Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions
| Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions | |
|---|---|
| [[File:File:Pokemon HeartGold Version box.jpgFile:Pokemon SoulSilver Version box.jpg|250px]] Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions' boxart, featuring Ho-Oh and Lugia. | |
Basic info
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| Platform: | {{{platform}}} |
| Category: | RPG |
| Players: | 2 players simultaneous |
| Connectivity: | None |
| Developer: | Game Freak |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Part of: | {{{gen_series}}} |
Ratings
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| CERO: | N/A |
| ESRB: | E for Everyone |
| ACB: | N/A |
| OFLC: | N/A |
| PEGI: | N/A |
| GRAC: | N/A |
| GSRR: | N/A |
Release dates
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| Japan: | September 12, 2009 |
| North America: | March 14, 2010 |
| Australia: | N/A |
| Europe: | March 26, 2010 |
| South Korea: | February 4, 2010 |
| Hong Kong: | N/A |
| Taiwan: | N/A |
Websites
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| Japanese: | ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド・ソウルシルバー 特集：『ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド・ソウルシルバー』公式サイト｜ポケットモンスターオフィシャルサイト｜ |
| English: | Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions |
Pokémon HeartGold Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド Pocket Monsters HeartGold) and Pokémon SoulSilver Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ソウルシルバー Pocket Monsters SoulSilver) are paired Generation IV remakes of the Generation II games Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Much like Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen revisited the Generation I story of Kanto, HeartGold and SoulSilver retell the story of Johto, with the player's starting area being New Bark Town. While the games feature several expansions in key areas, the overall plot follows the same direction as the original Gold and Silver. Some aspects exclusive to Crystal are also included. Like FireRed and LeafGreen could link up with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to complete the Pokédex by trading regionally exclusive Pokémon, HeartGold and SoulSilver can link up with Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to obtain Pokémon unavailable in Johto and Kanto, such as Turtwig.
Kris, despite being the female counterpart of Crystal's player character Gold, is not included as the female player character, with a new character instead taking her place. Whether she is chosen to be the player character or not, this new character will still appear in the game, taking a pseudo-rival role similar to the unselected characters of Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
The games were released on September 12, 2009 in Japan, and are scheduled to be released on March 14, 2010 in North America, March 26, 2010 in Europe, and on February 4, 2010 in Korea.
Changes from Pokémon Gold and Silver
Aesthetic changes
- Gold receives a redesign while Kotone replaces Kris.
- All the game's music is rearranged to better utilize the DS's sound capabilities. A key item allows the player to switch back and forth freely between the arranged soundtrack and original chiptune soundtrack.
- The PokéGear has been redesigned. There are a range of skins that can be used and changed at the player's will.
- Much like Kanto's was for its remakes, Johto's Pokédex has been redesigned. Unlike Kanto's remakes, which contained the same regional Pokédex as the originals, the original regional Pokédex for Johto has been slightly altered, including several Generation IV evolutions for Pokémon found in Johto.
- An image of certain locations, similar to that of FireRed and LeafGreen, appears when entering the location. Some of these images change depending on the time of day while others change the image of the Pokémon obtainable at the location on the image at random.
- Team Rocket Grunts are redesigned once again.
- Rocket Executives are also redesigned from Generation II, with four new ones appearing: Apollo, Athena, Lambda, and Lance. Like Team Galactic's Commanders followed a planetary naming scheme, the Rocket Executives are all named for various real-world rockets.
- Lugia and Ho-Oh each have their own unique battle music, while the legendary beasts each use differently remixed versions of their battle theme from Pokémon Crystal.
- Kurt and Apricorns make a return to the series along with their respective Poké Balls. Apricorns can now be carried by the player in their own bag with a new item, the Apricorn Case.
- All former Berry trees have become Apricorn trees.
- Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Silver, and Red have animated battle sprites and battle intros, as in Platinum. Many Gyms have been redesigned as well, some with new puzzles.
- Rock Smash, previously a TM usable on the field in the originals, is now a full-fledged HM as it has been since Generation III. Defog loses its HM status to the returning Whirlpool.
- Ambient sound effects are used with greater frequency than in previous games; for example, running water and the player walking through grass will produce audible noises.
- The Magnet Train's tracks can be seen overground in locations such as Route 32.
- Pal Park is located where the closed Kanto Safari Zone once stood in Fuchsia City.
