Color palette (Generations I–II)
The Generation I core series games may be played in black and white or in color, depending on the game system used.
Compatibility
Black and white
In some game systems, the Generation I games are played in black and white.
In the Game Boy:
- All Generation I core series games are compatible with Game Boy, which is in black and white. This includes Japanese Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, international Pokémon Red and Blue, and all language versions of Pokémon Yellow.
- In the first Game Boy model (DMG-01) with a green screen, there are 4 shades from to black to light green.
- In the Game Boy Pocket, there are 4 shades as well: black, dark gray, light gray, and white.
- In the Japan-only Game Boy Light, there are 4 shades from black to cyan.
In the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube with Game Boy Player, and Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console:
- All Japanese versions of core series Generation I games (Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow) and the international versions of Red and Blue are played in black and white (using the 4 shades: black, dark gray, light gray, and white) in these systems.
- (the international version of Pokémon Yellow is played in color, and there is also the option to play with colors added from the game system in the Game Boy Color and Game Boy advance)
In-game color
In some game systems, the Generation I games are played with in-game color data. Therefore, different things like Pokémon species, places in the overworld, the HP bar, the slots, the game logos, badges, etc. have different colors.
In the Super Nintendo Entertainment System using the Super Game Boy or Super Game Boy 2, or the Game Boy Tower feature from the Pokémon Stadium series games using the Game Pak:
- All Generation I core series games have in-game color data compatible with these systems.
In the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube with Game Boy Player, and Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console:
- Only the international versions of Pokémon Yellow are played with in-game color data on these game systems.
- (the earlier games Red, Green, and Blue, as well Japanese Pokémon Yellow, are played in black and white on those systems)
Comparison between games
Almost all the core series Generation I games (including Japanese Pokémon Yellow) have a single set of color palettes, which is used for the Super Game Boy. The international versions of Pokémon Yellow are the only exception, because they have two sets of colors palettes: the one for Game Boy Color was added in the localization, in addition to the earlier one for the Super Game Boy.
Most of the Super Game Boy color palettes are the same in Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, except the colors associated with their logos (like the "Red Version" text) is different between games, and the Rocket Game Corner slots also have different color palettes depending on the game.
In Pokémon Yellow, all the Super Game Boy and Game Boy Color palettes are different from their counterparts found in earlier games.
Hardware-added color
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Add list of button combinations and images of Pokemon games (Generation I core series) using those color palettes |
The Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube with Game Boy Player are also able to add some colors from the game console itself (not using any in-game color data). There are several button combinations to choose the color palettes at the start of the game.
- These hardware-added colors are compatible with those Pokémon games that are played in black and white: all Japanese Generation I games, and the international versions of Red and Blue. It is not possible to choose the color palettes of international Pokémon Yellow, because it already has in-game color data compatible with the Game Boy Color.
List of color palettes
- Main article: List of color palettes by index number (Generation I)
Notable uses of color
Human characters
The same color palette (index number 0x10) is shared by the full body sprites of all Pokémon Trainers, including the Trainer classes, the player character Red, and the rival Blue, as well as Professor Oak (the last one at the new game cutscene).
- In Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue played on the Super Game Boy, due to sharing the same palette, all those people have light pink and dark purple colors in their game sprites.
- In Pokémon Yellow played on the Super Game Boy, the light pink has become lighter, and the dark purple was converted to dark pink.
- In Pokémon Yellow played on the Game Boy Color, yellow and red are used instead.
When playing the Generation I games in black and white, when Professor Oak appears in the new game, he remains completely visible. However, when playing in color, he is initially seen as a black outline (using the black color palette with index number 0x1E) which is then converted into the normal colors.
Pokémon
- Main article: List of Pokémon by color palette (Generation I)
When the Generation I games are played with in-game color data, there are 10 color palettes available for Pokémon species, as seen in the summary, the Pokédex, and in battles.
