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Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions

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If you were looking for the Pokémon Trading Card Game expansion, see HeartGold & SoulSilver (TCG).
Pokémon HeartGold Version
ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド
HeartGold EN boxart.jpg
Pokémon HeartGold Version's boxart, featuring Ho-Oh.
Pokémon SoulSilver Version
ポケットモンスター ソウルシルバー
SoulSilver EN boxart.jpg
Pokémon SoulSilver Version's boxart, featuring Lugia.
Basic info
Platform: Nintendo DS
Category: RPG
Players: 1-4 players simultaneous
Connectivity: DS Wireless, Wi-Fi, IR (for Pokéwalker)
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Part of: Generation IV core series
Ratings
CERO: A
ESRB: E
ACB: G
OFLC: G
PEGI: 3
GRAC: ALL
GSRR: 6+
Release dates
Japan: September 12, 2009[1]
North America: March 14, 2010[2]
Australia: March 25, 2010[3][4]
Europe: March 26, 2010[5]
April 2, 2010*[6]
South Korea: February 4, 2010[7]
Hong Kong: N/A
Taiwan: September 12, 2009
Websites
Japanese: Pokémon.co.jp
Nintendo.co.jp
Official site
English: Pokémon.com (US)
Pokémon.com (UK)
Nintendo.com (HeartGold)
Nintendo.com (SoulSilver)
Nintendo.co.uk (HeartGold)
Nintendo.co.uk (SoulSilver)
Official site
Japanese boxart
HeartGold JP boxart.jpg
Boxart of Pocket Monsters HeartGold.
SoulSilver JP boxart.jpg
Boxart of Pocket Monsters SoulSilver.
Bulbanews
Bulbanews has multiple articles related to this subject:
StrategyWiki
StrategyWiki has more about this subject:

Pokémon HeartGold Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド Pocket Monsters HeartGold) and Pokémon SoulSilver Version (Japanese: ポケットモンスター ソウルシルバー Pocket Monsters SoulSilver) are paired Generation IV remakes of the Generation II games Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Much like how Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen revisited the Generation I story of Kanto, HeartGold and SoulSilver retell the story of Johto, with the player's starting town being New Bark Town. While the games feature several expansions in key areas, the overall plot follows the same direction as the original Gold and Silver. Some aspects exclusive to Crystal are also included. Like how FireRed and LeafGreen could link up with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald to complete the Pokédex by trading regionally exclusive Pokémon, HeartGold and SoulSilver can link up with Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to obtain Pokémon unavailable in Johto and Kanto (such as the Sinnoh first partner Pokémon) and vice versa.

Kris, despite being the female counterpart of Crystal's player character, is not included as the female player character, with a new character instead taking her place. Whether she is chosen to be the player character or not, this new character will still appear in the game. The unselected protagonist will take a pseudo-rival role similar to the unselected characters of Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

The games were released on September 12, 2009, in Japan, February 4, 2010, in Korea, March 14, 2010, in North America, March 25, 2010, in Australia and March 26, 2010, in Europe (this excludes the Netherlands, and the Flemish part of Belgium due to an in-game save error,[8] with the patched copies later released on April 2, 2010).[9]

Plot

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

The plot of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is mostly the same as Gold and Silver with a few changes and included plot elements exclusive to Pokémon Crystal. The player, either Ethan or Lyra, begins their journey from New Bark Town, running an errand for Professor Elm to Mr. Pokémon's house to discover what he was so excited about. Elm supplies the player with one of three Pokémon, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile, for this errand. After Mr. Pokémon's discovery turns out to be an Egg, the player returns to New Bark Town, only to find that a suspicious red-haired boy seen lurking outside of Elm's lab earlier has stolen one of Elm's Pokémon— the one that the player's choice is weak to, coincidentally. Upon defeating him and returning to New Bark Town, the player gives the name of the boy (the player can choose any name, provided it fits under the seven-character limit; his name defaults to Soul in HeartGold and Heart in SoulSilver) to a police officer who has come to investigate the incident. Elm is amazed by the Egg and insists on studying it, allowing the player to keep the Pokémon they traveled with as a first partner Pokémon. From here, he encourages the player to journey across Johto and challenge the eight Gym Leaders, Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Chuck, Jasmine, Pryce, and Clair, and eventually the Pokémon League. With the first Gym in Violet City nearby, the player heads off on their adventure.

Upon arriving at Violet City, the player must first defeat the Elder, Li, at Sprout Tower before facing the Violet City Gym. Li has just been defeated by Silver and after the player defeats Li, he gives the player Flash. After defeating Falkner for the Zephyr Badge, Elm's assistant appears to give the player the Egg, which will later hatch into a Togepi. Heading south towards Azalea Town by way of Route 32 and Union Cave, the player meets up with the villainous Team Rocket, formed again after it was disbanded three years prior in the neighboring Kanto region by a young Trainer. They are cutting off the tails of the Slowpoke that are sacred in Azalea, intending to sell them for a large profit. Kurt, a local maker of specialty Poké Balls, is greatly angered by this, and requests the player's help in chasing away Team Rocket and saving the Slowpoke. Though he falls into the Slowpoke Well, hurting himself in the process, he begs the player to continue on to fight the organization with their Pokémon. After this has been done, and Team Rocket is chased away from Azalea, Kurt gives the player a Lure Ball and will make his specialty Poké Balls when brought any kind of Apricorn, once per day. After defeating Bugsy in the Azalea Gym for the Hive Badge and defeating the red-haired boy (Silver) once again, the player can journey into Ilex Forest to find the Charcoal maker's Farfetch'd and get HM01 (Cut). With this, Ilex Forest can be navigated through towards Route 34. On Route 34, a Pokémon Day Care is set up that is capable of raising two Pokémon at once. The Day Care functions the same way as in other Generation IV games.

Venturing into Goldenrod City, the player's third Badge, the Plain Badge, awaits. After defeating Whitney and getting the Plain Badge, getting a SquirtBottle allows the player to move the strange tree blocking Route 36 to the north. If it is Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, the Bug-Catching Contest will be on at the National Park on Route 35 as well. In Ecruteak City, Bill, the developer of the PC Pokémon Storage System is performing repairs on the Time Capsule, and as the player arrives, he will finish, asking for them to come visit him in his parents' house in Goldenrod, where he will give away an Eevee. Another Gym is in Ecruteak City, where the Ghost-type Leader Morty battles for the Fog Badge. The player encounters the Legendary beasts in the Burned Tower and they run off around Johto. The player also meets Eusine who is studying the Burned Tower and takes interest in Suicune.

