Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver are 2009 remakes of the 1999 Game Boy Color role-playing games Pokémon Gold and Silver, which also include features from Pokémon Crystal. These games are part of the fourth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Gold and Silver, the games were released in Japan on September 12, 2009, and later released in other regions in March 2010.
HeartGold and SoulSilver take place in the Johto and Kanto regions of the Pokémon franchise’s fictional world, where players encounter special creatures called Pokémon. The main goal of the game is to become the best Pokémon Trainer in both regions by raising, collecting, and recording Pokémon and defeating other trainers.
Game director Shigeki Morimoto wanted to honor the experiences of players who enjoyed earlier games while making the experience feel fresh for newer players. The games received positive reviews from critics. By March 2014, the combined sales of both games reached 12.72 million, making them the eighth best-selling Nintendo DS games of all time.
Gameplay
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are video games that let players take on roles and go on adventures. The basic way to play these games is similar to earlier versions. Like all Pokémon games for handheld devices, players view the action from a third-person overhead perspective. Gameplay includes three main screens: a field map, where the player moves the main character; a battle screen, where Pokémon fight; and a menu, where the player manages their team, items, or settings. The game starts with one Pokémon, and players can catch more using Poké Balls.
When a player meets a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer, the screen changes to a turn-based battle. During battles, players can use moves, use items, switch Pokémon, or run away. Running away is not allowed during battles against trainers. Pokémon have health points (HP), which are shown during fights. If a Pokémon’s HP drops to zero, it faints and cannot fight unless healed at a Pokémon Center or with a special item like a "revive." If the player’s Pokémon defeats an opponent, it gains experience points. When enough experience is earned, the Pokémon levels up. Many Pokémon change into new forms when they reach certain levels or meet specific conditions, such as how much they "like" their trainer.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the first Pokémon in the player’s team can follow them in the overworld, a feature also used in Pokémon Yellow with Pikachu. This was also used in some areas of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum with "cute" Pokémon. Players can talk to these Pokémon to check their status or see if they found items. A pedometer called a "Pokéwalker" came with the games. It lets players transfer Pokémon to the device, walk with them, and earn "watts" for in-game rewards.
A new game called the Pokéathlon uses the Nintendo DS touchscreen. It lets Pokémon compete in events like hurdles. Japanese versions include slot machines from earlier games, while international versions replace them with "Voltorb Flip," a game similar to Minesweeper and Picross. A new item, GB Sounds, changes background music to chiptune music like the original Pokémon Gold and Silver.
A new feature in the Safari lets players customize areas to increase the chance of finding wild Pokémon. This feature unlocks after completing the National Pokédex, finishing two tasks for the Safari administrator, and answering all of his calls (one every three hours of play).
HeartGold and SoulSilver were the only games in the GB, GBA, and NDS eras to include a permanent "Running Shoe" feature, which was later replaced by the joystick on the 3DS.
Players could use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (now discontinued) to trade, battle, or interact with others playing these games or Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. After completing a special mission in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, players could send a Deoxys to HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Setting and story
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver take place in the Johto and Kanto Regions of the Pokémon franchise's fictional world. The story focuses on creatures called Pokémon, which have special abilities. The main character is a young Pokémon Trainer who lives in a small town called New Bark Town. At the start of the games, the player chooses one of three starter Pokémon—Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile—from Professor Elm. After completing a task for the professor and receiving a Pokédex from Professor Oak, the professor allows the player to keep the starter Pokémon and begin their journey.
The goal of the game is to become the best Pokémon Trainer in Johto. This is achieved by training Pokémon, completing a list of all known Pokémon called a Pokédex, defeating eight Gym Leaders in Johto to earn Gym Badges, challenging the Elite Four and the Johto League Champion to become the new Johto League Champion, and then defeating the eight Gym Leaders in the Kanto Region. Finally, the player faces the Indigo League Champion, Red, on Mt. Silver, who is the game's final opponent.
Throughout the game, the player battles members of Team Rocket, a criminal group from Kanto. Team Rocket was previously defeated by the protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen but has returned while waiting for their leader, Giovanni. To contact Giovanni, they take control of a radio tower and broadcast a message.
As remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver, the games include story elements from Pokémon Crystal, such as a greater focus on Suicune compared to other legendary Pokémon and the addition of the Battle Frontier, which was not available in Crystal. Johto and Kanto also feature elements from Generation IV, such as Pal Park.
At certain points, the player's rival challenges the protagonist in skill-based battles. The player also meets Kimono Girls, who ask for small tasks, such as defeating a Team Rocket member, across Johto. After completing all these tasks, the player reaches the area where they encounter the game's Legendary Pokémon mascot—Ho-Oh in HeartGold and Lugia in SoulSilver—and perform a dance to summon them. As in the original games, other legendary Pokémon can be found later in the game.
Development
HeartGold and SoulSilver were released in 2009, ten years after the first release of Gold and Silver for the Game Boy Color. Shigeki Morimoto, the games' director, said that during the remake process, he wanted to honor the memories of players who had enjoyed Gold and Silver a decade earlier. He explained that these players had strong recollections of the game, such as remembering specific trainers or events. Morimoto also wanted to ensure that the games felt fresh and exciting for newer players who had started playing Pokémon on the Game Boy Advance or Nintendo DS.
An in-game character representing the president of Game Freak in Celadon City stated that the team aimed to create a game that would appeal to fans with nostalgic memories without repeating the same content from the original games. He described the development process as a "rewarding challenge."