Evolving Pokémon
When the Generation I core series games are played in black and white, a Pokémon remains completely visible while evolving. For example, when Bulbasaur evolves into Ivysaur, the completely visible sprites of each species flicker in the transformation from one species to another.
However, when played in color, a completely black palette (index number 0x1E) is applied to the evolving Pokémon, effectively turning it into a black silhouette. Except the Pokémon's white features remain white (such as Poliwag's belly, Electrode's top half, and the eyes of several Pokémon).
In Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, this black palette is comprised of subtly different shades of black, and therefore the features of the Pokémon may still be seen to some extent. However, in Pokémon Yellow, those shades of black are converted into a single black tone, completely obscuring those features.
Pokémon with color palette 0x10
In particular, the color palette (index number 0x10) used by human characters is also used by Mew, Mewtwo, and Jynx. Therefore, those three Pokémon are dark purple and light pink in Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, but they are red and yellow in Pokémon Yellow played on the Game Boy Color.
In the intro of Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, there are some Pokémon with an unusual color palette seen together with the player character Red below the game logo. Those Pokémon include Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Clefairy, Doduo, Gengar, Jolteon, Snorlax, etc. Specifically, they are also using the color palette 0x10 (the same color palette as the player), therefore they are seen as light pink and dark purple as well.
When Professor Oak introduces a Nidorino or Pikachu in the new game, that Pokémon appears with unusual colors because the 0x10 color palette is applied as well.
- In Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue, the Nidorino introduced in the new game appears light pink and dark purple, while Nidorino in normal gameplay are completely purple instead.
- In Pokémon Yellow, the Pikachu introduced in the new game has pink cheeks (in Super Game Boy) or red cheeks (in Game Boy Color). In normal gameplay, Pikachu have orange cheeks instead (due to using the color palette shared by all yellow Pokémon).
In the party screen, all the small Pokémon icons also share the 0x10 color palette.
Purple Jigglypuff (Pokémon Blue)
Due to an oversight, when Pokémon Blue is played in color, the Jigglypuff seen at the game intro (battling against Gengar) appears purple instead of pink. This is a leftover from the battle between Gengar and Nidorino, as both are purple Pokémon.
Jynx (Virtual Console)
In the international versions of Pokémon Yellow for Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console, Jynx does not have the same palette as in the Game Boy Color. Instead, Jynx has a different color palette with purple skin, owing to the controversies surrounding this Pokémon.
In the Generation I core series games, this version of Jynx for the Virtual Console is the only Pokémon with a palette consisting of five colors (including the purple skin), as opposed to four colors.
This color palette does not affect the Japanese version of Pokémon Yellow, because it is played in black and white (in both the Game Boy Color and the Virtual Console).
Overworld
In the overworld, a single color palette is applied depending on the place. This color palette is shared by all features, including all houses, objects, and Pokémon. When the player goes from one place to another, the overworld completely changes it color palette at once.
For instance, Cerulean City appears blue, while Cinnabar Island appears red. In particular, the same color palette (index number 0x00) is applied to all routes, resulting in white or green ground, blue grass, and blue water.
HP bar
When the games are played in black and white, the HP bar appears the same no matter how much HP the Pokémon has.
When the games are played in color, the HP bar has three different palettes: green, yellow, and red HP bars.
Game Freak logo
In Generation I core series games, the Game Freak logo seen at the start of the game intro has its own color palette (index number 0x24), including the text and the large shooting star.
The small stars falling below the Game Freak logo take their colors from other palettes:
- Green stars use the Viridian City palette (index number 0x02)
- Blue stars use the Blue Pokémon palette (index number 0x11)
- Red stars use the Red Pokémon palette (index number 0x12)
Slots
The slots at the Rocket Game Corner use several color palettes at once. The same color palette (0x1A) is shared by the reel icons. Three other color palettes (0x1B, 0x1C, and 0x1D) are used by the "3", "2", and "1" icons, respectively.
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This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |
