Pokemon Yellow Turns 20 Years Old In North America

During this weekend 20 years ago, Pokemon Yellow made its stunning debut on the Game Boy in North America!

Pokemon Yellow originally launched in Japan during 1998, but it wouldn’t hit western shores until October 1999. The follow-up to Pokemon Red/Blue/Green basically retreaded the Kanto region, but added some new features – such as having a companion Pikachu follow and interact with players.

The mechanic of a companion Pokemon was so well-received that it eventually returned in full force with Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, where most Pokemon in the game could walk behind players. More recently, the feature also returned in Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee – where either Pikachu, Eevee, or other Kanto Pokemon can accompany the player outside of battle.

Another interesting aspect of the game was the inclusion of Team Rocket members Jessie and James – essentially tying Pokemon Yellow to the popular anime series at the time. When encountering them, players were able to battle against their Ekans, Koffing, and (of course) Meowth.

Since then, the Pokemon series changed quite a bit in scope and appearance – while still retaining its core DNA. If you still have this classic title in-hand, maybe you should take another trip down memory lane before Pokemon Sword/Shield launches this November!