Morimoto explained that HeartGold and SoulSilver focused on the relationship between trainers and their Pokémon, which became a central theme in the story. He said the titles "HeartGold" and "SoulSilver" were chosen because they fit the theme of the games. HeartGold and SoulSilver included many new features not present in the original Gold and Silver, some of which were inspired by earlier games for the Nintendo DS, such as Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
Release and promotion
In early May 2009, rumors about Nintendo remaking Pokémon Gold and Silver began spreading after a Japanese television show called Pokémon Sunday ended by hinting at a "world-exclusive first announcement" for its next episode. Kris Pigna of 1UP.com thought this might refer to a remake of Gold and Silver for the Nintendo DS, because gold and silver disco balls were visible in the background during the show. Pigna also noted that this idea matched earlier games, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, which were improved versions of the original Pokémon Red and Blue. A few days later, Nintendo officially announced that Gold and Silver would be remade as HeartGold and SoulSilver, and shared their official logos. Nintendo said the games would include many updates but did not share details about them. The games were released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on September 12, 2009, to mark the tenth anniversary of the original Gold and Silver. Junichi Masuda, a game developer, wrote on his blog that Game Freak, the company that created the games, had worked hard for a long time on HeartGold and SoulSilver, and that the original Pokémon Gold & Silver would return with more excitement.
At the 2009 Pokémon World Championships, Nintendo shared release dates for HeartGold and SoulSilver: North America between January and March, Europe around May and June, and Australia in April. A spokesperson said announcing the games at the event allowed Nintendo to share the news directly with fans. As the games neared release, from February 27 to March 13, 2010, GameStop, a video game store in North America, offered a promotion. Players who owned Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum could use the games' "Mystery Gift" feature to download a free Jirachi. A "Pikachu-colored Pichu" could also be downloaded using Wi-Fi. When players took this Pichu to the Ilex Forest in the game, it unlocked a "Spiky-eared Pichu." The games were released in North America on March 14, 2010, in Australia on March 25, 2010, and in Europe on March 26, 2010, except in the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium, where they were released on April 2, 2010.
A three-disc soundtrack called Nintendo DS Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Music Super Complete, featuring music composed by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, Shota Kageyama, and Takuto Kitsuta, was released in Japan on October 28, 2009.
Reception
After news about the development of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver was shared, fans shared their thoughts online. IGN editor Jack DeVries explained that the updated games were created to work with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, allowing players to catch Pokémon species that were not available in the newer games. He also doubted whether the new titles could match the quality of the original Gold and Silver games. He said, "For me, Gold and Silver were amazing because they introduced many new features that became standards for the series. They were the first and only time the games expanded so much. Now, it is rare to see new features that change how the game is played." He remembered the unique qualities of Gold and Silver, such as full color support, an internal clock, Pokémon breeding, and the PokéGear. Later, after playing parts of the games, he wrote, "so far I like what I see, even if it all feels very familiar and formulaic at this point."
The games received positive reviews, with an average score of 87 on Metacritic. They are among the top 20 best-rated DS games on the site. Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu gave the games a combined score of 37 out of 40 based on four reviews, which were 9, 10, 9, and 9. The reviewers praised the games for keeping the quality that made the original Gold and Silver popular. The only criticism was that the games brought "no major surprises." Nintendo Power gave the games a high score, noting their replay value but pointing out that the animation for Pokémon sprites did not improve. Official Nintendo Magazine said they were the best Pokémon games yet. Game Informer’s Annette Gonzalez said, "Even though the classic Pokémon formula still works, as shown by HeartGold, I can’t help but hope for a new Pokémon title that breaks some new ground."
IGN’s Craig Harris said the games were "like a gap filler to make the wait for a new Pokémon game just a little more bearable." James Stephanie Sterling of Destructoid said, "While it is, at its core, the same game you’ve played many years ago, it still manages to feel new, and the updated features improve the original experience without changing it too much." 1UP.com’s Justin Haywald said, "HeartGold and SoulSilver is easily the best Pokémon game yet." VideoGamer.com reviewer Jamin Smith said, "With HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Pokémon series has reached a point where it can’t get any better." Eurogamer’s Keza MacDonald gave the games a 9/10, saying they combined the best parts of older Pokémon games, including the designs of Pokémon, improved graphics, and a better battle system. GamePro’s McKinley Noble said, "It is clear that this is a perfect experience for both old-school trainers and new fans." GameZone’s Cliff Bakehorn III said, "There is not a doubt in my mind: Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the pinnacle of the entire series." Nathan Meunier of GameSpot gave the games a lower score, criticizing them for not being innovative. GamesRadar said the game’s success came from being a remake of classic games.
HeartGold and SoulSilver won the Golden Joystick Award for Portable Game of the Year in 2010, the first Golden Joystick Award win for the Pokémon series.
In Japan, the games sold over 1.48 million copies in the first two days of release, becoming the top-selling games that week. Within two weeks, they sold more than 2.00 million copies combined. By December 18, 2009, the games had sold over 3.22 million copies in Japan. In Australia, more than 50,000 copies were sold in one week. In the United States, the games sold 1.73 million copies in their first month, with SoulSilver selling 1.01 million and HeartGold selling 0.76 million. Together, the games were the highest-selling games of March 2010. By May 6, 2010, the games had sold 8.40 million copies worldwide, and they reached 10 million sales worldwide by the end of July 2010. As of September 2017, the games had sold a combined total of 12.72 million copies.