémon, and some critics believed the games did not include enough new ideas. Despite this, the games were very successful commercially. Before their Japanese release, they sold 1 million pre-orders and became the fastest Nintendo DS games to reach 5 million sales. As of September 2017, the games sold a combined total of 15.64 million copies, making them among the best-selling Nintendo DS games, just behind their predecessors, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
Gameplay
Pokémon Black and White are role-playing video games with adventure elements, shown from a third-person, overhead view. The game has three main screens: the overworld, where the player moves the main character; the battle screen, where Pokémon fight; and the menu, where the player can manage their team, items, or settings. The player controls a Pokémon Trainer who starts with one Pokémon and can catch more using Poké Balls. Like other Trainers, the player can carry up to six Pokémon at once. However, the game includes a network of PCs, found in buildings called Pokémon Centers, where the player can store hundreds of Pokémon and heal them when they are hurt or have fainted.
Pokémon can learn up to four moves, such as attacking moves, healing moves, or moves that affect the opponent’s condition. They have six stats that influence battles: maximum hit points (HP), Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Attack and Special Attack differ from Defense and Special Defense based on the type of move: physical moves rely on strength, while special moves use supernatural or elemental power. Moves are grouped into 17 types: Normal, Water, Grass, Fire, Electric, Ghost, Bug, Fighting, Ice, Steel, Rock, Poison, Psychic, Dark, Dragon, Ground, and Flying. Pokémon can have one or two types. Usually, a Pokémon’s moves match its type. A Pokémon’s type determines how strong or weak it is against other types. For example, Fire-type Pokémon are weak to Water-type moves, but Grass-type moves do little damage to them, and Electric-type moves do normal damage.
When the player meets a wild Pokémon or battles another Trainer, the screen changes to a turn-based battle. During the battle, the player can use a move, use an item, switch Pokémon, or run away. However, the player cannot run from battles against Trainers or certain strong wild Pokémon. If a Pokémon’s HP drops to zero, it faints until it is healed. If an opponent’s Pokémon faints, the player’s Pokémon who helped defeat it earn experience points. When a Pokémon gains enough experience, it levels up and gains stronger stats. Many Pokémon change forms after meeting certain conditions, like reaching a specific level or using a special item. At the "Day Care," the player can breed two Pokémon, usually a male and a female, to create an Egg that hatches into a baby Pokémon at level 1.
Pokémon Black and White takes place in the Unova region, inspired by New York City. Like other regions, Unova has cities and towns connected by "Routes." Wild Pokémon can be found in tall grass or water along these routes. The player sometimes battles Trainers in cities, towns, or on Routes. Eight cities and towns in Unova are home to "Gym Leaders," strong Trainers who specialize in certain Pokémon types. Beating a Gym Leader gives the player a "Badge." All eight Badges are needed to challenge the Pokémon League, where the player fights the "Elite Four" and the Champion. Items can be found on the ground or bought from "Poké Marts." For example, Hyper Potions restore HP, Antidotes cure poison, and Revives bring fainted Pokémon back to life. TMs teach moves to Pokémon, and HMs are a special type of TM that helps the player move through the environment. For example, the "Surf" HM allows the player to cross water.
The graphics in Black and White are better than in earlier games like Diamond and Pearl. Dialog boxes from previous games have been replaced with speech balloons that appear above characters’ heads, allowing multiple characters to speak at once. Japanese players can see kanji on the screen instead of only hiragana and katakana. During battles, Pokémon images are fully animated, and the camera moves to focus on parts of the battle. The game continues the day and night cycle from earlier games and adds a seasonal cycle, where seasons change every month. Areas look different depending on the season, like autumn leaves or winter snow. Some places are only accessible during certain seasons, and different Pokémon appear in the wild during different times of the year. For example, Pokémon like Deerling and Sawsbuck change their appearance to match the seasons.
Two new battle systems are introduced: Triple Battles and Rotation Battles. In Triple Battles, both teams send out three Pokémon at once. Some moves only let Pokémon on the left or right side attack the opponent’s Pokémon on the same side or in the center. Moving positions takes one turn. In Rotation Battles, each team sends out three Pokémon arranged in a circle that can be rotated. Black has more Rotation Battles, while White has more Triple Battles. Another new feature is Combination Moves: a starter Pokémon can learn one of three moves, and using them together in Double or Triple battles creates stronger attacks. Walking through darker tall grass can trigger Double Battles with wild Pokémon instead of Single Battles in lighter grass.
