Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver for Nintendo DS

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are 2009 remakes of Pokémon Gold and Silver for the Nintendo DS, developed by Game Freak. Metacritic prints a score of 87 for each of the two editions.

Overview

Wikipedia dates the originals to 1999 on Game Boy Color, and the remakes arrived ten years later, first in Japan on 12 September 2009 to mark the anniversary. English-language releases followed in March 2010: 14 March in North America, 25 March in Australia and 26 March in Europe. The Pokémon Company published in Japan, and Nintendo worldwide.

Director Shigeki Morimoto described two aims. Respect the memories of people who played Gold and Silver, and still make the games feel new to those who came to the series on the Game Boy Advance or the DS. The Celadon City developer’s stand-in character in the game states a similar goal.

The two editions differ in the legendary Pokémon mascot: Ho-Oh for HeartGold and Lugia for SoulSilver, as the North American box art shows.

How it plays

Mechanics follow earlier handheld Pokémon games. The player explores from an overhead view, captures creatures with Poké Balls and fights turn-based battles in which a move, an item, a switch or an escape is chosen. A silent protagonist from New Bark Town picks Chikorita, Cyndaquil or Totodile from Professor Elm, collects the eight Johto badges, beats the Elite Four, and then travels to Kanto for a second set of eight gym leaders. The last opponent is Red on Mt. Silver. Team Rocket seizes the radio tower along the way.

New features, per Wikipedia, include a partner Pokémon that follows the player in the overworld, the Pokéathlon minigame played on the touch screen, a customisable Safari zone, a permanent Running Shoes feature, and GB Sounds, an item that switches the music to chiptune versions. International releases replace the old slot machines with Voltorb Flip, which Wikipedia describes as a cross between Minesweeper and Picross.

Each copy included a Pokéwalker pedometer. A Pokémon can be transferred into it, and walking with it earns watts to be exchanged for rewards. Wi-Fi was used for trading and battling with owners of these games and of Diamond, Pearl and Platinum.

Release and credits

Wikipedia and Metacritic agree on Game Freak as developer and on 14 March 2010 as the North American date. Before launch, GameStop in North America ran a promotion from 27 February to 13 March 2010 in which Diamond, Pearl and Platinum owners could download a free Jirachi through Mystery Gift.

Reception

Metacritic’s score is 87 for HeartGold (59 reviews) and 87 for SoulSilver (49 reviews), and Wikipedia says both sit among the top twenty rated DS games on the site. Famitsu scored the pair 37 out of 40 with individual marks of 9, 10, 9 and 9. The only drawback it named was the absence of major surprises.

1UP.com’s Justin Haywald called it the strongest Pokémon game up to that point, while IGN’s Craig Harris described the remakes as a way to pass the time until a new generation. Eurogamer’s Keza MacDonald gave 9 out of 10. Game Informer’s Annette Gonzalez said she hoped for a title that would break new ground. Combined sales reached 12.72 million by March 2014.

Can you still play it?

Both cartridges work on the DS, DS Lite, DSi and the Nintendo 3DS family in DS mode. Wii U and Switch consoles do not read DS cards. The cards are not DSi-only, so Wikipedia’s region lock article implies they are region-free.

Online features are gone. Nintendo shut the Wi-Fi Connection on 20 May 2014, which ended internet trades and battles. Nintendo discontinued the 3DS family on 16 September 2020, so used cards are the usual source.