The world of Pokémon has always given players new post-game objectives once they've become Champion and defeated the Elite Four. Often times, quests to capture new Legendary Pokémon, in-game tournaments, and new backstories open up, giving the player more to do aside from preparing their team for the more competitive aspect of Pokémon. No games in the series showcase Pokémon's post-game potential better, however, than Pokémon Gold and Silver as the post-game gives a glimpse at the broader world of Pokémon and shows how time has progressed in the series.
As players begin their journey through the Johto region, they can see hints of how the world has advanced since Pokémon Red and Blue. Team Rocket's activity as an organization centers around smaller crimes comparatively, culminating in attempts to bring their former leader back into the fold. Along the way, players may also recognize Koga, the Fuchsia City Gym Leader from the previous titles, now acting as a member of Johto's Elite Four. Once the player defeats the Elite Four, the post-game opens, and the player is allowed to journey out of Johto and into Kanto, the setting of Pokémon Red and Blue.
To get to Kanto, players board the ship known as the S.S. Aqua that replaces Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow's S.S. Anne. From the perspective of gameplay, there is little more to this additional trek than the opening of new routes, the ability to capture some Pokémon that were unavailable through the normal course of the game, and revisiting Kanto's eight gyms. Where the post-game journey truly shines, however, is in showing the overall progression of time in the Pokémon world and the impact of the previous game's events.
How Pokémon Gold & Silver Show The Pokémon World's Progress
The arrival to Kanto in Pokémon Gold and Silver greets players with an immediate sense of nostalgia with the ability to revisit previous locations complete with the familiar sights and sounds of the previous generation. The Pokémon world at large has also very clearly advanced since the previous titles, with the cast having grown just slightly older and Team Rocket Boss Giovanni being nowhere to be seen after the effective end of the group in the aftermath of Pokémon Red and Blue. Giovanni and Koga's replacements showcase further advancement in the series as the player's previous rival Blue and Koga's daughter Janine take over their respective gym duties. Despite this, fans of the series will find that the biggest changes are present in Cinnabar Island.
Cinnabar Island and the Pokémon Mansion located on the island was revealed as the site of Mewtwo's creation in Pokémon Red and Blue. After the events of the previous titles, a volcano eruption decimated the island, destroying the mansion and forcing the gym leader Blaine to relocate his gym to the Seafoam Islands across the way. This incident of geological change further showcases the living, breathing world of Pokémon between the two generations, the forward progress of time impacting the land itself. All of the changes and progress throughout the Pokémon world stand as a testament to the game's attention to detail in pushing the timeline forward, but it is the game's final battle that ultimately reflects a changing of the guard.
The final battle sees players ascend Pokémon's Mt. Silver to battle Red, the player character of the previous generation. With the highest Pokémon levels in the entire game by a substantial margin, beating Red in the finale is the ultimate show of the player's skill as the new generation takes over for the previous. Once defeated, Red leaves without a word as the player now stands at the top of the mountain in both the figurative and literal sense through an unspoken ing of the torch. All of the changes in the game's world are reflected throughout the game before culminating in a battle against the previous protagonist, connecting two generations in a way that is still, to this day, unheard of in the world of Pokémon, ensuring that the post-game of Gen 2 remains wholly unique, nostalgic, and powerful in its thematic presentation of the forward march of time.
