Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Remakes of Gold and Silver for the Nintendo DS.

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are 2009 remakes of the 1999 Game Boy Color role-playing video games Pokémon Gold and Silver, also incorporating features from Pokémon Crystal. Developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS, they are part of the fourth generation of the Pokémon video game series. As of March 2014, the two games' combined sales reached 12.72 million, making them the eighth best-selling DS video games of all time.

Quick Facts

Developer

Game Freak

Publisher

The Pokémon Company (JP); Nintendo (WW)

Director

Shigeki Morimoto

Producer

Junichi Masuda
Shusaku Egami
Hitoshi Yamagami
Hiroaki Tsuru

Artist

Takao Unno

Writer

Akihito Tomisawa
Kenji Matsushima
Toshinobu Matsumiya

Composer

Go Ichinose
Shota Kageyama
Hitomi Sato
Junichi Masuda
Takuto Kitsuta

Series

Pokémon

Facts from the source article.

Did You Know?

The games' director, Shigeki Morimoto, aimed to respect the feelings of those who played the original Gold and Silver while making the games feel new to recent players.
An in-game author surrogate of Game Freak's President in Celadon City states the team strove to appeal to players with fond memories without redoing the same thing.

Setting and story

The games take place in the Johto and Kanto Regions of the franchise's fictional universe, which centers on creatures called Pokémon with special abilities. The silent protagonist is a young Pokémon Trainer from New Bark Town who chooses a starter Pokémon—Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile—from Professor Elm. After a delivery for the professor and receiving a Pokédex from Professor Oak, the player begins a journey to become the best Trainer in Johto by raising Pokémon, completing the Pokédex, defeating eight Gym Leaders for badges, and challenging the Elite Four and the Johto League Champion.

Throughout the game, the player battles Team Rocket, a criminal organization from Kanto that was originally defeated by the protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; they attempt to contact their missing boss Giovanni by taking over the radio tower. The games incorporate plot elements from Pokémon Crystal, including added emphasis on Suicune and the post-ending Battle Frontier. The player's rival appears for battles at certain points, and Kimono Girls ask for small favors; after battling all of them, they perform a dance to summon the legendary mascot—Ho-Oh in HeartGold and Lugia in SoulSilver. Other legendary Pokémon can be obtained later.

Release and promotion

Rumors of a remake circulated in early May 2009 after the Japanese show Pokémon Sunday announced a world-exclusive first announcement for its next episode. Kris Pigna of 1UP.com speculated that gold and silver disco balls in the background alluded to a remake of Gold and Silver for the Nintendo DS, consistent with the earlier remakes FireRed and LeafGreen. Nintendo later confirmed the remakes as HeartGold and SoulSilver and released official logos, stating the games would contain numerous updates without specifics.

The games were released in Japan on September 12, 2009, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the original Gold and Silver. Junichi Masuda wrote on his blog that Game Freak spent long and firm time developing the titles and that Gold & Silver would return with far more excitement. At the 2009 Pokémon World Championships, Nintendo announced North American release between January and March 2010, European release around May and June, and Australian release in April.

From February 27 to March 13, 2010, GameStop hosted a promotion allowing players of Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum to download a free Jirachi via Mystery Gift. A Pikachu-colored Pichu could be downloaded via Wi-Fi to unlock a Spiky-eared Pichu in Ilex Forest. The games released in North America on March 14, 2010; in Australia on March 25, 2010; and in Europe on March 26, 2010, except in the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium where they released on April 2, 2010.

A three-disc soundtrack featuring music by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, Hitomi Sato, Shota Kageyama, and Takuto Kitsuta was released in Japan on October 28, 2009.

Reception

Upon the announcement of HeartGold and SoulSilver, fans posted reactions online. IGN editor Jack DeVries reasoned the primary reason for the remakes was compatibility with Diamond and Pearl, allowing collection of previously unobtainable Pokémon species. He expressed skepticism that the new titles could match the originals, noting that Gold and Silver introduced many features that became standards, such as full color support, an internal clock, Pokémon breeding, and the PokéGear.

After playing some of the game, DeVries wrote that he liked what he saw, though it felt very familiar and formulaic. The games hold an aggregate score of 87 on Metacritic, placing them among the top 20 rated DS games on the site. Famitsu awarded a composite score of 37 out of 40 (9, 10, 9, 9), praising retention of the original quality but noting no major surprises. Nintendo Power gave one of the highest scores, remarking on replay value while criticizing no improvement in graphic animation for Pokémon sprites.

Official Nintendo Magazine called them the best Pokémon games yet. Game Informer's Annette Gonzalez stated that while the classic formula still works, she hoped for a new Pokémon title that breaks new ground.