First Steps Into Kanto - Special Thanks Satoru Iwata

I’ve wanted to write about this particular topic for a while, but now is arguably the most appropriate time to write about it. Pokémon Crystal is a very important game to me. It is the namesake of this blog. It is the game that got me into RPGs. It is a game that cemented Pokémon as one of my all-time favorite game series. It is, without hyperbole, my favorite videogame.

            With the recent passing of Satoru Iwata, I’ve been thinking a lot about Pokémon Crystal again. It is not exactly Iwata’s biggest game. In fact, Iwata is only credited as a Special Thanks in the credits of Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, Pokémon Crystal wouldn’t be half the game it is without Iwata.

            The story goes Iwata developed some file compression tools to help add more content into Pokémon Gold and Silver which would end up being the Kanto portion of the game. His brief involvement made the games almost literally twice the games they were originally planned to be. I am forever grateful for his involvement. However, the goal of this piece is not to dwell on Iwata’s passing. I want to talk about how I felt taking my first steps back into the Kanto region playing Pokémon Crystal.

First Step Into Kanto

            Typically when playing Pokémon your goal is to become the Pokémon Champion of your region. You travel the region, form of a team with the new region’s Pokémon, collect the 8 gym badges, and challenge the Elite Four and the Champion at the Pokémon League to earn the rank of Champion and complete the game. However, the Generation II series is a bit different thanks to the expanded content made possible thanks to Iwata. On your way to the Pokémon League to challenge the Johto Champion, you are stopped and told you took your first steps into Kanto. You are told to check your map. Suddenly a whole new map appears before you to explore. Once you become Pokémon Champion of Johto you are asked to challenge the Gym Leaders of the Kanto region, the region from the original Pokémon games. Suddenly the game now has a whole surprise second half, and the surprises just start there.

            Taking the first steps into Kanto was very special to me. I was young and witnessing the game suddenly unfold into twice its expected size blew my mind. That was just the start though. The first steps into Kanto were a big deal, but I was never prepared for what lay ahead in this familiar, but new frontier.

Misty Appearing Older Than She Did In Her Original Appearance in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green

 

What Remains of the city of Cinnabar Island

Blaine's New Makeshift Gym In a Seafoam Island Cave

            The Generation II Pokémon games are a sequel. Time has passed in Kanto which has changed some parts of the familiar region dramatically. Familiar characters such as the old Gym Leaders have aged visually. One Gym Leader, Koga was promoted to an Elite Four member so the Fuchsia City Gym Leader position was replaced with Koga’s daughter Janine. The iconic Viridian Forest that many players remember from the originals is now reduced to a route of mere shrubs. In the time passed between games, Cinnabar Island was destroyed by volcanic eruptions. A whole town integral to the adventure in Kanto was now gone, and the Gym Leader Blaine moved his Gym into a cave in Seafoam Island. The final Gym of Viridian City was led by the leader of the antagonist group Team Rocket, Giovanni. However, Giovanni left the group between games along with his position as Viridian City Gym Leader. In a huge surprise, the new Viridian City Gym Leader was now the former Champion of Kanto and the rival character from the original Pokémon games, Blue.

            After defeating Blue and claiming your final badge in Kanto, the final challenge of the Generation II Pokémon games awaits in the mysterious Mt. Silver. You make your way through Mt. Silver to be greeted with one final challenge.

The Final Battle

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Red

            The final challenge is the Pokémon Champion of Kanto, the player character from the original Pokémon games, Pokémon Trainer Red. This final surprise was probably one of the most exciting finales to a game in my childhood. To end the long journey through Johto and the unexpected journey through Kanto against the character I played as in the original game was the stuff of dreams, but it was real and in my hands.

The battle is one of the hardest in the game with an unprecedented team of Pokémon near the 80 levels. The team is made of six Pokémon; Pikachu, Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Espeon, and Snorlax. These Pokemon represent the journey of the first Pokémon game through the Kanto region. There are the four possible starters and cover mascots of the first generation titles. There’s an Espeon which is an evolved form of an Eevee you receive as a gift on your journey, and of course the Snorlax you find blocking your way that you awoke with the PokeFlute. The Espeon choice is particularly interesting as they could have gone with one of many of Eevee’s other evolutions, but went with Espeon. Likely this is the case because Red’s team already has most the other types covered and Psychic happens to be more advantageous than Umbreon’s Dark due to Snorlax being weak to Fighting, which Espeon counters. Espeon also evolves through Friendship which implies Red and Espeon have a strong bond. Also, Espeons are known to be very loyal to trainers they deem worthy, though this information was only stated in the game in the Generation III Pokedex.

Two Champions challenge one another in the depths of Mt. Silver. Both Champions prepare their powerful teams for battle. Only one Champion will stand in the end as the victor, the superior champion between both Kanto and Johto, a true Pokémon Master. Three long journeys have built up to this, from Kanto to Johto and back to Kanto again. I feel that makes a more than fitting finale for such a long journey.

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            And just like that Pokémon Generation II ends.

Special Thanks

Satoru Iwata

(1959 – 2015)