The player goes on through Route 38 and Route 39 to arrive in Olivine City. Once there, they learn from Silver that Jasmine, the Gym Leader, is not available at the moment, since she is taking care of the lighthouse's Ampharos and refuses to leave until the Pokémon is given a special medicine from Cianwood City. The player thus surfs their way through Route 40 and Route 41 to get to Cianwood City. There, they encounter the Fighting-type Leader Chuck, who presents the player with the Storm Badge. They get the medicine from the Cianwood Pharmacy and go back to Olivine City. Jasmine, relieved after getting her Ampharos's medicine, goes back to taking Gym challenges. Her Pokémon specialty is of the Steel type. When the player gets their sixth Badge, the Mineral Badge, they travel to Mahogany Town, through Route 42. The Gym is blocked by a man and the way to Route 44 and the Ice Path is blocked by a man trying to sell Rage Candy Bars.

The player heads north to Route 43 and the Lake of Rage. Upon entering the gate, two Team Rocket Grunts charge them $1000 to go through. When the player gets to the lake, they encounter the Red Gyarados. After the player defeats, catches or flees from it, they get the Red Scale. A caped man named Lance appears on the shore and reveals Team Rocket's secret hideout to the player. The player goes back to Mahogany and goes through the hideout, along with Lance. Team Rocket planned to emit sound waves, inducing the Magikarp in the lake to evolve into Gyarados, which caused the effect of the Red Gyarados. Once the player defeats all the Team Rocket members and disables the wave-emitting machine, they can challenge Pryce, the town's Ice-type Gym Leader.

Upon defeating the Gym Leader and obtaining the Glacier Badge, the player receives a phone call from Prof. Elm about a strange radio signal emitted by Team Rocket, trying to connect with their missing leader, Giovanni. The player goes to the Goldenrod Radio Tower to investigate. Once there, a Team Rocket Grunt tells the player that only Team Rocket members are permitted to enter the tower. The player then goes into the tunnel, where a Team Rocket Grunt says they are looking for new recruits, then dresses the player in a Team Rocket grunt's uniform. The player is then permitted to enter the tower, but, all of a sudden, Silver enters, and tells the player off for thinking they look tough in the clothing. The player finds out the tower has been taken over by Team Rocket. When the player ascends to the top floor, they find the director of the Radio Tower, only to discover that he has been impersonated by a member of Team Rocket and that the real Director is locked in Goldenrod's basement. Once the player enters the basement, they are once again encountered by Silver, who intends to defeat Team Rocket all by himself. He still questions the way he treats his Pokémon. Once the player gets to the very bottom of the basement, they find the Tower's real Director. He gives the player the Card Key so that they can access the higher floors of the Radio Tower.

After clearing all of the Team Rocket members and defeating the Team Rocket executives, effectively disbanding them, the player receives either a Rainbow Wing to encounter Ho-Oh or a Silver Wing to encounter Lugia, in HeartGold and SoulSilver, respectively. The player then is allowed to go through the Ice Path and to Blackthorn City. There the player can challenge Clair, the Dragon-type Gym Leader. Before giving the player the Rising Badge, however, Clair makes the player go through a test to prove their worthiness. To complete this test, the player must enter the Dragon's Den and take a test before they receive the Rising Badge from Clair. Having obtained all 8 Badges, the player is given the Master Ball by Elm and is requested to visit the Kimono Girls to prove their worthiness. After defeating the Kimono Girls, the player will either go to the Bell TowerHG or the Whirl IslandsSS to encounter Ho-OhHG or LugiaSS. Then the player is allowed to go east of New Bark into Kanto.

From New Bark Town, the path to the Pokémon League is to the east, across Route 27 and into Kanto, then across Route 26 and through Victory Road to the Indigo Plateau. When the player reaches the exit of Victory Road, Silver appears again and battles the player.

The Elite Four awaits the player if they have collected all eight Badges. When the player enters the League, they must face all four in sequence. Will, who trains Psychic-type Pokémon, is first, followed by Koga, whose specialty is Poison. Bruno, who uses Fighting-type Pokémon, follows, and finally, Karen, who specializes in the Dark type. After defeating these four, the reigning Pokémon Champion, Lance, whom the player met at the Lake of Rage, challenges the player to a final battle. After his defeat, Oak and his co-host on Pokémon Talk, DJ Mary, arrive and congratulate the player. Lance then takes the player to a back room and tells the player that they are admitted into the Hall of Fame. The credits roll.

Postgame

The player then returns to their bedroom in New Bark Town. They head downstairs and receive a message that Professor Elm has something for them. Returning to his lab the player receives an S.S. Ticket for the fast ship S.S. Aqua departing to the region of Kanto, where many rare Pokémon live. The player boards the ship in Olivine City and is bombarded by a Gentleman looking for his granddaughter who got loose on the ship. Searching the whole ship, the player finds a sailor who is angry that his co-worker is asleep on the job. Finding him and challenging him to a battle, he runs out of his cabin to join the mate. The player later finds the missing girl at the bottom of the ship. The girl asks the player to play hide and seek with her. After finding her two times, the girl decides to go back to her grandfather. The man from before thanks the player as she mentions that the player was playing with her, as the ship arrives to Vermilion City in Kanto.

Deciding to take on the Gyms of Kanto, the player enters the Gym in Vermilion City, defeating Lt. Surge who specializes in Electric types, and earning the Thunder Badge. The player travels north to Saffron City and enters the Gym there defeating Sabrina, who specializes in Psychic types and had envisioned the player's arrival three years prior, and earns the Marsh Badge. Still in Saffron, the player encounters the Copycat in her new house who seems to have misplaced her Pokémon doll. Going back to Vermilion's Pokémon Fan Club the player sees the Lost Item and retrieves it bringing it back to the copycat who gives the player a Pass to the Saffron Magnet Train.

The player then travels west of Saffron to Celadon City and travels to the Gym, taking on Erika and winning the Rainbow Badge. Going back to Saffron and traveling east, the player comes to the Kanto Power Plant where they find that an important part of a machine in the plant has been stolen and they are unable to get the machine running. Traveling north of Saffron to Cerulean City the player finds out that a suspicious character has been hanging out around the Gym. Traveling north onto Route 24, the player finds and battles a Team Rocket grunt who is trying to revive the team unbeknownst to the fact that the team in Johto was disbanded by the player. The player defeats the grunt who admits that he dropped the part in the Cerulean Gym. The player then challenges the Nugget Crew and finds Misty with her boyfriend at Cerulean Cape. Misty's boyfriend runs off angering her until she realizes that the player is indeed a challenger. The player returns to Cerulean Gym and takes on Misty's Water types winning the Cascade Badge, while also retrieving the Machine Part along the way. They return it to the Power Plant and the machine is once again returned to its running state.

The player then moves through the Rock Tunnel, arriving at Lavender Town, where they discover that the former Pokémon Tower has now become a Radio Tower for Kanto. Talking to the director inside the tower, they receive the Radio Expansion Card which allows them to listen to radio stations in Kanto as a reward for restoring power at the Power Plant. Traveling the length of the Silence Bridge and Routes 13, 14, and 15, the player arrives at Fuchsia City and takes on the Gym Leader Janine who specializes in Poison types, winning the Soul Badge.

