Pokémon Crystal Retrospective

Pokémon Crystal follows the same gameplay structure that the series has established up to this point. You’re a kid in a small town (male or female, with Crystal introducing a gender option), and it’s time to go out on an adventure. Local researcher Professor Elm sends you and your new starter Pokémon (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile) out to inquire on the latest discovery of Mr. Pokémon, a hobbyist who often helps with Pokémon research. While you’re there, you meet Professor Oak of Pokémon Red/Blue fame, and he gives you a Pokédex to record information about newly caught Pokémon. Afterwards, Elm’s lab is robbed by a mysterious red-haired trainer who you encounter and battle on the way back. This guy will be your rival throughout the game. From there, your mission is set. The goal is to complete the Pokémon League by defeating the eight Gym Leaders of Johto and earning Gym Badges. 

Much like how I picked a different version of Gen 2 than usual, I also picked a different starter than usual in my personal playthrough. Chikorita is a cute little Grass type that is widely seen as the worst option out of the three in Johto. This is simply because Grass types are weak to several of the Gym Leaders’ types, including the first two in Falkner and Bugsy. I decided to challenge myself and use Chikorita instead of my usual choice, Cyndaquil. The beauty of Pokémon is its replay value, and getting a different experience every time through using different Pokémon on your team. I used a team that was a mix of personal favorites and Pokémon that I hadn’t really used before.

The journey through the Johto region is full of twists and turns. Along the way, you face remnants of Team Rocket, who are looking to make a comeback following their disbanding in Red/Blue. You also encounter Eusine, a man who is investigating Legendary Pokémon in Ecruteak City, specifically the legendary beast Suicune. These events add multiple story arcs beyond just the gym challenge, as you must later stop Team Rocket from taking over the Goldenrod City Radio Tower, as well as encountering (and in my case capturing) Suicune. 

After obtaining the eighth Gym Badge by defeating Dragon-type user Clair in Blackthorn City, you challenge the Pokémon League at Indigo Plateau in Kanto, which is across the water from New Bark Town. The Elite Four are a very difficult challenge, especially Champion Lance. But if you win, you are the new Pokémon League champion. The credits roll, and you’re back in New Bark Town, leading to one of the best twists in gaming history. You receive a call from Professor Elm and he gives you a ticket for the Fast Ship S.S. Aqua, which sails to Vermillion City in Kanto. From there, the entirety of the Kanto region is available to explore, with eight additional Gym Leaders to face. The game being able to have two regions and hours of content on one Game Boy cartridge is nothing short of incredible, and it was largely possible thanks to the efforts of the late, great Satoru Iwata, who contributed compression tools to Gold/Silver’s development, allowing everything to fit into the limited space of a Game Boy cartridge.

The return to the Kanto region in Generation 2 provides a mixed sort of bittersweet feeling, at least in my opinion. As you go through the region, it becomes apparent that things have changed. One of the main examples of this is Lavender Town. The Pokémon Tower, which served as a grave site for Pokémon in Red/Blue has been replaced with Kanto’s Radio Tower, serving as a counterpart to the one in Goldenrod City. The cemetery is still there, albeit in a smaller building next to the tower. Mr. Fuji is still there, taking care of Pokémon and helping out. Lavender Town’s trademark creepy tune sounds happier in Crystal, as it’s been a few years since Red calmed the spirit of the Marowak haunting the Pokémon Tower. 

The other major change in Kanto that occurred between the events of Generation 1 and 2 is the fate of Cinnabar Island. One year before the events of Crystal, the volcano on the island erupted, wiping out the town, including the Cinnabar Gym and Pokémon Mansion. A lone Pokémon Center is all that remains. You encounter Blue there, and he ponders the events of the past few years, such as his loss to Red and the volcanic eruption. Since the events of Generation 1, Blue has replaced Giovanni as Viridian City’s Gym Leader. Meanwhile, Blaine, the former Cinnabar Gym Leader, has moved himself to a remote cave in the Seafoam Islands. He plans to rebuild his Gym, and still drops his famous “You better have BURN HEAL!” line. The destruction of Cinnabar Island is sad, but there is some comfort in knowing that Blaine is still out there, ready to emerge with a new Gym someday. 

After defeating the eight Kanto Gym Leaders, you get access to Mt. Silver, a treacherous peak that lies between the Johto and Kanto regions. At the top is the ultimate final boss of the game: Red himself. It’s truly an unreal moment to essentially face yourself from the previous generation with your new team. After approaching him, he doesn’t say a word and the fight begins. Red is by far the toughest battle in the game. His Pokémon are a much higher level than anyone else’s, mostly in the 70s and peaking with a Level 81 Pikachu. Although there is a ridiculous level curve, I was able to defeat him regardless with my team around Level 50. After this battle, the game is truly over, and you are free to explore both regions, re-challenge the Elite Four, and work towards completing the Pokédex.

As far as the game itself goes, Pokémon Crystal mostly holds up. Although there are some quirks gameplay-wise, such as the game being from before the introduction of the physical-special split, it’s largely a fully playable and enjoyable Pokémon experience to this day. One critique many have is that of the game’s level curve, such as during the Pokémon League and aforementioned Red battle. I agree that it does get pretty crazy in some spots, but it’s not unplayable and I was able to get through everything without much trouble. Another thing I take issue with is the availability of some Pokémon. Newly introduced Pokémon like Murkrow, the Houndour line, the Slugma line, and Misdreavus are all only available in Kanto, making it incredibly inconvenient to acquire them and practically not worth using them on your team. Other than those issues, Crystal is still a very enjoyable game 24 years later.

The graphics and music of Crystal are also very good, especially considering the hardware it was made for. Crystal offers the best graphics the series has seen on a handheld up to this point, in full color and introducing sprite animations for the first time. The music is also incredible, doing the most with 8-bit sound hardware. My favorite tracks in the game are New Bark Town, Goldenrod City, Ecruteak City, National Park, Johto Route 42, the Champion battle theme, the End Credits theme, S.S. Aqua, Kanto Route 3, and Lavender Town. There’s also many more great songs in the game that I didn’t list there. 

To conclude, it was a lot of fun revisiting the second generation of Pokémon with Crystal. Pokémon is a series you can always go back to when you need something to play, and it’s the perfect handheld game to play anywhere. I personally played through Crystal on the Miyoo Mini V4 emulation handheld, oftentimes while I was out and about. Pokémon Crystal is still a very good game, and it’s worth revisiting if you haven’t played it in a long time. If the Pokémon series has passed you by up to this point, Crystal is also a great starting point for those who are new.