Pokemon Red

Introduction: Pokémon Red is the official first version of the first generation of Pokémon games, released for the Nintendo Game Boy in 1996 in Japan and 1998 internationally. It is set in the Kanto region and follows a young trainer's journey to collect eight Gym Badges and challenge the Pokémon League. The visual style is defined by the Game Boy's monochrome green-tinted display, with simple sprite work and a top-down perspective.

Gameplay & Mechanics: The player chooses one of three starter Pokémon: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. The game's difficulty is considered moderate by modern standards, with some notable difficulty spikes, but its straightforward mechanics make it a common starting point for self-imposed challenges like Nuzlocke runs. Key mechanical elements are foundational: there is no split between Physical and Special moves (the type of the move determines if it uses the Attack or Special stat), only the original 15 types exist, and there is no day/night cycle or abilities. The core loop involves battling wild Pokémon and trainers to gain experience, using HM moves to navigate the overworld, and managing a limited item inventory.

Key Features:

• Version-Exclusive Pokémon: To encourage trading, several Pokémon like Ekans, Meowth, and Electabuzz are only found in Pokémon Red, while others like Sandshrew, Vulpix, and Magmar are exclusive to Pokémon Blue.
• Link Cable Trading and Battling: The game was designed around the Game Boy Link Cable, requiring it to complete the Pokédex by trading or to battle another player directly.
• Glitch Pokémon and Mechanics: The game is famously known for programming oversights that allow encounters with MissingNo., which can duplicate items, and other glitches that can break sequence or corrupt data.

The game established the core formula that all subsequent mainline titles would build upon.