Sometimes, the player can find special areas like rustling grass or rippling water, where they might meet rare Pokémon, Pokémon more common in the opposite game version, or the strongest form of a Pokémon that usually appears in the area. This is the only way to catch Pokémon like Audino, Emolga, and Alomomola. Dust clouds in caves and shadows of flying Pokémon on certain bridges can be explored to find rare items or encounter Pokémon like Drilbur, Excadrill, Ducklett, or Swanna, which are not found in the wild. Occasionally, throwing a Poké Ball has a higher chance of catching a Pokémon due to a random event. New side-games include Pokémon Musicals, similar to earlier contests, the Battle Subway, and a cruise ship called Royal Unova where the player can fight Trainers to earn rare items.
The C-Gear replaces the Pokétch from earlier games on the Nintendo DS’s bottom screen. It handles wireless features like infrared (IR) battles and trading, Wi-Fi connections to the Pokémon Global Link, and the "Pass By" mode, which lets the game communicate with others through infrared while the DS is asleep. The Feeling Check function tests how compatible two players are and gives them items based on the result. In "Pass By," the player answers questions and receives items depending on how many other players they’ve connected with. In "Random Matchup," the player can battle others online. A new feature called the Wonder Launcher lets healing items be used during battles.
Two features allow transferring Pokémon from older DS games to Black and White. For normal transfers, the Poké Transfer option is available after completing the main story.
Plot
The Pokémon games Black and White take place in the Unova Region, a fictional area far from earlier regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Unlike these earlier regions, which were inspired by real places in Japan, Unova is modeled after New York City. This idea came from game director Junichi Masuda, who visited the city during the launch of Diamond and Pearl. One example of this inspiration is Castelia City, the region’s main city. Features like the Skyarrow Bridge, which looks like a suspension bridge similar to Brooklyn Bridge, and large skyscrapers reflect New York City. Masuda also wanted the streets of Castelia to show a sense of community. Unova includes big cities, a harbor, an airport, an amusement park, several bridges, and mountain ranges. The region also has a wide variety of people with different skin tones, languages, and jobs. The Japanese name for Unova, "Isshu" (イッシュ), combines the words tashu (多種, meaning "many kinds") and isshu (一種, meaning "one kind"). This reflects how the many different people and Pokémon in Unova seem like one unified group from a distance.
Like earlier Pokémon games, Black and White follow a set storyline where events happen in a fixed order. The main character, Hilbert or Hilda (depending on the player’s choice), travels through Unova to become a Pokémon Master. At the start, players choose a Starter Pokémon—Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott—as a gift from Professor Juniper. The player’s friends, Cheren and Bianca, are rival trainers who battle the player. Cheren picks Pokémon with type advantages, while Bianca picks those with type disadvantages. The main goal is to earn eight Gym Badges, then challenge the Elite Four and the Unova League Champion to complete the story.
In addition to the main story, players must defeat Team Plasma, a group similar to the Knights Templar who believe Pokémon are mistreated by humans and want to free them. Team Plasma is led by N, a young man who grew up with Pokémon and sees them as friends, not tools. Throughout the game, N claims that capturing a Legendary Pokémon (Reshiram in White or Zekrom in Black) and defeating the League Champion, Alder, will make him a hero and convince humans to let go of their Pokémon.
After earning all Gym Badges and defeating the Elite Four, players find that N has defeated Alder and taken his place as the new League Champion. N then builds a large castle around the League and challenges the player to a final battle. When the player reaches N, Reshiram or Zekrom appears, and the player must capture the Legendary Pokémon to prove their worth before fighting N. After N’s defeat, he realizes his ideas were wrong. Ghetsis, the leader of Team Plasma, reveals his true plan: to use N as a pawn to control all Pokémon and rule the world. Ghetsis then challenges the player to a final battle. After Ghetsis is defeated, he is arrested, and Alder returns as the League Champion. He forgives N, who thanks the player and leaves the castle with his chosen dragon to explore the world.
After completing the main story, a character named Looker arrives and asks the player to find remaining members of Team Plasma. Players can also challenge the Elite Four and Alder again, becoming the new League Champion. New areas open, including parts of Unova with Pokémon from earlier games. Each version also has a unique area: Black includes the powerful trainer-filled city of Black City, and White features the White Forest, where humans and Pokémon live together. Cynthia, the former Sinnoh League Champion, is also found in this area and can be challenged. A non-player character named after Shigeki Morimoto, a Game Freak programmer and designer, can also be battled in the game.
Development
On January 29, 2010, The Pokémon Company announced that a new game was being developed for the Nintendo DS and would be released later that year. Junichi Masuda, the game’s director, said that many parts of the series were being updated for the new generation. On April 9, 2010, a Japanese website revealed the game titles as Pokémon Black and White and set a release date for the third quarter of 2010. These games include better visuals than previous Pokémon games, with more use of 3D computer graphics than any other handheld game in the series. They also allow players to upload their saved games to the Internet, enabling them to complete tasks on an official website.
