So today I finally got around to trying out the classic Pokémon Red and Blue on the Switch. Heard they dropped on the Nintendo Switch Online thingy, right? Gotta check this out myself.
Starting the Hunt
First thing, opened up my Switch. Scrolled through the menus until I hit the Nintendo Switch Online app icon. Fired that up. Honestly, the layout always feels a bit messy to me. Took a minute poking around – found the “Game Boy” section tucked away. Scrolled down that list… yep! There they were. Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, sitting right next to the other old Game Boy games.
Getting Into Pallet Town… Again
Clicked on Pokémon Red first. That startup screen hit me right in the nostalgia bone. You know the one – Professor Oak talking about the world of Pokémon. Felt like booting up my old brick Game Boy! Hit the button to start a new game.
- Professor Oak pops up: Same old sprites, same dialogue about choosing a name. Went with my usual dumb trainer name.
- Rival time: Picked Blue, called him something vaguely insulting like always.
- The big choice: Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur? Went with Squirtle this time. Water starter crew!
Right away, I noticed the emulation was pretty decent. The chunky pixels looked sharp on the Switch screen. But here’s the thing – it felt a bit weird playing without the actual physical buttons of the Game Boy. Using the Switch joy-con d-pad for movement… it’s serviceable, but definitely not the same satisfying click.
Grinding on Route 1
Walked out of Pallet Town, grass rustling sound on cue. First wild Rattata! Battles look exactly the same. Menu navigation felt fine with the Switch buttons. No slowdowns that I could see.
Tried out the Switch features though:
- Rewind feature: Oh yeah, this is a game-changer! Held down the ZL and ZR buttons. Felt a bit like cheating honestly. Messed up a fight? Just rewind a few seconds. Wild encounter you didn’t want? Rewind! Super handy for grinding without wasting time.
- Save States: Poked around the Switch menu, found the suspend point option. Made a save state right after catching that first Pidgey. Way easier than hunting down a Pokémon Center every time you gotta stop playing.
Missing Pieces and Weird Feels
Got to Viridian City, talked to the old dude blocking the path. Remembered the old times. But playing on the big TV felt kinda strange. It’s a tiny Game Boy game blown up! Looks pretty blocky.
Biggest bummer hit me later: Where’s the link cable stuff?
Tried finding any option for trading or battling with other players – zero. Nada. Just gone. Guess it makes sense with it being emulated on Switch Online, but man, trading Pokémon was half the fun back in the day. Can’t get that Alakazam now without another Game Boy and a physical cart. Kinda sucks.
Verdict After a Few Hours
Put it down after beating Brock (Squirtle bubble spam still works!). Overall? Pretty cool having these legit classics just there on the Switch.
- Good: Easy access, runs smooth, rewind and save states are brilliant quality-of-life improvements. Pure nostalgia trip.
- Bad: No trading/battling, controls feel a little soft, looks chunky on big screens.
Worth playing again for the trip down memory lane? Absolutely. Feel like I need to dig out my actual Game Boy Color now just to get the real feel back, scratches and all. Still, glad Nintendo threw these up there.
