Pokemon Heart Gold Guide and Walkthrough

Pokemon Heart Gold Guide

Unofficial Pokemon Heart Gold Guide by Chris Boots-Faubert for SuperCheats.com

The word "Pokémon" is an abbreviation of the words "Pocket Monster," from the English translation of the original Japanese words Poketto Monsuta, and represents in just three syllables what has become one of the most successful (if not the most successful) media franchises created in Japan.  

To the initiated it immediately conjures images of the yellow and black mouse-like Pikachu following behind a young and dark-haired boy in a ball cap, together wandering the lands of the fictional world that is based off of modern-day Japan, and in which they seek adventures, learn (and by example teach) moral lessons, and discover new truths, experiences, and make new friends while sharing the quest to one day become a Pokémon Master. 

The average person -- even if they have never played the games, read the books, or watched the television show -- knows what a Pokémon is, despite the fact that the franchise is largely targeted at children, because its saturation into our popular culture in the past two decades has been nearly as complete and as wide as that of Bart Simpson.  Images from the games, movies, and television shows have graced objects as diverse as lunch boxes, T-shirts, and even the fuselage of a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet belonging to All Nippon Airways!

The assignment to write the walkthrough for Pokémon HeartGold represents something of a watershed moment, as it is the enhanced remake of the original Pokémon Gold (published in 1999) which was my favorite game from the second generation, and because it is part of the most popular series of video games ever created, having sold over 200 million units since 1996.  It was declared "The Most Successful RPG Series of All Time" by the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008, and went on to earn a total of eight world records from Guinness, as well as a string of awards too numerous to even summarize from gaming sites, publications, and annual awards programs worldwide. 

As a remake, HeartGold is everything that a Poké Fan could want in a new take on Gold, including the updated fighting and game play style of the 4th Generation, the addition of new content, and of course the enhanced graphics that, even though it retains the original style of strategy familiar to anyone who has played any game in the series, is still as close to being in the world of the television show as we can hope to get!

The style of this walkthrough is a mixture of narrative and reference, and is divided into logical sections of the game centering around the cities and the path of travel between them.  HeartGold is a rich and deep gaming experience with some content that, while it is essentially part of the story mode, can still easily be missed in casual play.  For that reason each section contains a detailed description of the special events, side-quests, or what is euphemistically referred to as "optional" story play by most fan sites, as this is the only way to efficiently cover this content.

This guide can be used as a companion as you play through the game, or as a reference source for wrapping up play after you have completed the main story.  In it you will find both hints and close detail that includes secret information, and access to companion resources via the World Wide Web, as well as hints and tips that are intended to enhance your enjoyment of the game.  Please be aware that each section and the videos for them can contain spoilers that reveal more information than the game designer intends for the player to have at each stage -- so if you prefer to have a 100% spoiler-free experience, you are advised to complete each section of the game prior to reading that section of the walkthrough!