Returning to Vermilion City, the player recalls the large Pokémon sleeping outside the entrance to Diglett's Cave on the eastern edge of town. They play the Poké Flute Station on their radio which awakens and angers the Pokémon, a giant Snorlax. After capturing, defeating, or running away from it, the player enters and goes through the Diglett's Cave emerging on Route 2, just south of Pewter City. The player goes north to Pewter City and challenges Brock and his Rock types and earns the Boulder Badge.

The player travels south across Route 2 and through Viridian Forest before arriving at Viridian City. The player then continues south to Pallet Town and surfs to Cinnabar Island. There, the player sees Blue who mentions how the town previously found on the island was destroyed in a volcanic eruption, and that the town's Gym Leader had to relocate his Gym to the nearby Seafoam Islands. Blue then goes back to his Gym in Viridian. The player travels east to the Seafoam Islands and finds Blaine's Fire-type Gym within the islands and challenges him to earn the Volcano Badge.

The player travels back to Viridian City and challenges Blue in his Gym, which does not seem to have any specialty in types, and defeats him to earn the Earth Badge. The player goes back to Pallet Town and visits Professor Oak in his laboratory. Oak sees that the player has earned all of the Gym Badges in Kanto and, after giving them HM08, decides to allow the player to enter Mt. Silver, a mountain so dangerous the average Trainer is not allowed to enter it, to challenge Red, who has been the champion of Kanto for three years and trains there constantly. The player goes to Mt. Silver and climbs to the top to find Red training mutely, and challenges him to a battle. After a hard-fought battle, the player defeats Red, becoming the new champion of Kanto, and Red walks away without saying a word. The credits roll again.

Blurb

Prepare for thrilling new adventures as Legendary Pokémon awaken!
Explore the Johto region as you catch, train, and battle with your favorite Pokémon by your side. Turn the tides—call forth the Legendary Pokémon!

