Quoted By:
Johto
Like many players, I started with playing Red and Yellow. Although undeniably entertaining and iconic in its own right, the world of Kanto was a grey, bleak landscape fraught with difficulties. (I was one of those retard kids who would get stuck in a dungeon for weeks before I figured out the way to the exit) The drab monochrome due the gameboy’s colour pallette and the lack of any sense of time created a wintry and forbidding game.
When I finally first got my hands on a copy of Silver, it was like being plunged into a warm, vibrant world of sunlight and fresh spring breezes. After years of traversing a monochrome land of pixelated textures we finally had colour; pastel green grass, fringed with rich verdant forests and bright yellow paths leading towards bold cities, each with their own charming colour schemes. The route themes were upbeat, unlike the pretty but melancholy theme that had dominated the routes throughout Kanto. The region itself was beautiful, deep mountainous forests littered with ancient towers, shrines, myths and relics. You really got the sense that this was a real place, with a history and a culture of its own.
To top it off, everything was illuminated by either bright sunlight, a golden tinge in the moment rning or a blue shroud as the games newfound clock system ticked round.
I constantly see players berating Johto for its flaws, the level curve, it’s simplicity and it’s small size, all of which I can agree are valid opinions if you compare it with the later entries. But I think you have to remember how groundbreaking this game was at the time it came out, how the little details like colour, night ticking into day, the inclusion of Japanese architecture and the varied and soulful musical score (much as I love the remakes, I couldn’t help feeling something was lost in the cutesy musical renditions of the original adventurous soundtrack, route 34’s treatment is a good example) all of which made the world of Pokemon come alive.
