Pokemon Crystal was a game that I missed out on. I missed the second generation of Pokemon games. I’m not sure why I skipped them.
Anyway, this is a fun game. If you played the first-generation games (Red, Blue, and Yellow), you would know how to play this one. They did add a few new things to the game, but they didn’t change the gameplay too much.
What I don’t get about Crystal is why they didn’t make it more unique. I was expecting something closer to Yellow, but it didn’t feel all that special. I’ll probably notice the difference when I play Gold and Silver.
TLDR: Pokemon Crystal is a fun entry in the series. I had a lot of fun with it.
History
There isn’t much to say here. It was the final Pokemon game for the Game Boy Color and was exclusive to that version of the Game Boy. You can tell which games are exclusive to the Game Boy Color by their clear plastic casing.
Crystal was released in Japan in 2000 and internationally in 2001. There isn’t much difference between Crystal and the other two games (Gold and Silver). It was a slightly improved version of Gold and Silver.
Gameplay
Like the other Pokemon games, this is a turn-based RPG where you collect, train, and battle with monsters. You pick one starter at the beginning. Like the other games in the series, you choose between Fire, Leaf, or Water type Pokemon.
I went with a fire type to start. There are new Pokemon added to the game, but I felt that Crystal had a lot of Pokemon from the first generation. I was a little annoyed by this at first. However, it got better as I went through the game.
The inventory has been vastly improved! I never ran into the issue of running out of space. You also have a phone that lets you call people and let people call you.
This was a little annoying at times. The game would come to a complete stop so some trainer you beat could tell you something that doesn’t matter, or your mom could tell you that she spent some of your money. I should add that the game allows you to send some of your money to your mom for safekeeping.
Berries and equipment were introduced in this generation of Pokemon. I never cared much for these additions. They can be helpful, but I didn’t think they were needed.
You get to the HMs a lot faster here. This time, it feels like they were made a bigger part of the game. I still feel like they create more of a headache. You have to have them tied to a Pokemon. They also can’t be unlearned. It made a problem when I was shuffling by roster around and needed to have a new Pokemon learn one of the HMs.
I don’t remember this being a big issue in Yellow, but it became annoying to have to swap my team around in a way that I didn’t like. This probably won’t be a problem for everyone.
The world became more interactive than it needed to be. You can use the move Headbutt on trees to find new Pokemon. This is an excellent idea, but I didn’t use it. I was just trying to beat the game and not going for a complete collection.
The Day-Night cycle was a very cool idea! Also, having some Pokemon only appear at night or day was excellent. It made the world feel a bit more natural. In Yellow, it felt like everything was taking place in one day.
Pokemon has always been a starter RPG for me. Its combat is simple, and the game is easy to follow. I think what they added with Crystal made sense and probably wouldn’t have turned off fans of the first generation of games.
Visuals
Crystal is the only Game Boy Color exclusive of the second-generation Pokemon games. It looks terrific! The graphics aren’t too different, but the added colors are great, and the animations on the combat screen are an excellent addition.
When you enter a battle screen, the opposing Pokemon has a little animation. It isn’t anything crazy, but it is nice that it is there.
The new Polemon, for the most part, look like they belong in the world. In my opinion, there could have been more of them, but they still look good.
Replayability
Like the other Pokemon games, this game has a lot to offer. I can see myself going back to it to do challenge runs or trying to capture all of the Pokemon in the game.
9/10. Crystal is a great addition to the Pokemon series. I wish they had done more with it, though.
Pros
- Looks great on the Game Boy Color, Super Game Boy, or an emulator.
- It is an easy RPG to get into
- This is a fun game to play
Cons
- It didn’t do anything special like Yellow had done.
- If you own Gold or Silver, there isn’t much reason to own this game.
- HMs becoming too important
Conclusion
Overall, I think Crystal is a good game. However, I was hoping for something similar to Yellow, which isn’t what they did with Crystal. This was a case of me wanting something that wouldn’t happen. Yellow was a special case.
I think having a Game Boy Color exclusive was a good idea. It is a beautiful game!
Playing Crystal made me want to check out Gold and Silver. It might take a while to get to those entries, but I’m looking forward to them.