Changes from Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

Gameplay

  • All 493 Pokémon are capable of following players similar to Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow. Shininess and form differences are retained when a Pokémon is following the player. The player can interact with their Pokémon by pressing 'A' while facing it, so they can see how their Pokémon is feeling at the moment. In battle, like Yellow's Pikachu, they are sent out from the side of the screen, rather than from a Poké Ball. The player's lead Pokémon will always follow them except in certain situations, such as while riding the bicycle, surfing, or going indoors with a large Pokémon.
  • A new series of events precede encountering the game mascots in both versions, and thus it is mandatory for the player to engage in battle with the game mascot in order to continue with the game and proceed to the Pokémon League, similar to the plots of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. In the originals, it was completely optional to encounter Ho-Oh and Lugia.
  • The five Kimono Girls from the Dance Theater in Ecruteak City now have a significant role in the game. During the player's adventure, they can meet each Kimono Girl at different points of the game where they will ask the player to do them a small favor. After receiving the Master Ball from Professor Elm and before meeting the game mascot, each Kimono Girl tests the player with a battle. Once all five are defeated, they proceed to the Bell TowerHG/Whirl IslandsSS where they will perform a dance to summon Ho-OhHG/LugiaSS.
    • As these events were not part of the plot of the originals, the Kimono Girls were originally battled earlier on in the game at the Ecruteak Dance Theater in order to earn HM03 (Surf) once all five were defeated. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, a Team Rocket Grunt inside the theater needs to be battled instead.
    • The battles done with the Kimono Girls are now consecutive and will always be done in the same order until all five are defeated. In the original games, the player could freely choose the order they wished to face the Kimono Girls in.
  • Kurt and Apricorns make a return to the series along with the respective Poké Balls. Apricorns are now carried by the player in a new item, the Apricorn Box. As in Crystal, Kurt can be given multiples of the same color Apricorn at once in order to make multiple Poké Balls.
  • While the Rainbow Wing and Silver Wing allow permission to climb the Bell Tower and enter Lugia's cave in the Whirl Islands, respectively, the player cannot encounter their version's respective mascot until they obtain the Clear Bell in HeartGold and the Tidal Bell in SoulSilver. (Since the Tidal Bell cannot be obtained in HeartGold and the Clear Bell cannot be obtained in SoulSilver, those items are not required in those versions to encounter the opposite mascot.)
  • Unlike Generation II, new tasks are put in to complete that are now required to progress the story forward. For example, the Radio Card for the Pokégear must be obtained to be able to challenge Whitney, and the Kimono Girls and game mascot event must be completed to challenge the Elite Four.
    • Additionally while the Kanto Gym Leaders could still be challenged in any order, Blue is now the only exception. He will only leave Cinnabar Island to return to his Gym once he has confirmed the player has the other seven Kanto Gym Badges.
  • The RageCandyBar is now a Key Item. This is likely to prevent the player from trading it to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, which does not have any item data for it.
    • The SlowpokeTail was also made a Key Item but is now entirely unobtainable, possibly for this same reason.
  • Similar to the event Shaymin and Regigigas in Platinum, two in-game events are unlocked through the use of event-exclusive Pokémon. The Pikachu-colored Pichu unlocks an event near the Ilex Forest shrine where the Spiky-eared Pichu can be obtained, and an event-exclusive Celebi unlocks an encounter with former Team Rocket boss and Viridian Gym Leader Giovanni. Giovanni was mentioned repeatedly in the original Generation II games but did not appear. These events effectively replace the GS Ball event formerly found in the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal.
  • The Pokémon Storage System, Bag, party interface, and the screen that pops up when pressing the Start or X buttons in the previous games all use the Nintendo DS's touch screen.
  • Legendary Pokémon from other regions can be caught in the games. Hoenn's legendaries, Kyogre and Groudon, return in HeartGold and SoulSilver, respectively, after Red has been defeated, and Rayquaza can be caught in both games if a Groudon from SoulSilver and a Kyogre from HeartGold are shown to Professor Oak. Latias (in HeartGold) or Latios (in SoulSilver) can be found roaming in Kanto later in the game after speaking to Steven Stone. The legendary birds can also be found in certain locations in Kanto while Mewtwo can be found at Cerulean Cave.
  • Cynthia makes an appearance in an event involving Arceus. This takes place in an area accessed from the Ruins of Alph that is far to the north, named the Sinjoh Ruins. This event allows players to obtain either Dialga, Palkia, or Giratina at level 1. The only way to obtain the Griseous Orb and Origin Forme Giratina in this game is to choose Giratina during this event.
  • The Enigma Stone is an event Key Item that features a use similar to that of the Eon Ticket, allowing the other Eon Pokémon to be battled (i.e. Latios in HeartGold and Latias in SoulSilver, respectively) in a non-roaming encounter.
  • Headbutting trees to locate certain Pokémon makes its return. However, this time it can also be used to collect Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh after the National Pokédex is acquired.
  • The Gracidea can be obtained in the flower shop in Goldenrod City by bringing any fateful encounter Shaymin to show them.
  • Eusine, a major character from Pokémon Crystal who was not in the original Gold and Silver, appears, as do other aspects originally featured in Crystal.
  • A new sidequest, the Pokéathlon, features ten mini-games that pit Pokémon in athletic competitions. Its system appears to be analogous to that of Pokémon Contests and Super Contests from previous games.
The Pokéwalker
  • Like the GBA Wireless Adapter that came with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, a bonus is included with the purchase of HeartGold and SoulSilver: a Poké Ball-shaped pedometer called the Pokéwalker that has the capacity to link to the two games and hold a Pokémon. Storing a Pokémon in this manner increases its experience and friendship as the wearer walks. Other Pokémon can be captured in exclusive Pokéwalker-only areas and then transferred to the main game.
  • Apricorns are now the only items collected from plants on the field. Berries are instead collected from Jugglers in Violet City and Fuchsia City in exchange for shards, through the Pokéwalker's Dowsing function, hidden on the ground, or from the deliveryman in Poké Marts sent by the player's mom (if the player allows their mom to save money). A few Berries cannot be collected in these games and must be traded over from other versions, similar to in FireRed and LeafGreen. Though they cannot be grown on the ground like in Hoenn or Sinnoh, they can be grown portably using the Berry Pots, where the SquirtBottle is controlled via the touch screen to water four Berries at a time.
  • Using the Apriblender, Apricorns can now also be mixed into drinks that increase a Pokémon's Pokéathlon stats by putting Apricorns in the blender and walking around.
  • The Running Shoes are obtained in Cherrygrove City and can be permanently selected using the touchscreen menu. The selected item (from pressing Y or SELECT in previous games) is also on the touchscreen. Two items can be selected as opposed to just one.
  • Due to the absence of the Vs. Seeker, the Pokégear reintroduces an improved cell phone feature with a limitless call list. However, re-battling Trainers is now dependent on the day and time.
  • Passing certain parts in the game can also affect the rematches by improving the team of the Trainers that can be re-battled. By entering the Hall of Fame and then after collecting the 16 Badges the Pokémon team of that Trainer are fought at higher levels as long as each rematch phase has been fought at least once.
  • When the player is choosing their first partner Pokémon (Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile), it is possible to check if any of them is Shiny before obtaining them.
  • First partner Pokémon from Kanto and Hoenn can be collected from Professor Oak and Steven Stone, respectively, as appreciation for defeating Red.
  • Commemorative photos can now be taken around Johto and Kanto with the player's partner Pokémon, team, Gym Leaders, and certain notable citizens.
  • Many Pokémon have acquired the ability to learn new moves and expand and improve their movesets; for example, Togepi can now learn Extrasensory through breeding.
  • When using the move Whirlpool outside of battle, instead of the whirlpool disappearing like in Generation II, the player will simply surf over the whirlpools.
  • Rock Smash, previously a TM usable on the field in the originals, is now a full-fledged HM as it has been since Generation III. Defog loses its HM status to the returning Whirlpool.
  • Rock Climb, despite it not being available prior to Generation IV, continues to be HM08 and requires the Viridian Gym Badge. As a result, several caves and cliffs have markings that allow them to be scaled like in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.
  • An addition to the breeding system is introduced where one of the three random IVs inherited by the offspring can be guaranteed if one of the parents holds a Power item.
  • The Trainers that appear in Viridian City's Trainer House are now influenced by communication through two Pokéwalkers as opposed to the previous method of Mystery Gifting with the Game Boy Color's infrared port.
  • During the player's initial battle with the rival, he is known as Passerby Boy, unlike in Gold and Silver, where he was identified as ???. Players are still required to name him later.
  • The man in Ilex Forest, who previously gave out the TM for Headbutt in Generation II has become a Move Tutor for that move. This is due to the fact that Headbutt is no longer a TM. Unlike other Move Tutors, he does not require anything from the player to tutor the move and will do it as many times as the player would like.
  • Similar to Pokémon Crystal, the legendary beasts can be caught from the moment the player sees them fleeing in the Burned Tower, with the exception of Suicune who can only be encountered in battle at Route 25, instead of at the Bell Tower. Suicune can be seen running around in certain locations across Johto and Kanto.
  • The map in the Pokégear has the same function as the Marking Map for the Pokétch in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to track roaming Pokémon. Additionally the player does not need to face Raikou or Entei (as well as Latios and Latias) in battle first to be able to track them.
  • All Kanto Gym Leaders give out TMs.
  • Trainers in Kanto will now give out their Pokégear numbers, whereas only Trainers on Routes 26 and 27 would do so in the original games.
  • In the original Gold and Silver, the real Janine was in the lower-left corner of the Gym, while one of her Gym Trainers was in the middle, where the Leader should be. This isn't the case in HeartGold and SoulSilver, where Janine was moved to the middle.
  • It is now possible to Fly to the Pokémon League Reception Gate. It is also now possible to Fly between Indigo Plateau or the Reception Gate and any location in either Kanto or Johto. Curiously, however, it's not possible to Fly to the Pokémon Centers in Routes 4 and 10, whereas it was possible in FireRed and LeafGreen, but not in the original Gold and Silver.
  • The clock reset interface from the original Pokémon Gold and Silver was removed, as was the case with Pokémon Crystal. In its replacement is a microphone test interface that can be accessed via the button combination X, Y and Down on the title screen; though this feature, unlike the clock reset interface has been officially mentioned by Nintendo via the game instruction booklet.
  • Any special Pokémon, such as Sudowoodo, will respawn to their specific location after the player enters the Hall of Fame if they were defeated instead of caught the first time.
  • The ability to decorate the player's room, a feature introduced in the original Gold and Silver, is absent.
  • After entering the Hall of Fame, Professor Oak's Pokémon Talk can identify mass outbreaks daily when accessed through the Pokégear's radio. This also includes the six Generation II Pokémon whose outbreak formerly occurred when a specific trainer whose number that was stored in the Pokégear would contact the player to report the outbreak during Generation II.
  • Physical and special moves are now determined by the move itself rather than type.
  • The Regional Pokémon which previously had to be transferred from Generation I are now available in game.
  • Instead of the rival telling his name after his first battle with the player in Cherrygrove City, he drops his Trainer Card and the player looks at it to find what his name is.
  • The Steel type is no longer treated as a newly discovered type. In Generation II only, Jasmine and the Cianwood Gym guide mentioned that the Steel type was recently discovered, but those remarks are absent in the remakes.

