Pokémon Gold had two regions. Two. The moment you arrive in Kanto — after beating the Elite Four in Johto, after you think the game is over — is one of the greatest surprises in gaming history. I remember the exact moment I took the first steps through Mt. Silver’s exit and found the Pokémon Center at the Viridian gate, and realised where I was. I genuinely yelled. I was eleven. I’m not embarrassed.
Gold was the first Pokémon game to have a real-time clock. Day and night cycles affected which Pokémon appeared on which routes. Certain events only happened at specific times. The Pokégear radio had different programming in the morning versus the evening. These were features that seem obvious now but were completely mind-blowing in 1999/2000, on a device with a screen so small you had to angle it toward a light source to see properly.
The Johto region is the most atmospherically distinct of any Pokémon generation. Ecruteak City and its twin Kimono Girls and the Burned Tower and Lugia lurking beneath the Whirl Islands — it’s a region steeped in mythology and history in a way even modern Pokémon games struggle to match. The Radio Tower takeover by Team Rocket mid-game felt genuinely urgent. Morty’s gym was genuinely difficult with its invisible floor.
Red, the final boss — the protagonist of the original games, encountered in silence at the summit of Mt. Silver after climbing through a blizzard — is the greatest final boss in Pokémon history. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t gloat. His team (Level 80+ across the board) simply demolishes you if you arrive unprepared, and winning requires your best possible effort. It’s perfect.
HeartGold/SoulSilver on DS gave Gold a gorgeous remake with features that made the Kanto postgame more expansive. But the original GBC cartridge, with its tiny sprite work and the specific tones of the Game Boy Color’s 56-colour palette, is the version I played 300 hours in. Pokémon Gold is where the series peaked before it knew what it was. And it gave us the Marill side quest, which is reason enough.