- The Rage Candy Bar is now a key item. This is likely to prevent the player from trading it to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, which does not have any item data for the Rage Candy Bar.
- The player can now see how many Kanto badges they have. In the original games, the player could only see how many Johto Badges they had.
Location changes
- Elm's Lab has an upstairs level, where the professor and his family live, his old house being occupied by Kotone/Hibiki and her/his family.
- Maps have been remade to match the design style used in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
- The Battle Tower west of Olivine City, introduced in Pokémon Crystal, returns, bringing with it the exact same Battle Frontier seen in Platinum.
- Two new routes, Route 47 and Route 48, are introduced near Cianwood City. They lead to a new Safari Zone, as well as the Hidden Tower.
- Mt. Silver is much bigger and Viridian Forest is not cut down.
- Cerulean Cave and the Seafoam Islands remain as they were in Generation III (though Blaine still takes part of the Seafoam Islands), allowing the legendary Pokémon that live inside them to be battled. Moltres, formerly found in Victory Road and Mt. Ember, can be found in Mt. Silver.
- The Fighting Dojo in Saffron City takes a role similar to Sinnoh's Battleground.
Gameplay changes
- All 493 Pokémon are capable of following players similar to Pikachu in Yellow. Shininess is also retained. The player can interact with their Pokémon by pressing 'A', and can see how their Pokémon is feeling at the moment. In battle, like Yellow's Pikachu, they are sent out from the side of the screen, rather than from a Poké Ball, unless in certain situations, such as while riding the bicycle or going into a small space with a big Pokémon.
- Similarly to the event Shaymin and Regigigas's effect on Platinum, the Pikachu-colored Pichu will unlock an event near the Ilex Forest Shrine, where the Spiky-Eared Pichu can be obtained.
- The Pokémon storage system, bag, party interface, and the screen that pops up when pressing the Start or X buttons in the previous games all use the Nintendo DS's touch screen.
- Legendary Pokémon from other regions can be caught in the games. Kyogre and Groudon appear in HeartGold and SoulSilver, respectively, after the Elite Four, and Rayquaza can be caught in both games once the other members of its trio are traded into the game. Latias (in HeartGold) or Latios (in SoulSilver) can be found roaming in Kanto later in the game after speaking to Steven Stone.
- The Mysterious Crystal is an Event key item that features a use similar to that of the Eon Ticket. It can get the other Eon Pokémon depending on the player's game version: Latias (in SoulSilver) and Latios (in HeartGold).
- Headbutting trees to locate certain Pokémon makes its return. However, this time it can also be used to collect Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh after the National Pokédex is acquired.
- Cynthia makes an appearance in an event involving Arceus. This takes place in an area accessed from the Ruins of Alph that is far to the north, named the Shinto Ruins. This event allows players to obtain either Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina at level 1. The only way to obtain the Griseous Orb and Origin Forme Giratina in this game is to choose Giratina during this event.
- The Gracidea can be obtained in the flower shop in Goldenrod City by bringing any fateful encounter Shaymin to show them.
- Eusine, a major character from Pokémon Crystal who was not in the original Gold and Silver, appears, as do other aspects originally featured in Crystal.
- A new sidequest, the Pokéthlon, features ten mini-games that pit Pokémon in athletic competitions. Its system appears to be analogous to that of Contests from previous games.
- Apricorns are now the only items collected from plants on the field. Berries are instead collected from Jugglers in Violet City and Fuchsia City in exchange for shards. Because only very limited varieties of berries can be collected in these games, the rest must by traded over from other versions, similar to that of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Berries can be grown portably using the Berry Planter, where the Squirtbottle is controlled via the touch screen to water four Berries at a time. Berries can be found on the ground in some locations, held by wild Pokémon, with the Pokéwalker, and will be bought by the player's mom at times.
- Using the Apricorn Shaker, Apricorns can now also be mixed into drinks that increase Pokémon's Pokéthlon stats.
- The Running Shoes are obtained in Cherrygrove City and can be permanently selected using the touchscreen menu. The selected item (from pressing Y or SELECT in previous games) is also on the touchscreen. Two items can be selected as opposed to just one.
- Due to the absence of the Vs. Seeker, the PokéGear reintroduces an improved cell phone feature with a limitless call list. However, re-battling trainers is now dependent on the day and time.
