Retro Review: Pokemon Yellow

A couple of weeks ago, Nintendo celebrated Pokemon's 20th Anniversary with its original Japanese release. To commemorate the milestone, much was done in promoting one of the most popular franchises the company created. One such thing was re-releasing the original games on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. I myself grew up with Pokemon Blue, and wanted to grab the Yellow version when that released I think a few years later. For some reason, I never finished it. I thought now was a good time to pick it up and try it again. Being much more knowledgeable about both the game and Pokemon as a whole then when I was 8, plus why not have a big nostalgia trip? For those who didn't know, Pokemon Yellow was the "3rd version" that kicked off the trend you see now with games like Platinum, Emerald, Black/White 2, etc.

What made Pokemon Yellow different was that you started off with a Pikachu instead of the 3 starters you've known to love. This no doubt was made in effort to cash in with the popularity the show had been gaining. I mean, who didn't want to have a Pikachu by their side? What's cool is this also had your Pikachu stay outside of his Poke Ball all times and follow you around just like the one Ash Ketchum had. That feature of having your Pokemon follow you around wasn't actually used again until much later entries, skipping certain generations. What about your Rival? He gets stuck with an Eevee which evolves into one of its evolutions (3 at the time) depending on your record with fighting him. You also can interact with your Pikachu who displays its current mood through a picture.

Pikachu is your Starter this time around!

I had some struggles believe it or not with some of the battles. This is original Pokemon so things that are common today weren't implemented in this entry. One such thing is that ground moves work on Pokemon that nowadays have the Levitate ability. Another feature that Yellow added was interactions/fights with Team Rocket members Jessie and James, to really capture what the show introduced. What struck me as odd, was the level structure between trainers and Gym Leaders. I cannot recall if it was always like this when I played through Blue or if these games were just difficult. An example is the Cinnabar Gym with Blaine as its leader.

The trainers leading up to him had Pokemon in their late 30's-early 40's. Whereas Blaine had guys in the late 40's and an Arcanine at level 54. Yet even with these huge jumps, I still managed with what I think would be called an under-leveled team nowadays. I suspect that the levels weren't completely true and the game was over-compensating. My own party/collection wasn't that large in comparison to what I've amassed in Pokemon X. Plus I didn't even use the Legendary Birds once I captured them. What's neat is that this release of Yellow (alongside Blue and Red) has a feature where you can import your team into the companion app Pokemon Bank which can then be brought into the upcoming new entries scheduled for the holidays this year.

Fighting off against this pair was one of several additions made to Pokemon Yellow

Oh, and I never evolved my Pikachu. Why would I? :D

Should you Play this Game?
If you ever wanted to know what Pokemon was like when it was just starting to catch fire, then checking out Pokemon Yellow would be your best shot. This version especially gave you a unique experience compared to Red and Blue's differing Pokemon. The music and visuals remain the same and are very of its time. For those who want a nostalgia flashback to the days of playing this with friends, go for it!