Pokémon Celebrates Twentieth Anniversary

On 27 February 1996, the world was changed forever, as Pokémon Red and Green saw their original Japanese release. 20 years later, the franchise has grown into something more than just a game; the anime has run for nearly 1000 episodes, 19 feature-length films have been made and the manga has been released regularly since 1997. The power of the franchise is such that in 2006, Pokémon was reportedly worth a sixth of Japan’s entire GDP.

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I didn’t own a Pokémon game of my own until 2005. Until then, my experiences consisted of watching the anime and jealously hovering over my schoolmates’ shoulders as they played in the playground, but my obsession grew nonetheless. When my parents finally consented and bought me a copy of Sapphire for my Game Boy Advance, I poured more than 150 hours into my first playthrough, before I accidentally wiped the save file in one of the most traumatic moments of my young life. Generation Three remains easily my favourite iteration of the franchise to this day; Hoenn is spectacularly designed, the team Aqua/Magma rivalry is a perfect framework for one of the best stories the series ever told, and I still hold a special place in my heart for my first Blaziken. Since then, I’ve hopped intermittently back and forth through t h e world of Pokémon, devoting myself to Leaf Green, Crystal, Black 2, and most recently shelling out the best part of £200 so I could play the re-worked Alpha Sapphire.

I’m not the most devoted fan, but I don’t think there’s any other franchise that has held my attention for this length of time. Pokémon’s inherent charm is its undying appeal – while it’s not the same game it used to be, in that I actually know what I’m doing, there’s still an inherent sense of wonder that comes with starting a new game, and exploring a new world full of new Pokémon. There’s a timelessness to the games; no matter what your age or experience, you can play the games the way you want. When I was younger, I would pin all my hopes on my strongest Pokémon, regardless of its relative strengths and weaknesses, and pray it would carry me through; as I got older and more tactically-minded, I’d actually consider my approach to a challenge; and at the competitive level, the amount of time and effort that goes in to planning, breeding, and training a t e a m can be incredible.

There’s a timelessness to the games; no matter what your age or experience, you can play the games the way you want.

Obviously, a cash-cow this successful is going to bring with it a host of unsuccessful spin-offs, and is no exception. The films are hardly what you’d call critically-acclaimed, and there’s some downright weird merchandise out there.

But even when the gaming side of the franchise has veered away from its famous, tried-and-tested formula, it’s done so in an attempt to bring its world to life the way I dreamed of when I was younger. Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Stadium, the Mystery Dungeon and Ranger Games and the upcoming Pokken Tournament and Pokémon Go all add a new dimension to a game whose core tenet is so charmingly simple. While we may never again get to enjoy the same sense of awe that our first Pokémon game gave us, the sense of attachment and pride you feel as you progress through yet another Elite Four never quite goes away.

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