Pokémon Red and Blue allow players to trade Pokémon between two cartridges via a Game Link Cable. The ultimate goal of the games is to complete the entries in the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain all 151 creatures. Factors in the success rate of capture include the HP of the target Pokémon, whether it is under a status effect, and the type of Poké Ball used: the lower the target's HP, and the stronger the status effect and type of Poké Ball, the higher the success rate of capture. If the Pokémon is successfully caught, it will come under the player's ownership. While battling with a wild Pokémon, the player may throw a Poké Ball at it. Ĭatching Pokémon is another essential element of the gameplay. Pokémon at higher stages of evolution gain more statistics each time they level up, although they may not learn new moves as early, if at all, compared with the lower stages of evolution.
These evolutions affect the statistics and the levels at which new moves are learned. Some Pokémon may also evolve at certain levels. A Pokémon's level controls its physical properties, such as the battle statistics acquired, and the moves it has learned. After accumulating enough EXP, a Pokémon will level up. Once an enemy Pokémon faints, the player's Pokémon that were involved in the battle receive a certain number of experience points (EXP). Pokémon have hit points (HP) when a Pokémon's HP is reduced to zero, it faints and can no longer battle until it is revived. During a battle, the player may choose to fight using one of four moves, use an item, switch the active Pokémon, or attempt to flee however, fleeing is not possible in trainer battles. When the player encounters a wild Pokémon or is challenged by a trainer, the screen switches to a turn-based battle screen that displays the two engaged Pokémon. The player can use their Pokémon to battle other Pokémon. Pokémon Red and Blue are played in a third-person view, overhead perspective and consist of three basic screens: an overworld, in which the player navigates the main character a side-view battle screen and a menu interface, in which the player may configure their Pokémon, items, or gameplay settings. The player's Bulbasaur engaged in battle with a Charmander In 2009 they were declared by IGN to be the "Best selling RPG on the Game Boy" and "Best selling RPG of all time". The games' releases marked the beginning of what would become a multibillion-dollar franchise, jointly selling over 300 million copies worldwide. They received an aggregated score of 89% on GameRankings and are considered among the greatest games ever made, perennially ranked on top game lists including at least four years on IGN 's "Top 100 Games of All Time". Red and Blue were well-received with critics praising the multiplayer options, especially the concept of trading. Both titles are independent of each other but feature the same plot, and while they can be played separately, it is necessary for players to trade between both games in order to obtain all of the original 151 Pokémon.
Red and Blue utilize the Game Link Cable, which connects two Game Boy systems together and allows Pokémon to be traded or battled between games. Another objective is to complete the Pokédex, an in-game encyclopedia, by obtaining the 151 available Pokémon. The goal of the games is to become the champion of the Indigo League by defeating the eight Gym Leaders and then the top four Pokémon trainers in the land, the Elite Four. The player controls the protagonist from an overhead perspective and navigates him throughout the fictional region of Kanto in a quest to master Pokémon battling. Red, Blue, and Yellow–in addition to Green in Japan–were re-released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service in 2016 as a commemoration of the franchise's 20th anniversary. Remakes of Red and Green, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, were released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Pokémon Yellow, an enhanced version, was released in Japan in 1998 and in other regions in 19. Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue combined Red/Green/Blue for release outside of Japan. The games were later released as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue in North America and Australia in 1998 and Europe in 1999. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Pocket Monsters: Red and Pocket Monsters: Green, with the special edition Pocket Monsters: Blue being released in Japan later that same year.
They are the first installments of the Pokémon video game series. Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version are 1996 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy.