Review - Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver

MOVIE remakes and songs covered by different musicians are pretty common these days, and the more cynical side of me says that this is because it's far easier to repeat a winning formula than make a new one. That's not to say that remakes can't be superior to their source material, but too often remakes are churned out in the hope that the name alone will sell the product.

The same can be said about video game remakes and reboots which take and old idea and try and put a new spin on it. Sometimes they're weak game hiding behind a strong name, other times they're genuine improvements on an already great title. Thankfully, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver fall into the latter category, and manage to be surpass the original Game Boy games they are based on, which is no small feat considering many fans, such as myself, consider theses to be the epitome of the series.

So many great ideas were introduced in the original Gold and Silver game, such as breeding and improved Pokémon designs that looked more like their anime counterparts. And of course these concepts have carried forward into newer versions so it was always going to be hard for HeartGold and SoulSilver to stand out from the saturated Pokémon market. But even though at first glance these may seem like just another couple of Pokémon games, it soon becomes clear how well designed the originals were and how incredible these updates really are.

Easily the biggest addition idea introduced into the series by the classic Gold and Silver games was the use of a real world clock that affected the game. I can fondly recall getting up early on Sunday to get to the Goldenrod City markets, and waiting until it was night-time so that my Eevee would evolve into an Umbreon. This idea has of course been carried forward, but to help HeartGold and SoulSilver break the fourth wall the way their forerunners did Nintendo have devised a way to have Pokémon on you at all times through the use of a Pokémon-themed pedometer.

The Pokéwalker comes packed in with the game and allows you to transfer one Pokémon from your game to it via an infrared port on top of the game cartridge, and then take it walking with you in the real world. Your steps generate watts which in turn can be used to find items and rare Pokémon through mini-games in the Pokéwalker. What seems like a gimmick at first proves to be a brilliant idea that keeps you in the game no matter what you’re doing. And seeing as the rarest Pokémon only show up after you've done 9,000 or more steps you'll be doing a lot of walking to get the most out of this ingenious device

Pokémon as possible, then battle them against the numerous gym leaders to earn badges and ultimately become the master of all Pokémon. And as per usual no one version has every Pokémon, so you’ll need to link up with other Pokémon fans and trade with them to complete your collection. All of this is pretty standard fare for a Pokémon game, but honestly none of these basic elements need to be changed. It's still a lot of fun fighting your way from town to town and engaging in epic battles with the tough gym leaders, and it's hard to not get at least a little excited when you stumble across a new Pokémon or hidden area containing rare items.

What HeartGold and SoulSilver do so well is make the world of Pokémon come to life. It's little things like finding a farmer raising a herd of Miltanks (a cow looking Pokémon), wandering around the bizarre Ruins of Alph or listening to the radio to find out where rare Pokémon are hiding that make this game so much fun to explore and makes the world feel that much more real. On top of this the actual story of HeartGold and SoulSilver is the strongest in the series, and while it's not an exactly an epic tale, it's still quite entertaining and has some nice little in jokes that long time fans of the series will love.

Focusing more on the actual gamer there as some new additions HeartGold and SoulSilver such as the ability to trade online, which was first introduced in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum a while back so its addition here is not surprising but welcome none-the-less. A bigger addition however is the Pokéathlon events which is a collection of mini-games that your Pokémon can compete in so you can earn you points to spend on buying rare items. While they do have a certain amount of charm to them I lost interest fairly quickly.

That said I can see their appeal, and I'm sure that these events will act as a nice distraction for certain players, but the need to be constantly swiping and tapping the touch screen does seem a little out of place in a Pokémon game. Despite this minor speed-bump, which is thankfully completely optional, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the pinnacle of a series that has constantly surprised its fans and defied its critics.

In a way this feels like the end of the classic Pokémon series, and it's clear that the next instalments will be moving in a slightly different direction. But honestly I could think of no better way to say 'thank you' to the fans than to re-release the best versions of the series and give them such an incredible make-over.

GRADE: A

Pokémon HeartGold (version reviewed) and SoulSilver are out now on the Nintendo DS. Review written after 50+ hours of play. Review guidelines