Areas

Johto and Kanto, the accessible regions in HeartGold and SoulSilver

Graphics

  • The male player character receives a redesign and is now called Ethan, while Kris is replaced by a new female player character called Lyra.
  • Ambient sound effects are used with greater frequency than in previous games; for example, running water, blowing wind and the player walking through grass will produce audible noises.
  • The Pokégear has been redesigned. There is a range of skins that can be used and changed at the player's will.
Redesigned Pokédex
  • Much like Kanto's was for its remakes, Johto's Pokédex has been redesigned. Unlike Kanto's remakes, which contained the same regional Pokédex as the originals, the original regional Pokédex for Johto has been slightly altered, including five Generation IV evolutions for Pokémon found in Johto.
  • An image of certain locations, like in FireRed and LeafGreen, appears when entering the location. Some of these images change depending on the time of day while others change the image of the Pokémon obtainable at the location on the image at random.
  • Team Rocket Grunts are redesigned once again. The Team Rocket Executives are also redesigned from Generation II, with four new ones appearing: Archer, Ariana, Petrel, and Proton. Like how Team Galactic's Commanders followed a planetary naming scheme, the Executives are all named for various real-world rockets. Archer would go on to reappear in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
  • All former Berry trees have become Apricorn trees.
  • Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Silver, and Red have animated battle sprites and battle intros, as in Platinum. Many Gyms have been redesigned as well, some with new puzzles.
  • If the player turns off the battle scene in the Options menu, the Pokémon will not be animated when they come into battle, whereas in Platinum they were.
  • The Magnet Train's tracks can be seen overhead on Route 32, as well as in Goldenrod City where the tracks were previously on street-level.
  • A river now flows through the middle of Route 45, which cannot be Surfed on.
  • The player can now see how many Kanto Badges they have. In the original games, the player could only see how many Johto Badges they had.
  • Ecruteak City and Cianwood City, while sharing a theme in Generation II, now feature separate remixed variations of the same theme.
  • The Goldenrod City Radio Tower has an observation deck accessible via elevator. This replaces the second recording room.
  • There are wind turbines standing in New Bark Town and on Route 14.
  • When viewing the stats of a Pokémon outside of battle, one of the stat names will be very light blue, indicating which stat is decreased by the Pokémon's Nature, and one will be very light red, indicating which stat is increased. If the Pokémon has a neutral Nature, none of the stats will be colored.
  • The Olivine Lighthouse contains balconies that are used to navigate through the tower. While on the balconies, the overhead viewing angle of the player changes.

Music

  • All the game's music is rearranged to better utilize the DS's sound capabilities.
    • The GB Sounds, a Key Item available after all 16 Badges have been obtained, allows players to swap the background music for the original chiptune soundtrack from the original Gold and Silver.
    • New music tracks, such as the music that plays on Routes 47 and 48, also receive an 8-bit remix. However, not every track got an 8-bit remix and some can only be listened to through the Pokémon Past Archive radio station in the Pokégear.
  • Lugia and Ho-Oh each have their own unique battle music, while the legendary beasts each use differently remixed versions of their battle theme from Pokémon Crystal.
  • Slowpoke Well and Mt. Moon had their themes changed from those of Ice Path and Rock Tunnel, respectively, to now both use the same one as Union Cave.
  • Cerulean City, Fuchsia City, Cinnabar Island, Route 24, and Route 25 use the same themes in HeartGold and SoulSilver as they did in Generations I and III. However, they used different themes in Generation II.
  • A few themes changed most likely because Viridian Forest is now a standalone area again like in Generations I and III. (In Generation II, Viridian Forest was downsized into a tree maze and made part of Route 2.)
    • Viridian Forest now uses the theme Route 2 had used in Generation II.
    • Kanto Route 2 now uses the same theme as Kanto Route 3. This means that Route 2's theme is now different from any previous generation, given that in Generations I and III Route 2 used Kanto Route 1's theme.
  • The Seafoam Islands main cave (which was unavailable in Generation II) uses the same theme as the Ice Path.
  • The final battle against the player's rival plays his regular battle theme instead of the Champion theme like in Generation II.
  • Upon defeating Red, the game plays the regular trainer victory theme rather than the Gym victory theme played in Generation II.
  • Instead of sharing the same music as the city/town the Poké Mart is in, it now has its own theme.
  • When the player flies to another town, the music does not change until the player is done with the flying instead of while the player is flying.

Pokémon

As in Pokémon Gold and Silver, the primary Pokémon of the remakes are native to the Johto and Kanto regions. Due to advances in gameplay since the second generation, the regional Pokédex used in Gold and Silver (the New Pokédex) has been updated to include those Pokémon which evolve upon learning a new move. Rather than simply excluding these evolutions (as Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen did with friendship-based evolutions), an improved Johto Pokédex was established with 256 Pokémon: five more than the New Pokédex.

Similarly to other recently released Pokémon games, Pokémon from outside the regional Pokédex can be captured after entering the Hall of Fame and earning the National Pokédex. Pokémon native to Sinnoh and Hoenn can be found in various methods. Mass outbreaks of Pokémon sometimes break out across the Johto and Kanto regions; oftentimes these are not native to either of the regions. Pokémon from other regions can be located by playing one of two special stations on the Pokégear's radio function. There is a channel for Sinnoh Pokémon which plays only on Thursdays; the Hoenn channel only plays on Wednesdays. By having either of these programs turned on when in tall grass the chance of finding a foreign Pokémon increases. The Bug-Catching Contest also hosts, from time to time, Hoenn and Sinnoh Pokémon. They will only appear on Thursdays and Saturdays. The Johto Safari Zone's customization option also allows for the finding of Pokémon from other regions. Trainers in Kanto (which is accessible after obtaining the National Pokédex) often have Pokémon from Hoenn and Sinnoh. All Gym Leaders except Clair use at least one Pokémon from Hoenn or Sinnoh in rematches.

In an apparent attempt to remove reliance on Generation III cartridges, first partner Pokémon of Kanto and Hoenn can be obtained late in the game from Professor Oak and Steven Stone respectively. Some legendary Pokémon which were not included in the Generation II games, such as Kanto's legendary birds and Mewtwo, are also available.

Version-exclusive Pokémon

As in all core series Pokémon games, there are a number of Pokémon which can be found in one of the paired games, but not the other. A list of these Pokémon follows below.

