There’s a reason why so many people hold this generation close to their hearts. The difficulty level is also pitched pretty well, and there are plenty of rewards for battling through to the end. Unova feels unique, and there are heaps of new creatures to catch and lofty themes to ponder. There is also an exclusive section of the post-game for each different version: in Black, you get to visit the modern metropolis Black City and in White, you can head over to the White Forest, where people and Pokémon live in peace. This follows on nicely from the duplicity that runs through both games – the themes of the industrial versus the natural, and the idea of friendship as an alternative to battling – and it gives gamers a larger reward than usual for defeating the game.Īll in all, Black and White still hold up. After defeating N and Alder, you get access to a whole new eastern section of Unova that features Pokémon from previous regions and cameos from Sinnoh champion Cynthia and Game Freak’s Shigeki Morimoto. The post-game fun in Black and Whiteis also pretty significant. Read More: Everything You Need to Know About Pokemon Sword and Shield It’s a small thing, but an enjoyable twist on the expected formula. You then have to go back and defeat the Elite Four again, before battling Alder and completing the main bit of the game. For instance, when you think you’re about to defeat the Champ, you actually end up battling N and having to catch a legendary. That being said, there are points in the game when finding your way feels like a proper challenge: the mountainous take on Victory Road, for example, requires a fair bit of skill, memory, and research to find a way through.īlack and White also find ways to wrongfoot the player and elongate the experience just when you think you’re nearing the end. After almost every gym battle, for instance, you’ll come outside to find a character wanting to speak to you or point you towards your next destination. And the final showdown with N, involving the legendary beasties Zekrom and Reshiram, is also pretty epic.Ī lot of things feel fresh and new in Black and White, although there is a stronger sense than usual that you’re playing a game that’s on rails. There are numerous points in the game where you have to defeat legions of Team Plasma goons in a row, which adds a nice level of difficulty to the proceedings. A key figure in the team is N, a trainer that is fondly remembered among fans of the franchise, not least because his belief that Pokémon should be used for friendship rather than battling is actually pretty reasonable.
The Unova region also hosts a fairly unique villainous team: Team Plasma, who dress like knights and have an obsession with freeing Pokémon from the oppression of human trainers. Unova also plays host to a whopping 156 brand new Pokémon, topping the previous record of newcomers that was set by Red and Blue’s 151. Rather than taking inspiration from a segment of Japan, this new location was based on New York City and positioned a great distance away from the old familiar places of the series. Take the central setting, for instance: the Unova region represents a major departure from all the previous regions. The big, bold choices from the development team at Game Freak have helped this game retain its freshness.
Booting up Black in 2019, though, it is clear that this generation still holds up pretty well. Without new hardware to showcase, the 5th Generation of the franchise could have easily felt like a lull. Diamond and Pearl had already mastered the move to DS, and we were still three years away from Xand Ymaking the next big leap with the transition onto the 3DS. Looking back, Pokemon Black and White was something of an in-betweeny point in the franchise’s development.
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