On August 3, 2010, Masuda shared on his blog that Black and White would include only new Pokémon at first, creating a fresh experience similar to the original Pokémon games. In previous games after the first generation, new Pokémon were introduced alongside older ones. For example, Pikachu, first introduced in Red and Green, was available in later games like Blue, Yellow, and others. However, in Black and White, Pikachu would not be available at the start of the game.
It was later confirmed that Black and White are region locked on the Nintendo DSi and 3DS.
Junichi Masuda, the game director and composer, explained that to keep the games exciting, he reviews all past elements to decide what to include in the new game. He noted that trends change over time, so some old features may no longer appeal to players. He described new battle styles, saying that triple battles require more strategy, while rotation battles depend more on luck. Masuda said the goal was to make the games fun for both new players and those returning after a long time. He acknowledged the challenge of balancing these needs. New players receive clear instructions, while returning players benefit from the C-Gear, which simplifies trading and battling. When asked about adding over 150 new Pokémon species, Masuda said this was done to make the game fairer for new players, as experienced players would not know which Pokémon are strong.
The Nintendo DS Pokémon Black · White Super Music Collection is a four-disc soundtrack featuring music from the games, composed by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Shota Kageyama, Hitomi Sato, Morikazu Aoki, Minako Adachi, and Satoshi Nohara. It was released in Japan on October 20, 2010. Go Ichinose directed all Pokémon voices in the game, and Minako Adachi created all the sound effects.
Promotion and release
Pokémon Black and White were released in Japan on September 18, 2010. They were later released in Europe on March 4, 2011, in North America on March 6, 2011, and in Australia on March 10, 2011.
On February 7, 2010, during an episode of Pokémon Sunday, Junichi Masuda showed a shadow image of a new Pokémon. It was said to appear in a summer movie and would be revealed in a future episode on February 21. This Pokémon was also shown in the March 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic, which was available on February 15. The Pokémon was later named "Zoroark" and evolves from a Pokémon called "Zorua." Both were featured in the movie Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl The Movie: Phantom Ruler: Zoroark. Pre-order ticket holders could receive alternate-colored Raikou, Entei, or Suicune for their Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, or SoulSilver games. At theaters, players could download a Celebi to these games. These Pokémon triggered special events in Black and White involving Zoroark and Zorua.
On April 18, 2010, an episode of Pokémon Sunday showed game footage of a player walking in a 3D environment and a screenshot of a battle between the player's Zoroark and an enemy Zorua. Host Shoko Nakagawa noted that Zoroark's sprite showed the full body from behind, unlike previous sprites that displayed only part of the Pokémon. On May 9, 2010, the episode revealed silhouettes of the three Pokémon players could choose at the start of the games. These were later identified as Tsutarja (Grass Snake Pokémon), Pokabu (Fire Pig Pokémon), and Mijumaru (Sea Otter Pokémon). The game takes place in the Isshu Region, which includes the city of Hiun. On May 16, 2010, the episode showed battle footage with new animations and camera angles. Zoroark's "Illusion" ability and a special Zoroark from the movie ticket pre-order were also described.
On May 28, 2010, the official Japanese and English Pokémon websites revealed the names and designs of two major legendary Pokémon: Reshiram (White Yang Pokémon) for Pokémon Black and Zekrom (Black Yin Pokémon) for Pokémon White. The July 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic introduced C-Gear wireless features, internet data uploads, new Pokémon, moves, Reshiram and Zekrom's types, details about the Celebi/Zorua event, and a new character: Professor Araragi, the first female Pokémon professor in games. On June 27, 2010, an episode of Pokémon Sunday announced the release date as September 18, 2010, and a character yet to be named. A June 28 episode of Oha Suta showed a trailer with the release date, gameplay footage, new characters, Pokémon, and a three-on-three battle system. The August 2010 issue of CoroCoro Comic explained new mechanics, including the three-on-three system, online Global Link, a Dream World area, a Wi-Fi area called Hilink, a Live Caster feature for video chat, kanji support, version-specific differences, new characters, moves, abilities, and Pokémon.
On July 25, 2010, an episode of Pokémon Sunday introduced Victini, a new phantom Pokémon. It first appeared in a trailer for the 2011 Pokémon film Phantom Ruler: Zoroark. Victini is listed as Pokémon No. 000 in Isshu's regional Pokédex and can be obtained by downloading a special item from Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, DS Stations, or Nintendo Zones. This was available for one month after the game's release. Another promotional Pokémon, Kumasyun, was given out after the games' release and is only found in the games during winter.
On the day of the Japanese release, Nintendo of America sent legal notices to two English-language Pokémon fan sites, PokéBeach and Serebii, after they posted screenshots and media from the newly released games. Nintendo claimed the media violated copyright and threatened to shut down the sites unless the content was removed. The screenshots were later taken down. A blog writer initially thought Nintendo acted because the images were obtained illegally, but a site administrator said the images came from a Japanese forum. A Nintendo representative later explained that the specific images were the concern, not the sites themselves.
