Play Pokemon - Soul Silver (JP) Online

Game Overview

Pokémon SoulSilver (JP) is basically the DS remake of the old Gold/Silver games, but with way more polish. You start in Johto—same cozy hometown vibes, same rival who’s way too eager to battle—but now your Pokémon actually follow you around on the overworld, which is weirdly charming. The sprites got a glow-up, and there’s this whole Pokéathlon minigame thing that’s way more fun than it has any right to be.

It’s still classic Pokémon at its core: wander through tall grass, get jumped by wild Pidgey, grind levels until your Cyndaquil evolves. But the little tweaks—like reusable TMs and the way your lead Pokémon sometimes dodges attacks on its own—make it feel less tedious than the originals. Also, the post-game’s ridiculous. After the Elite Four, you get to hop over to Kanto and do the whole gym challenge again. No one told 10-year-old me this was possible back in 1999, and I’m still not over it.

If you’ve only played the newer Pokémon games, this is the one that’ll make you understand why people get nostalgic for the older ones.