- The Radio Card for the Poké Gear is required to continue in the game - Whitney will not return to her Gym until the player has the Radio Card.
- Starter Pokémon from Kanto and Hoenn can be collected from Professor Oak and Steven Stone once certain conditions are met.
- Commemorative photos can now be taken around Johto and Kanto with the player's partner Pokémon, team, Gym Leaders, and certain notable citizens.
- An event-exclusive Celebi unlocks an encounter with former Team Rocket boss and Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni. Giovanni was mentioned repeatedly in the original Gold and Silver, but did not appear.
- Many Pokémon have acquired the ability to learn new moves and expand and improve their movesets; for example, Togepi can now learn Extrasensory through breeding.
- Like the GBA Wireless Adapter that came with FireRed and LeafGreen, a bonus is included with the purchase of HeartGold and SoulSilver: a Poké Ball-shaped pedometer called the Pokéwalker that has the capacity to link to the two games and hold a Pokémon. Storing a Pokémon in this manner increases its experience and happiness as the wearer walks. Other Pokémon can be captured in exclusive Pokéwalker-only areas and then transferred to the main game.
- The GB Player, a key item obtained after all 16 badges have been obtained, allows players to swap the background music for the soundtrack from the original Gold and Silver, redone. New music tracks, such as the music that plays on Routes 47 and 48, also receive an 8-bit remix.
- When using the move Whirlpool outside of battle, instead of the whirlpool disappearing like in Generation II, the player will simply surf over the whirlpools.
- Specific individual values may be passed down through breeding depending on the EV-enhancing item that is held.
- The Trainers that appear in Viridian City's Trainer House are now influenced by communication through two Pokéwalkers as opposed to the previous method of Mystery Gifting with the Game Boy Color's infrared port.
- During the player's initial battle with the rival, he is known as Passerby Boy, unlike in Gold and Silver, where he was identified as ???. Players are still required to name him later.
- When the player makes it all the way through the Tin Tower or Whirl Islands, instead of simply encountering Ho-oh or Lugia, the player must talk to a group of dancers who will summon the Pokémon with a dance.
Pokémon
As in Pokémon Gold and Silver, the primary Pokémon of the remakes are native to the Johto and Kanto regions. Due to advances in gameplay since the second generation, the regional Pokédex used in Gold and Silver (the New Pokédex) has been updated to include those Pokémon which evolve upon learning a new move. Rather than simply excluding these evolutions (as Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen did with happiness-based evolutions), an improved Johto Pokédex was established with 256 Pokémon: five more than the New Pokédex.
Similarly to other recently released Pokémon games, Pokémon from outside the regional Pokédex can be captured after defeating the Elite Four and earning the National Pokédex. Pokémon native to Sinnoh and Hoenn can be found in various methods. Swarms of Pokémon sometimes break out across the Johto and Kanto regions; oftentimes these are not native to either of the regions. Pokémon from other regions can be located by playing one of two special stations on the PokéGear's radio function. There is a channel for Sinnoh Pokémon which plays only on Thursdays; the Hoenn channel only plays on Wednesdays. By having either of these programs turned on when in tall grass the chance of finding a foreign Pokémon increases. The Bug Catching Contest also hosts, from time to time, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon. They will only appear on Thursdays and Saturdays. The Johto Safari Zone's customization option also allows for the finding of Pokémon from other regions.
In an apparent attempt to remove reliance on Generation III cartridges, starter Pokémon of Kanto and Hoenn can be obtained late in the game from Professor Oak and Steven Stone respectively. Some legendary Pokémon which were not included in the Generation II games, such as the legendary birds trio and Mewtwo, are also available.
Despite being remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver, all the wild Pokémon encounter data is identical to Pokémon Crystal, with the exception of version-exclusive Pokémon.
As in all main series Pokémon games, there are a number of Pokémon which can be found in one of the paired games, but not the other. A list of these Pokémon follows below.
