If you’ve never picked up a
Pokémon game before,
HeartGold is the perfect place to begin. This is the most polished iteration of a game that has deservedly sold millions of copies worldwide over the last fifteen years; a game that finely balances its collection aspect with a well constructed difficulty curve.
Players who are new to the series (and there still are people out there who have never played a Pokémon game) will find themselves immersed in a world that starts simply but will soon have them cursing their need to catch them all. If you throw in some really bloody difficult boss battles with later gym leaders and elusive legendary Pokémon, you have a happy gaming conundrum: a game for children, which adults will find challenging as well.
Nintendo has taken real care in updating
Gold and
Silver and the attention to detail is great; the graphics are exactly what I've come to expect from these new versions and the music is as fitting as ever.
As mentioned before,
Heartgold is basically a remix – the story remains untouched, and it pulls you into the world of Johto with its charm. This isn't a thrilling game by any stretch of the imagination, but if you’re willing to sink your time into it,
Pokémon HeartGold will offer you an entertaining challenge. A huge playtime and wide range of Pokémon to hunt down means you get insane value for money, and the online support means you'll be able to find opponents to take on with your ultimate team for a long time. In no way is this a huge leap forward, but its Pokémon… what do you expect?
Conclusion
Pokémon is as Marmite now as it's ever been, yet HeartGold and SoulSilver will still sell buckets. If you’re a fan of the series you’ll love it – it takes everything that’s good about the franchise and gives it an extra sheen of quality. If you’ve never played one, do yourself a favour and give it a try – Pokémon is such a huge part of game history you should do it at least once. It helps that it’s actually a really enjoyable and quality game – you just need to leave your hang-ups that Pokémon is for kids at the door. Just promise that you will never be That Guy. You’re so much better than that.
SPOnG Score: 91%
