Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow

Did You Know?

• The player begins in Pallet Town in the Kanto Region, inspired by but not to be confused with the real-life Kantō region of Japan.
• Professor Oak's grandson will always choose the starter Pokémon that is stronger against the player's starting Pokémon.
• Pokémon have hit points; when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and can no longer battle until revived.

Development

Satoshi Tajiri pitched the concept of Pokémon to Nintendo's staff in 1990 and was met with skepticism. Shigeru Miyamoto saw potential in the idea and convinced the company to proceed. The initial concept stemmed from Tajiri's childhood hobby of insect collecting; as urbanization reduced insect populations, he noticed children playing indoors and conceived a video game with insect-like creatures called Pokémon. Tajiri wanted players to name and control Pokémon to represent emotions like fear or anger as a way to relieve stress, but he insisted that Pokémon never bleed or die in battle—only faint—to avoid adding pointless violence to gaming.

The trading concept was inspired by a frustrating experience Tajiri had while playing Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, where he could not obtain a rare item that Ken Sugimori had acquired two of. Tajiri wished to trade items between games but found it impossible on the Famicom. When the Game Boy was released, Tajiri saw its link cable as perfect for his idea, envisioning players trading Pokémon rather than competing. This concept of transferring information was new to the industry.

Shigeru Miyamoto suggested creating multiple cartridges with different Pokémon to assist trading. Tajiri was also influenced by Square's Game Boy game The Final Fantasy Legend, which showed him that more than action games could be developed for the platform.

Release

The first Pokémon games released in Japan were Pocket Monsters Red and Green. Their development wrapped up in October 1995, with a planned launch of December 21, 1995, but this was pushed back to February 27, 1996 because related merchandise wasn't ready. Sales were slow initially but eventually picked up. A special edition, Pocket Monsters Blue, came out on October 15, 1996, available only by mail order to CoroCoro Comic subscribers.

It later saw a general retail release on October 10, 1999. This version had updated artwork, new dialogue, and used Blastoise as its mascot. The code, script, and artwork from Blue were later used for the international versions of Red and Green, which were renamed Red and Blue. To generate buzz, Satoshi Tajiri revealed a hidden Pokémon named Mew, which he felt sparked rumors and kept players engaged.

Mew was originally added as a private joke by Shigeki Morimoto, never meant for players to find. Nintendo eventually distributed Mew through official promotional events, but a glitch discovered in 2003 let players obtain it without those events. During localization for North America, a small team led by Hiro Nakamura renamed each Pokémon for Western audiences based on looks and traits, with Nintendo trademarking all 151 names to keep them exclusive.

Because the original source code was fragile after the long development, the games couldn't just be translated; they had to be completely reprogrammed. The international releases were thus built on the more modern Japanese Blue, using its programming and artwork while keeping the same Pokémon distribution as the Japanese Red and Green cartridges.

Reception

Critics widely praised Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow, which earned an 88% average on GameRankings. Reviewers especially highlighted the multiplayer features that let players trade and battle creatures. IGN’s Craig Harris awarded a perfect 10 out of 10, noting that finishing the main quest didn’t guarantee catching every Pokémon, and called the drive to collect them all the game’s strongest appeal. He also described the phenomenon among kids as a full-on craze.

GameSpot’s Peter Bartholow gave an 8.8 out of 10, calling the graphics and sound primitive but saying those were the only flaws. He praised the high replay value from customization and variety, and stressed that beneath its cute surface, Pokémon was a serious, deep RPG with strong multiplayer options that welcomed newcomers while still satisfying veteran players, calling it one of the best Game Boy games ever. The games’ success came from innovative gameplay rather than flashy audiovisuals.

Research from Columbia Business School through 1999 showed that children in both the US and Japan valued actual gameplay over special effects. The absence of artificial effects was said to encourage imagination and creativity. The Guardian noted the refreshing quality of the superb gameplay, which made the simple 8-bit graphics easy to overlook. At the second annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Red and Blue won Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development and were nominated for Console Game of the Year, Console Role-Playing Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design.

Legacy

The video game website 1UP.com ranked Red and Blue first on its list of Top 5 'Late to the Party' Games, calling them Nintendo's secret weapon when released for the Game Boy in the late 1990s. Their success revitalized the Game Boy. Nintendo Power listed the Red and Blue versions together as the third best video game for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Game Informer's Ben Reeves called them (along with Pokémon Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal) the second best Game Boy games, stating they had more depth than appeared.

Official Nintendo Magazine placed the Red and Blue versions 52nd on its list of the 100 best Nintendo games of all time. In 2019, PC Magazine named them on its list of The 10 Best Game Boy Games. In 2023, Time Extension included them on its Best JRPGs of All Time list for growing into an international phenomenon and popularizing the monster-catching genre. Red and Blue made number 72 on IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time in 2003, with reviewers noting the pair started a revolution and praising the deep game design and complex strategy, as well as the option to trade.

In 2007, Red and Blue were ranked at number 37, with reviewers remarking on their longevity. The games are widely credited with starting and paving the way for the successful multibillion-dollar series. Five years after initial release, Nintendo celebrated its Pokémonniversary. George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications of Nintendo of America, stated that those precious gems had evolved into Ruby and Sapphire.

The series has since sold over 300 million games, all accredited to the enormous success of the original Red and Blue versions.