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Gallery
- HGSSstarters.gif
Choosing a starter Pokémon
- Startmenu.gif
The redesigned touch screen menu, as well as the three starters shown with the player character
- HGSSpokedex.png
The redesigned Pokédex
- Screen3.png
Outside the Burned Tower
- Screen5.png
- Shiny Pichu HGSS event.png
Spiky-Eared Pichu event
Gold vs. Silver in the English versions
- Elmslab.png
Inside Professor Elm's laboratory
- Slowpokewell.png
Beta of inside Slowpoke Well
- HeartGold title.png
HeartGold title screen
- SoulSilver title.png
SoulSilver title screen
- Red Gyarados encounter HGSS.png
Encountering Red Gyarados
The Pokéwalker
- Ho oh in Heartgold.png
Ho-Oh in HeartGold
Lugia in SoulSilver
Trivia
- The Japanese release date is the same day that Pokémon Yellow was released in 1998.
- These games mark the tenth anniversary since the release of the original Gold and Silver Versions for Game Boy Color.
- As remakes, these games have been speculated since the release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
- The games' engine seems to be based on that of Pokémon Platinum.
- As Gold and Silver were considered sequels to Red and Green, HeartGold and SoulSilver are thus sequels to FireRed and LeafGreen.
- Also like FireRed and LeafGreen, HeartGold and SoulSilver implement features introduced in their namesakes' third version (though the only major change from Red and Green to Blue was the alteration of the catch rates of several Pokémon, itself retained since Blue, whereas Pokémon Crystal featured several notable differences).
- These games were released in Japan almost exactly one year after the Japanese release of Pokémon Platinum, being released the day before the anniversary.
- The font used for the English titles of these games are different than the font that has been used since Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, while the Japanese logos are still in the same style used since those games. FireRed and LeafGreen also used a different font than the Hoenn games, however, it was still the same color.
- Additionally, the Ho-Oh crest shaped like a heart and Lugia soul are used in the English logos, while the fire and leaf that appear on FireRed and LeafGreen's Japanese logos were not used in the English release.
- These games mark the first time that the English versions were announced before the games themselves came out in Japan.
- Because of HM05's conversion from Defog to Whirlpool, these games are the only games in which all available HMs teach damaging moves (both Defog and Flash, contained in HM05, prevented this in previous games).
- Unlike Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, most Trainer classes keep their Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum sprites in battle.
- These are the first games in which major characters offer their Pokémon for a trade with the player, with Gym Leaders Brock, Lt. Surge, and Jasmine and Hoenn's former champion Steven Stone offering Pokémon of their specialty type in exchange for another.
- These are the first games in which an in-game trade accepts any Pokémon of any gender, with Jasmine accepting such in exchange for her Steelix.
- Unlike how FireRed and LeafGreen's intro was an updated version of the opening from Red and Green, HeartGold and SoulSilver have an entirely new intro, using none of the footage from the intro of Gold and Silver. The intro however, uses some music that was in the original and the title screen displays 3D renders of Ho-Oh and Lugia in movement similar to the original title screens.
- HeartGold and SoulSilver include the champions from each of the paired versions: Blue from Red and Green, Lance from Gold and Silver, Steven Stone from Ruby and Sapphire, and Cynthia from Diamond and Pearl.
- The credits of HeartGold and SoulSilver are the first to feature Gym Leaders, Elite Four members and villainous team members.
- Most "eyecatches" for the locations feature a Pokémon that is able to be caught in said location.
- There's a minor quirk involving the Poké Mart signs, in which they are sometimes shown to be placed on the edges of trees, making it appear as if it was built there.
- All original eight Gym Leaders of Kanto appear in HeartGold and SoulSilver. Koga and Giovanni are no longer Leaders, instead having other roles in the games.
- The Pokédex entries for the Pokémon that existed in Gold and Silver are carried on over to HeartGold and SoulSilver, respectively, much as how FireRed used the entries from the Japanese Red and Green while LeafGreen used the entries from Blue.
- HeartGold and SoulSilver will have the quickest translation from Japanese to Korean in the entire history of the series. Gold and Silver, their namesakes, took the longest to be translated into the language, taking nearly three years.
- This also makes these games the first in the entire series to be released in Korea before it was released in North America.
- Pokémon Crystal, unlike Gold and Silver, introduced a special theme for the legendary beasts. The theme was remade for HeartGold and SoulSilver; however, there are 3 versions of it, each for one of the legendary beasts.
In other languages
- Spanish: Edición Oro HeartGold/Edición Plata SoulSilver
External links
- Official Japanese Announcement
- Official English Announcement
- Official Japanese Site
- Official English Site
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |
