Everyone has games they associated with the holidays – comforts you just keep coming back to or perhaps a title you were gifted that you remember fondly? For me, that’s Pokémon Platinum. I was ten years old when Platinum hit the shelves in Europe. In typical Pokémon fashion, not much changed between Diamond & Pearl and Platinum. But those who played Platinum at release will remember that comparatively, the game was far more winter-y.
Both potential protagonists, Dawn and Lucas, pack on a couple of extra layers for Sinnoh’s sudden cold snap. Additional areas of the region are also blanketed in snow. I first played Platinum around Christmas 2009, bright-eyed and ready to take my small blue penguin all the way to the Pokémon League. Ever since that first playthrough, I’ve remembered Platinum fondly. It’s firmly my favorite Pokémon game, and every so often around the Holidays, I come back to Sinnoh to have a poke around.
As with every Pokémon game from that era, Platinum has seasonal changes. Some aspects, primarily the weather, vary depending on the real-world season. As I tend to play around Christmas – I’m greeted by snowy views, dark lighting and that cozy feeling you get from being inside during cold weather.
I decided to come back to Platinum this Christmas with the intention of recapturing some of that childhood magic. After a quick boot, a convoluted method of deleting my old save, and another boot, I was ready to enter the world of Pokémon.
It begins in Twinleaf Town, a sleepy little hamlet to the southwest. The smell of adventure is in the air as I receive my starter Pokémon – Piplup gets the nod this time around. The relentless growling of my penguin makes short work of my headstrong rival, and we drive on to Sandgem Town to get our Pokédex.
Professor Rowan entrusts me, a small child, with his life’s work and sends me on my way. Bidoof, Starly, Shinx – the team is filling out nicely as we continue through Jubilife. With my swanky new watch and Machop, I leave Roark in the dust. Ah yes, I am approached by the dastardly Team Galactic as I re-enter Jubilife. To their credit, Galactic is actually evil. Their goals are sufficiently apocalyptic, as opposed to today’s standard of villainy, being bullied in school.
Bring on the beautiful Floaroma Town. The flowers remind me of the Flower Paradise location where you can catch Shaymin. I remember how excited I was by the prospect of secret event Pokémon when I was younger. I’d spend hours scouring Bulbapedia, absorbing as much trivia as I possibly could. Thanks to Action Replay, I was able to actually experience the rush of encountering a Darkrai or a Shaymin during an era when Nintendo events were not very accessible outside of the United States and Japan.
After dispatching with Commander Mars, I immediately change the time on my DS to recruit my new Drifloon, a Pokémon that only appears on Friday. Since I plan to finish the game by Friday, it’s a morally acceptable course of action. Soon, I’m at the entrance to Eterna Forest where I team up with Cheryl to beat up on small insects and their respective cocoons.
From there, the hours begin to melt away. One minute, I’m in Celestic Town with Cynthia, the next I’m beating down Byron’s Bastiodon with my Machoke. I travelled from the icy paradise of Snowpoint in the North all the way to the coastal city of Sunyshore. Albeit, with a small stop at Mount Coronet along the way to stop the universe from ending. The Distortion World is my favorite addition to Platinum, I remember being awestruck by how cool Giratina was when I was a child. You can also walk on walls and the camera shifts with you, and that’s cool as hell.
Using two Nintendo DS’ to cheese the Spiritomb requirements, catching a Gible in the secret portion of Wayward Cave and breeding the perfect Chansey all in preparation for the Pokémon League fight. The posers in the Elite Four never stood a chance and Cynthia, despite being a formidable opponent, was forced to relinquish her champion status unto me. My annual run is over, and unsurprisingly I enjoyed it immensely.
It’s important to have comfort games. No matter how much I change, my circumstances change or the world changes, I’ll always have Pokémon Platinum. So what do we think? How about Chimchar for next year?