HeartGold
0056 Mankey Mankey
 Fighting
0057 Primeape Primeape
 Fighting
0058 Growlithe Growlithe
 Fire
0059 Arcanine Arcanine
 Fire
0138 Omanyte Omanyte
 Rock Water
0139 Omastar Omastar
 Rock Water
0167 Spinarak Spinarak
 Bug Poison
0168 Ariados Ariados
 Bug Poison
0207 Gligar Gligar
 Ground Flying
0226 Mantine Mantine
 Water Flying
0231 Phanpy Phanpy
 Ground
0232 Donphan Donphan
 Ground
0302 Sableye Sableye
 Dark Ghost
0343 Baltoy Baltoy
 Ground Psychic
0344 Claydol Claydol
 Ground Psychic
0347 Anorith Anorith
 Rock Bug
0348 Armaldo Armaldo
 Rock Bug
0380 Latias Latias
 Dragon Psychic
0382 Kyogre Kyogre
 Water
0458 Mantyke Mantyke
 Water Flying
0472 Gliscor Gliscor
 Ground Flying
SoulSilver
0037 Vulpix Vulpix
 Fire
0038 Ninetales Ninetales
 Fire
0052 Meowth Meowth
 Normal
0053 Persian Persian
 Normal
0140 Kabuto Kabuto
 Rock Water
0141 Kabutops Kabutops
 Rock Water
0165 Ledyba Ledyba
 Bug Flying
0166 Ledian Ledian
 Bug Flying
0216 Teddiursa Teddiursa
 Normal
0217 Ursaring Ursaring
 Normal
0225 Delibird Delibird
 Ice Flying
0227 Skarmory Skarmory
 Steel Flying
0303 Mawile Mawile
 Steel
0316 Gulpin Gulpin
 Poison
0317 Swalot Swalot
 Poison
0345 Lileep Lileep
 Rock Grass
0346 Cradily Cradily
 Rock Grass
0381 Latios Latios
 Dragon Psychic
0383 Groudon Groudon
 Ground

Connectivity

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Do HGSS feature the same issues trading with Korean games, as present in previous Generation IV games?

HeartGold and SoulSilver are able to connect to each other, as well as all the other main series Generation IV games (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum), once the player has access to the Pokémon Center.

Pal Park

Main article: Pal Park
Pal Park outside area

After receiving access to Kanto, it's possible to visit Pal Park in Fuchsia City to be able to transfer Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen into the game. The previous games, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, only allowed the player to transfer 6 Pokémon per Game Boy Advance game per 24 hours, while these games have lifted this restriction, allowed unlimited transfers per 24 hours.

Because this method of transferring Pokémon relies on having both a Nintendo DS and a Game Boy Advance game cartridge inserted into the same system, this will only work on the original Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DS Lite.

Pokémon Battle Revolution

Main article: Pokémon Battle Revolution

These games also have the ability to connect to Pokémon Battle Revolution, just like their predecessors. This allows the player to connect their Nintendo DS to their Nintendo Wii to be able to fight in Pokémon Battle Revolution using their team from the game.

While these games are fully compatible with the new Pokémon forms introduced in Pokémon Platinum, those from Giratina, Shaymin and Rotom and also added another special form, Spiky-Eared Pichu, these special forms are incompatible with Pokémon Battle Revolution. The Pokémon with these special forms will revert to their normal forms when used in Pokémon Battle Revolution. That means the Stats will be reverted to those of the normal form. Rotom will also temporarily forget the move granted by this special form.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

Main article: Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
Searching for Pokémon on the GTS of HeartGold or SoulSilver

These games featured the same Nintendo Wi-Fi capabilities as Pokémon Platinum, including the Wi-Fi Plaza. Before the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service was shut down on May 20, 2014, the Wi-Fi connection could be used to battle and trade with other players of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum and HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Players could trade with others around the world using the Global Trade Station. On the GTS it was possible for players to offer their Pokémon and ask for a specific Pokémon in return. The Pokémon a player could request were only the ones they had seen or captured before. In addition to asking for a specific Pokémon, it was also possible to set certain demands on this Pokémon, namely its Gender and a specific Level range. It was also possible to search for a Pokémon on the GTS, to see and make use of trade offers from other users.

Pokéwalker

Main article: Pokéwalker
Communication between a Pokéwalker and a Nintendo DSi with HeartGold or SoulSilver

This pedometer accessory was bundled with the games, and features different ways to interact with them. A player can send a Pokémon to the Pokéwalker to make it gain experience with steps counted on the device. Pokémon caught and items found can also be transferred to HeartGold and SoulSilver.

The game's cartridges and Pokéwalker both feature an infrared transceiver to communicate with each other.

Pokéathlon

Main article: Pokéathlon

The games do not feature Super Contests like Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, but instead have the Pokéathlon. Players of HeartGold and SoulSilver are able to link up with up to three others players to play multiplayer events.

Mystery Gift

Main article: Mystery Gift

Just like the other Generation IV games, HeartGold and SoulSilver had the ability to receive special event Pokémon through Mystery Gift. Some events were available to all Generation IV games, while others were exclusive to certain games.

By trading or transferring certain event Pokémon to certain games, it's possible to unlock special events, such as using an event Arceus to access the Sinjoh Ruins and receive an egg containing Palkia, Dialga or Giratina.

Poké Transfer

Main article: Poké Transfer

The Generation IV games are not able to directly trade with the subsequent Generation V games, but it is possible to permanently transfer Pokémon from Generation IV games to Generation V games. After players of the Generation V games have completed the main game, they are able to access the Poké Transfer building on Route 15.

Any two Nintendo DS or 3DS systems can be used to transfer Pokémon from HeartGold and SoulSilver to a Generation V game. The device with the Generation V game cartidge has to open the game and enter the Poké Transfer Lab building and talk to scientist at the top floor. The device with the HeartGold or SoulSilver cartidge should turn on the device and open the DS Download Play, from which the Generation V game can be joined. Up to six Pokémon can be selected to transfer to the Generation V game. Certain Pokémon cannot be transferred, such as those with HM Moves, Eggs or Spiky-eared Pichu. Attempting to transfer a Pokémon holding an item will result in the item getting placed back into the bag.

Localization changes

  • Unlike in Generation II, the availability of these Pokémon remains the same in all language versions: Phanpy/Donphan is exclusive to HeartGold and Teddiursa/Ursaring is exclusive to SoulSilver
    • In the Japanese and Korean versions of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Phanpy and Donphan were exclusive to Gold, and Teddiursa and Ursaring were exclusive to Silver. In the Western localizations, this was switched for unknown reasons: Teddiursa and Ursaring could be found in Gold, and Phanpy and Donphan could be found in Silver instead, though the most plausible reason would be the similar coloring of the Pokémon with their version with Teddiursa being somewhat gold colored, and Phanpy and Donphan being somewhat silver colored.
  • In the English, German, and Italian versions, Lyra will occasionally call the player and claim that she turned around and suddenly found her Marill evolving into Azumarill. However, this is a translation error as evidenced by the fact that she will still have a Marill upon meeting the player.
    • In the Japanese, Spanish, and Korean versions, she states that she would be surprised if she turned around and suddenly found it evolved into Azumarill. In the French version, she wonders if turning around would be enough to cause Marill to evolve.
  • In all international versions, the slot machines were replaced with a Minesweeper style game called Voltorb Flip.
    • Although the Goldenrod and Celadon Game Corners were changed in the non-Japanese releases, all versions (Japanese, Korean, and Western) have every map of the Game Corners: in the Japanese versions, the maps related to Voltorb Flip and Mr. Game are unused and have no events or warps programmed, while the Korean and Western versions have the original maps with their warps intact, plus the event to interact with the clerk is still present and the interface used to buy Coins is functional and was translated. TM78 (Captivate) also remains in the unused Goldenrod Game Corner in the Korean and Western versions, and the slot machines in the leftover maps trigger Voltorb Flip in these versions.
  • In the Japanese version, the old man outside the Celadon Gym still says the same as in previous generations: 「にひひ！ この ジムは ええ！ おんなのこ ばっかし じゃ！」 (Nihihi! This Gym is good! Nothing but girls!)
    • This has been translated in previous games as "Heheh! This Gym is great! It's full of women!"RBYFRLG or "Nihihi! This Gym is great! Only girls are allowed here!"GSC
    • In the English version of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, he says that the Gym is great because it is full of "strong Trainers" instead of mentioning women. In the German version, he says that he feels weak compared to those strong Trainers. In the Spanish version, he says that it is full of female Trainers (Entrenadoras). This mention of "strong Trainers" was also reused later in the international versions of Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
  • In the Korean versions of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Sage's sprite was altered to remove the prayer beads in his hands and gave him a sash. His Trainer class name was changed as well.
Spr HGSS Sage.png Spr HGSS Sage KO.png
Sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
(JP/INTL) 		Sprite from
HeartGold and SoulSilver
(KR)

