Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow

Where it all began: 151 species, eight gyms and a rival always one step ahead.

Release: 1996
Console: Game Boy
Region: Kanto
Generation: I
Style: Classic RPG
Category: Main series

Attribute hexagon of Red, Blue and Yellow. Scores: Nostalgia 5, Exploration 3, Difficulty 3, Freedom 2, Competitive 2, Story 1.

Reading the profile

Scores from 1 to 5, in the atlas's own assessment.

Nostalgia score 5 out of 5 It is the origin: every screen became a reference for everything that came after.
Exploration score 3 out of 5 Sits at the average of the games in the atlas.
Difficulty score 3 out of 5 Sits at the average of the games in the atlas.
Freedom score 2 out of 5 There is only one path.
Competitive score 2 out of 5 There is almost nothing to contest against other people.
Story score 1 out of 5 The story is a backdrop.

This is the mold the whole franchise came out of. You pick a starter, cross Kanto from city to city, defeat eight gym leaders and try to complete the first Pokédex. All in four shades, on a screen the size of a stamp.

Playing it today is an exercise in archaeology: the interface is harsh, the bag fills up fast and the balance between types has famous holes. But the pace is direct and the map design is still exemplary. Yellow, from 1998, puts a Pikachu walking behind you.