Pokemon Silver brought me to my favorite region, and let return to Kanto as well. In an era now long since passed it is good to find myself playing this amazing game. This is actually the first time I’ve played it, in English, as the first time I played through it, it was a Japanese import. I had received it as a gift and the gifter had decided it would be cool to get an imported copy of both gold and silver. I needed a guide to play through the game, as obviously at the age of 8 I had no idea how to read Japanese.
Through playing that game though I developed a love of this region. Crystal followed after I had logged so many hours in my Japanese imports. I discovered my favorite Pokemon in Johto, and that Pokemon is Feraligatr. I also discovered a few other mainstays to a Johto team of mine, and that is always a good thing.
Coming back to Johto brings me back to a time now lost. A time where you couldn’t just wirelessly trade for Pokemon. You needed to have your friend nearby, literally next to you. My friends were around a lot as 8-year old which certainly is a good thing. Pokemon Silver was one of those amazing games that you wanted to play knowing friends were playing it as well. I logged hours upon hours in these old games even after my younger sister deleted my save files.
Johto will always be a stand out region to me because it brought us back to Kanto, the only time a game has done that. Two regions in one game, now that was revolutionary. I remember seeing Kanto for the first time in the game. Having just beat all the gyms it was time to head to the Elite Four. Surfing along I hop off Feraligatr and bam a man comes up to me, tells me I’m in Kanto. My young mind was blown, I was ecstatic.
Johto also has the distinction of having the first dark type Pokemon which in of itself is so cool. Pokemon that could stand up to the power of the wicked psychic types. Those psychic types really were so strong, it is actually a little shocking. I’ll always hope for a dark type gym, but of course in Japan, they are considered just a little too evil.
Pokemon Silver is just such a great game, with amazing music, great new Pokemon, and so many things to do and explore. Having 16 gym badges is also such a blast as you literally have double the fun. Battling Kanto Gym Leaders is also fun, along with facing Red and Blue again. I was a little disappointed that you couldn’t face your old team like in Twitch Plays Pokemon. That really would have been a great touch.
While it might have been weird playing a Japanese import I will always look back on that time with happiness. Playing Pokemon Silver will always have an effect on me, and I hope one day we get a next-gen remake of this game. I will always be down to jump back into this game, and relive the story, and remember what it was like, being 8. Playing a brand new Pokemon game before other kids, not understanding the game and using a guide, but loving it all the same.
Pokemon Silver will always be one of those comfort games, and I’m glad for it. I shocked myself this time playing the game through in only 15 hours, and to me that is extraordinary. So, thank you to my team of Feraligatr, Girafarig, Ampharos, Togetic, Donphan, and the Shiny Gyarados, you were all amazing. Pokemon Silver is available now on the Eshop, and if you’ve never experienced it I wholeheartedly think you should!