Reception

Gaming magazine Famitsu gave Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver a score of 37 out of 40.[10] IGN rated the games a "Great" 8.5/10.[11] Both Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver hold a rating of 87% on Metacritic.[12][13]

Sales

In the fiscal year of their release, they sold 8.40 million units.[14] As of March 31, 2021, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver have sold 12.72 million copies worldwide.[15]

Japanese sales

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver sold 1,442,990 units on their first week on the Japanese market, being 720,086 from Pokémon HeartGold and 722,904 from Pokémon SoulSilver, with a sell-through of 91.16% and 91.48% respectively. By December 29, 2013, at the end of their 225th week, they had sold 3,910,512 copies, being 1,864,152 from Pokémon HeartGold and 2,046,360 from Pokémon SoulSilver.[16]

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions

Week Week ending Ranking Units sold Total units sold
1 September 13, 2009 - 1,442,990 1,442,990
2 September 20, 2009 - 443,133 1,886,123
3 September 27, 2009 - 131,994 2,018,117
4 October 4, 2009 3rd 267,127 2,285,244
5 October 11, 2009 1st 188,625 2,473,869
6 October 18, 2009 1st 164,721 2,638,590
7 October 25, 2009 1st 117,972 2,756,562
8 November 1, 2009 5th 87,594 2,844,156
9 November 8, 2009 2nd 73,554 2,917,710
10 November 15, 2009 2nd 62,744 2,980,454
11 November 22, 2009 1st 55,361 3,035,815
12 November 29, 2009 3rd 54,571 3,093,387
13 December 6, 2009 8th 63,026 3,153,413
14 December 13, 2009 6th 75,006 3,228,419
15 December 20, 2009 4th 111,454 3,339,873
16 December 27, 2009 5th 124,704 3,464,577
17 January 3, 2010 6th 74,658 3,539,235
18 January 10, 2010 7th 37,283 3,576,518
19 January 17, 2010 11th - -
20 January 24, 2010 11th - -
69 January 2, 2011 - - 3,821,067
121 January 1, 2012 - - 3,871,838
173 December 30, 2012 - - 3,899,303
225 December 29, 2013 - - 3,910,512

Pokémon HeartGold Version

Week Week ending Ranking Units sold Total units sold
1 September 13, 2009 2nd 720,086 720,086
2 September 20, 2009 2nd 220,554 940,640
3 September 27, 2009 2nd 67,911 1,008,551
17 January 3, 2010 - - 1,693,870
69 January 2, 2011 - - 1,821,866
121 January 1, 2012 - - 1,845,860
173 December 30, 2012 - - 1,859,172
225 December 29, 2013 - - 1,864,152

Pokémon SoulSilver Version

Week Week ending Ranking Units sold Total units sold
1 September 13, 2009 1st 722,904 722,904
2 September 20, 2009 1st 222,579 945,483
3 September 27, 2009 3rd 64,083 1,009,566
17 January 3, 2010 - - 1,845,365
69 January 2, 2011 - - 1,999,201
121 January 1, 2012 - - 2,025,978
173 December 30, 2012 - - 2,040,131
225 December 29, 2013 - - 2,046,360

Staff

Main article: Staff of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Music

Main article: Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver: Super Music Collection

The soundtrack contains all of the background music from the games. Much of the music is remixed from the music of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. It serves as the closest approximation to a soundtrack release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, which are the only paired versions that lack an official soundtrack release of the games' original tracks. Discs 1 and 2 of the soundtrack contain the rearrangements of Generation II music, in addition to the music assigned to new areas. Disc 3 of the soundtrack (based on the GB Sounds feature), is meant to emulate the style of 8-bit music. However, not all of the GB Sounds music is available on the CD.

Version history

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Look up all legitimate and official revisions to list them in a version history

