It’s been 17 years since Pokémon Crystal arrived on the Nintendo Game Boy Colour in 2000; are you feeling old yet? Well you’ll have the chance to relive some of your childhood memories now that it’s getting a release onto the Nintendo 3DS as a virtual console game through the Nintendo eShop! I gotta admit, I’m really excited for this release as Crystal was, and still is one of my all-time favourite releases in the game’s illustrious 20 year catalogue.
Pokémon Crystal was a game of significant firsts, with the introduction of a female trainer as one of your playable characters, taking a step in the right direction for gaming gender equality. It was also the first Pokémon game in the franchise to feature Pokémon sprite animations during battles before becoming the norm in Gen V. Alongside this was the unique tale featuring Suicune, one of the three legendary dog Pokémon of Silver and Gold.
The day Pokémon Crystal launches it will be automatically compatible with Pokémon Bank and allow players to select Pokémon from the classic core games (Red, Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Gold included) and transfer them to the latest core games in the series. Not only this but players will also be able to utilise the wireless capabilities of the 3DS to engage in link trades and link battles with each other. Also with the assistance of the Time Capsule feature players can battle and trade with Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow.
In this version of Pokémon Crystal, players will have the chance to encounter and capture the mythical Celebi, the time travel Pokémon (pictured above). After completing the game, there will feature an event that grants players the opportunity to make the Grass/Psychic Pokémon part of their team. This originally was not part of the game as Celebi could only be obtained when you used the special accessory, the GS Ball.
Pokémon Crystal will be available to purchase and download from the Nintendo eShop on January 26th 2018 for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS. If you’re looking for a bit of Poké-nostalgia you need look no further as this classic in the series will keep you glued to your handheld system for hours on end.
About the Author
Kieren Munn
A typical gaymer, I enjoy most RPG's, Platformers, and Fighting games. I started gaming early with Sonic the Hedgehog, Mortal Kombat and Alex the Kidd on my Sega Mega Drive. This started a "healthy" obsession that has spanned 5 generations of consoles, and I won't be stopping anytime soon.
