Go catch'em all in this addictive Game Boy RPG.
The story in Pokemon is incredibly simple; you play as a young boy setting out to become a Pokemon master and defeat the Elite Four; a group of four powerful Pokemon trainers. That's basically where the story ends. There is a little side-story with Team Rocket that takes center stage for most of the game but it's not very deep, though it isn't explained either. That's fine however, your main drive is to become Pokemon Master and to try and catch all 150 Pokemon. Therefore, I will not bother scoring the game by it's story.
The gameplay is where it's at in Pokemon Blue. You view the game from a top-down perspective and move around towns and fields called routes. There you talk to people, fight wild Pokemon and trainers. The wild Pokemon appear when you step into tall grass and when fighting them you can capture them and use them as your own. Your main goal in the game is to move from town to town, battling the Gym Leader in each town to earn their badge. Each badge allows your Pokemon to become stronger and allows you to own more powerful Pokemon. You don't do much else in the world except talk to people and walk, the combat is where the game focuses obviously.
When in combat, you can control one of the six Pokemon you carry with you. Each Pokemon has a level and gains experience as it defeats enemy Pokemon, much like in other RPGs. Each Pokemon also has up to four moves it can use and each has it's own type; as do Pokemon. These types have weaknesses and strengths; for example, Electric is super effective against water but weak against ground. Every type has at least one weakness and quite a few have multiple. This adds depth to the otherwise simple combat since you need a balanced team to beat the tougher trainers, especially the Gym Leaders. Each Gym Leader has a set type, the first Gym Leader uses Rock type, and you need to abuse the weaknesses to defeat them. Most Gym Leaders end up being quite a challenge even with their weaknesses on hand.
As Pokemon level up they gain new moves that they can fight with and once most reach a certain level they evolve. Once they evolve, they become stronger and an a different Pokemon. The allure of seeing all the evolutions of your favorite Pokemon pushes you through the game. There are 150 Pokemon in the game and there are quite a few that you cannot obtain with just one version of the game which means you will have to trade with the Red Version. With a Link Cable, you can trade with a friend or battle them. Battling adds a new thrill to the game since you are fighting an intelligent opponent that can fight to your weaknesses as much as you fight to theirs. The gameplay in Pokemon Blue is addicting and fantastic, not to mention that the ability to save anywhere is perfect for a portable game.
The audio in Pokemon makes the best out the Game Boy's limited audio capabilities. The music is catchy and will bore into your brain after long lengths of play as will the sound effects, which are pretty simple. Each Pokemon has a "call" when thrown into combat and you'll get both fond of them and annoyed of them at the end of your journey. Overall, the audio is great for the platform.
The presentation is what you'd expect from the Game Boy. Character sprites are small and simple and look alright. When in the Pokemon menu, the Pokemon only have a few different looks but in combat, the Pokemon sprites are more defined. Some look great, others look terrible, usually when you are fighting as them. It was to be expected from a game this large on a limited platform like the Game Boy but it really stands against the game. The overworld looks good but it has very little unique details, if something is used it'll be used in the other areas as well. The game does look good for a Game Boy game however.
PROs
- Deep combat
- A lot of Pokemon to catch and train
- Long quest that keeps you coming back
- Lots of choice in team building
- Challenging adventure
- Catchy music and sound effects
- Charming world
CONs
- Limited visuals
- Story is thrown out the window
- Simple world
- Sound effects can get annoying
- Can get repetitive
Overall, Pokemon Blue is the reason to own a Game Boy. It's a lengthy game with a lot of Pokemon to collect. There isn't a whole lot to do other than go and fight all the Gym Leaders and eventually the Elite Four but it's a quest worth taking. The Combat is deep, the Pokemon are all mostly charming, the world is memorable as is the music. The visuals may be poor and there may not be a whole lot of variety but that doesn't stop Pokemon Blue from being one of the best RPGs in a while and it's one you can take on the road. Grab your ball caps, throw them on, head out into the Kanto region and Catch'em all!
Story: N/A
Gameplay: 10/10
Audio: 8.5/10
Presentation: 7.5/10