Beta elements

Main article: Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver beta

Gallery

Logos

  • English HeartGold logo

    English HeartGold logo

  • English SoulSilver logo

    English SoulSilver logo

  • Japanese HeartGold logo

    Japanese HeartGold logo

  • Japanese SoulSilver logo

    Japanese SoulSilver logo

  • Korean HeartGold logo

    Korean HeartGold logo

  • Korean SoulSilver logo

    Korean SoulSilver logo

Title screens

  • English HeartGold title screen

    English HeartGold title screen

  • English SoulSilver title screen

    English SoulSilver title screen

  • Japanese HeartGold title screen

    Japanese HeartGold title screen

  • Japanese SoulSilver title screen

    Japanese SoulSilver title screen

Trivia

  • Several figures were given away with pre-orders. People could receive a Ho-Oh figure by pre-ordering HeartGold, a Lugia figure by pre-ordering SoulSilver, and an Arceus figure by pre-ordering the Japanese versions of both HeartGold and SoulSilver.
  • These games mark the tenth anniversary since the release of the original Gold and Silver Versions.
    • The games were also released in Japan almost exactly one year after the Japanese release of Pokémon Platinum, and exactly eleven years after Pokémon Yellow, the first game to feature walking Pokémon.
  • Unlike how Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen used completely different Trainer sprites from Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, many Trainer classes shared between regions, like Hikers and Psychics, keep their Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum sprites in battle.
  • In these games, all the front sprites of the Generation I and II Pokémon were renewed, while the rest were taken from Pokémon Platinum. For example: Bidoof, in these games, appears with the style and animation of Platinum, not Diamond and Pearl. Some of all the species in these games have had their color palette slightly modified. As for the back sprites, almost all of them are the same as those in Pokémon Platinum (including the animation when leaving the Ball), except for the modification of the color palette of some Pokémon.
    • One of the few Pokémon that differs in design on the dorsal form is Cyndaquil.
    • Altered Giratina's secondary front sprite is different in design from that of Pokémon Platinum.
  • The font used for the English titles of these games was changed from the one that has been used since Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, while the Japanese logos are still in the same style used since those games. FireRed and LeafGreen also used a different font than the Hoenn games, however, it was still the same color. The fonts are Athenaeum Bold, Futura Extra Bold and Helvetica Black Condensed, respectively.
    • Additionally, the heart-shaped Ho-Oh crest and the Lugia silhouette are used in the English logos, while the fire and leaf that appear on FireRed and LeafGreen's Japanese logos were not used in the English release.
  • These games mark the first time that the English versions were announced before the games themselves came out in Japan.
  • These games are the only core series games released for the Nintendo DS that do not have a Dragon-type version mascot.
  • Because of HM05's conversion from Defog to Whirlpool, these games are the first in which all available HMs teach damaging moves (both Defog and Flash, contained in HM05, prevented this in previous games).
  • These are the first games in which major characters offer their Pokémon for trade with the player, with Gym Leaders Brock, Lt. Surge, Jasmine, and Hoenn's former Champion Steven Stone offering Pokémon of their specialty type in exchange for another.
    • These are the first games in which an in-game trade accepts a Pokémon of any kind, with Jasmine accepting such in exchange for her Steelix.
  • Unlike how FireRed and LeafGreen's intro was an updated version of the opening from Red and Green, HeartGold and SoulSilver have an entirely new intro, using none of the footage from the intro of Gold and Silver. The intro, however, uses some music that was in the original and the title screen displays 3D renders of Ho-Oh and Lugia in a movement similar to the original title screens. They differ with HeartGold's intro featuring Ho-Oh at dawn and SoulSilver having Lugia at dusk (both at the beginning); additionally, at the end with Suicune on the cliff, the screen moves towards the sky in HeartGold and towards the ocean in SoulSilver.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver include the Champions from each of the previous paired versions: Blue from Red and Green, Lance from Gold and Silver, Steven Stone from Ruby and Sapphire, and Cynthia from Diamond and Pearl.
  • To date, HeartGold and SoulSilver are the only pair of remakes to not gain any new types that weren't available at the time of their original versions. FireRed and LeafGreen gained the Dark and Steel types, which did not exist in Generation I, while Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl all gained the Fairy type, which did not exist in Generations I, III, or IV.
  • The credits of HeartGold and SoulSilver are the first to feature Gym Leaders, Elite Four members and villainous team members.
  • The Pokédex entries for the Pokémon that existed in Gold and Silver are carried on over to HeartGold and SoulSilver, respectively, much as how FireRed used the entries from the Japanese Red and Green while LeafGreen used the entries from Blue.
  • These titles are the first Pokémon games to be available domestically in Canada in French, other than just in English.
    • Similarly, these titles are the second set of Pokémon games (after the original Red and Blue) to be released in Latin America in Spanish.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver, as well as Gold and Silver, have Gym Leader or Elite Four specialists for every type that existed at the time except the Ground type. However, Giovanni, a former Kanto Gym Leader who specialized in the Ground type, appears during a special event and can be battled.
  • Unlike Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver do not track sudden changes of the system's clock, making the games act as if it is a new day, letting daily events happen instead of them not occurring due to the games knowing the date has been changed.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver are the last Pokémon games to include a Game Corner.
  • These were the last games up until Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl to have single-use TMs.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver were the last games to have two explorable regions, until Scarlet and Violet, with Paldea and Kitakami.
    • These are the last ones to have both regions included in the base game, since Kitakami requires The Teal Mask to be played.

Typographical errors

  • Froslass's entry in SoulSilver's (but not HeartGold's) Pokédex has a typo where the period at the end of the sentence is missing.
  • A second nearly unnoticeable typo appears in both versions during Professor Oak's congratulations speech, when the player has a completely filled National Pokédex (minus event Pokémon). One of his sentences, "Meeting you is something l will cherish all my life long!", uses a lowercase L instead of a capital I.
  • In the North American manual of Pokémon SoulSilver, it is said on page 6 that "In order to catch all the Pokémon in the Johto region and complete your Pokédex, you must trade with the Pokémon HeartGold Version, as well as with other Pokémon versions." In reality, it is possible to complete the Johto Pokédex with nothing more than Pokémon caught in HeartGold and SoulSilver (other than event-only Pokémon). However, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl are needed to complete the National Pokédex, as well as either Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon Emerald or Pokémon Platinum.
    • In the North American manual of Pokémon HeartGold, the same text is said, including "you must trade with the Pokémon HeartGold Version" when it should say "with the Pokémon SoulSilver Version". This error is not present in the SoulSilver manual, which identifies the correct opposite game.

External links

In other languages

Language Title
Japan Flag.png Japanese ポケットモンスター ハートゴールド・ソウルシルバー
Chinese Cantonese 精靈寶可夢 心金／魂銀
Mandarin 精靈寶可夢 心金／魂銀
France Flag.png French Pokémon Version Or HeartGold et Version Argent SoulSilver
Germany Flag.png German Pokémon Goldene Edition HeartGold und Silberne Edition SoulSilver
Italy Flag.png Italian Pokémon Versione Oro HeartGold e Versione Argento SoulSilver
South Korea Flag.png Korean 포켓몬스터 하트골드・소울실버
Spain Flag.png Spanish Pokémon Edición Oro HeartGold y Edición Plata SoulSilver

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pokémon.co.jp
  2. ↑ Pokémon.com (US)
  3. ↑ Nintendo of Australia - Pokémon HeartGold Version
  4. ↑ Nintendo of Australia - Pokémon SoulSilver Version
  5. ↑ Pokémon.com (UK)
  6. ↑ Nintendo of the Netherlands announcement regarding the delayed release date (retrieved August 3, 2020) (Dutch)
  7. ↑ Nintendo of Korea
  8. ↑ Nintendo roept Pokémon spellen terug wegens bug (Nintendo recalls Pokémon games because of bug) - Tweakers (Dutch report on the save data bug) (retrieved August 3, 2020)
  9. ↑ Nintendo of the Netherlands announcement regarding the delayed release date (retrieved August 3, 2020) (Dutch)
  10. ↑ Famitsu rates HeartGold, SoulSilver - Bulbanews
  11. ↑ Pokémon HeartGold Review - IGN
  12. ↑ Pokémon HeartGold Version for DS Reviews - Metacritic
  13. ↑ Pokémon SoulSilver Version for DS Reviews - Metacritic
  14. ↑ Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2010
  15. ↑ Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo DS Software
  16. ↑ Media Create Sales: 2013 CY {2012.12.31 - 2013.12.29} | NeoGAF
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