International promotion began on November 22, 2010, when the official websites for North America, Europe, and Australia were updated. They included localized names for the starter Pokémon (Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott) and the game's setting in the Unova region. Reshiram and Zekrom mascots appeared with a Pikachu balloon during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2010.
On December 27, 2010, the official websites for international releases updated again, revealing English names for Pokémon first shown during Japanese promotion. The English names for Hiun City and Professor Araragi were also revealed as Castelia City and Professor Juniper.
From January 3 to January 9, 2011, players of Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver in the U.S. could download a special shiny Raikou at GameStop stores. Similar downloads for shiny Entei and Suicune were available later in January and February. These Pokémon enabled the Zoroark event in North American Black and White versions. They were later distributed via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in Europe, Australia, and North America in February 2011.
The Celebi event in North America was available through GameStop stores from February 21 to March 6, 2011, or through a tour promoting Black and White starting February 5, 2011. In France and Spain, Celebi was available from January 2 to March 3, 2011. Italian players could obtain Celebi from specific retailers from January 2
Reception
Pokémon Black and White received mostly positive reviews from critics, with an average score of 87% on Metacritic, which means "generally favorable reviews." The Japanese magazine Famitsu Weekly gave the games a perfect score of 40 out of 40, making them the 15th game to earn this honor and the highest score ever given to a Pokémon video game by the publication. Game Informer’s Annette Gonzalez said the games "do a great job building upon already solid features and taking them to the next level." VideoGamer.com’s Jamin Smith noted that the games did not innovate as much as some hoped, but stated, "rest assured in the knowledge that Black and White are damn fine games; the best the series has to offer." Official Nintendo Magazine called them "A beautiful refinement of a great series […] the best Pokémon ever." Nintendo Power said, "the Pokémon series's latest pair of adventures is as addictive as ever." Edge acknowledged that "where next for Pokémon, Black and White don't suggest any answers, but they do remind us why we'd care in the first place."
IGN gave the games a 9 out of 10, a higher rating than any other Nintendo DS Pokémon games. The review praised the games for renewing interest in the series but criticized some new Pokémon designs, explaining that "aside from a weaker lineup of monsters (largely an aesthetic complaint), this is the best Pokémon has to offer on every level, renewing my waning interest in monster battling." Jeremy Parish of Retronauts criticized Black and White, saying he grew tired of the game shortly after starting and felt it was too similar to previous Pokémon games. He also noted that invisible mechanics in the game, called EVs and IVs, are not necessarily beneficial but that the game could be good for new players. He compared it to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Final Fantasy XIII, saying they all start poorly but improve later. Justin Haywald of Retronauts criticized the games’ release on the DS, which had already had two main Pokémon series games. GamesRadar editor Carolyn Gudmundson stated, "It may not break the Pokémon mold, but Black and White offers enough new content coupled with the series' classic, deep battle mechanics to make it endlessly playable. If you could only play one game for the rest of your life, this would be a wise choice."
In August 2010, one month before the games’ release in Japan, Pokémon Black and White gained 1.08 million pre-orders, becoming the fastest Nintendo DS game to reach 1 million pre-orders. In the first two days on sale, it sold more than 2.6 million copies, making it the biggest launch in the series’ history in Japan. By November 3, the games had sold over 4.3 million copies in Japan. By January 9, 2011, the games became the fastest Nintendo DS titles to sell 5 million copies.
Upon release in the UK, White and Black took the #1 and #2 spots in the UK overall sales charts. White became the second fastest-selling DS game ever in the UK after Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, selling 13,000 more copies than Black. Combined, their sales became Nintendo's third biggest ever launch in the UK, behind Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii, and the biggest opening weekend ever for a pair of Pokémon titles.
In the US, Black and White sold more than 1.08 million copies on day one, breaking the previous day-one record held by predecessors Diamond and Pearl of 780,000 copies. According to the NPD Group, Nintendo sold 1.3 million units of White and 1.1 million units of Black in March 2011, making them the #1 and #2 top-selling games in the US for the month. In April 2011, Nintendo’s financial earnings report confirmed that Pokémon Black and White had sold 11.5 million copies worldwide, making them the highest-selling DS games for Nintendo in the 2010–11 financial year and third overall, behind only the Wii games, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort. As of September 2017, the games’ combined sales had reached 15.64 million.
Legacy
In 2012, follow-up games to Pokémon Black and Pokémon White, called Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2, were released for the Nintendo DS.
The second section of the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet downloadable content, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero, is set in the Blueberry Academy, a terrarium located off the coast of Unova.