25 Years Ago, Pokemon Changed the Game with A Historic Release That’s Overdue for a Switch Port

2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the Pokemon franchise, and we’ve been celebrating in style all year. But today is another special day in the course of Pokemon history, both in general and personally. On July 29th, 2001, Pokemon Crystal first released in North America. This game, which offers an upgraded take on Gen 2’s Pokemon Gold and Silver, changed my relationship to the franchise forever. It also introduced two key features that have been series staples ever since.

Pokemon Crystal continued a series tradition of releasing a third, upgraded version of the current gen. But it also broke new ground for Pokemon. Pokemon Crystal was the first game to feature animated sprites during battle, rather than static ones. It was also the first time our Pokemon Professor asked a question that quite honestly made a younger me tear up a little: Are you a boy? Or are you a girl? That question has aged poorly in some respects and has become a meme in its own right, but it also marked the first time a Pokemon game let you choose your protagonist.

Pokemon Crystal Solidified My Status as a Pokemon Fan (And as a Gamer)

Growing up in the late ’90s and early 2000s, loving video games as a girl was seen as unusual. And I can see why. Many early games, from Super Mario to the first generation of Pokemon, had a default male protagonist. That tacitly assumed games were for boys, and that there was no reason to offer a female option because what girl would pick up these games anyway? I was that girl. While I rushed to secure Princess Peach in games like Mario Kart, I spent a lot of my early gaming years running around as pixelated male characters like Link and Mario.

So, I wasn’t ready for Professor Oak’s question when I booted up Pokemon Crystal on my Game Boy Color. That simple change from the previous games meant the world to me. Getting to choose a protagonist I could actually identify with for my Pokemon adventure? Sold. Since Pokemon Crystal, choosing between two protagonist options has become the default in Pokemon games. We’ve even gotten character customization in more recent games, to varying degrees. Having that option meant so much to me as a kid, and I genuinely think it’s part of what kept me coming back to Pokemon with each new release. It was one of the first games that let me play as me.

Of course, that wasn’t the only thing that made Pokemon Crystal special, even if it is my personal core memory of the game. This was also the first Pokemon game to use animated sprites, compared to the static ones from previous titles. Another small tweak that nevertheless made the world of Pokemon feel more alive. Since then, battle animations have become a staple for the series, even as The Pokemon Company has experimented with all manner of changes to the tried-and-true formula. With such an important place in Pokemon history, it’s frankly a crime that it’s not easier to replay Pokemon Crystal these days.

Pokemon Crystal Absolutely Needs a Switch Port so Fans Can Relive the Magic

Like any of the other third installments in a gen, Pokemon Crystal sits in a bit of an odd position. Despite standing apart from Pokemon Gold and Silver in some pretty key ways, the game is also much harder to revisit. In a way, Crystal is sort of like an enhanced remake of the first Gen 2 games. And that means it got skipped over for the Johto remakes. We got HeartGold and SoulSilver, but never… whatever clever title Pokemon would come up with for a revamped Pokemon Crystal.

In some ways, that makes sense. The remakes can simply fold in the improvements from Crystal, which they did. And yet, I find myself wanting to return to that specific experience. Ideally, it’d be on the sparkly blue Game Boy Color cartridge. But Crystal is one of the more expensive retro Pokemon games out there due to its rarity and its unique place in Pokemon history. That’s why I’d really love to see an official Nintendo Switch port for the game, like what we got for Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen.

Unfortunately, a re-release for HeartGold and SoulSilver is a lot more likely, if we get more standalone Pokemon ports on Switch at all. And it’s true that the remakes incorporate many elements from Crystal, including the Suicune storyline, animated sprites, and the option to play as the female main character. But even so, Crystal is a unique part of Pokemon history that should be accessible to modern fans if they want it. While I don’t know if it will actually ever happen, on the 25th anniversary of Pokemon Crystal, I’m daydreaming about playing it again as a Nintendo Switch port.

Did you play Pokemon Crystal when it first released? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

5 Extremely Valuable Snorlax Cards The Most Dedicated Pokémon Collectors May Never Find