Best Openings In The Pokemon Games

Pokemon franchise openings set the tone for player experiences, aiming to engage both new and established fans successfully.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus breaks tradition by introducing new gameplay seamlessly through a mysterious and captivating opening sequence.
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire’s unique opening twist streamlines the initial player experience by engaging in a wild encounter right away.

The way any video game opens is instrumental in informing the players’ first opinions. New games normally start with an opening cutscene to establish the story, and a tutorial to show players how the game works. Since the Pokemon franchise has been successfully releasing titles for over twenty years, the openings in these new games must all be good enough to bring in new fans, while also engaging the established players.

8 Early Route Pokemon That Everyone Uses

Most early route Pokemon are there to help players gain early EXP. These Pokemon buck that trend, becoming viable team members for the entire game.

Pokemon has existed long enough to have games released on multiple generations of consoles. As such, there have been a variety of different ways that the developers have used to introduce these new games to players. Of course, some of these openings for Pokemon games are better than others.

Pokemon Red And Blue

Opening The Franchise For The First Time

Pokemon Red and Blue

Platform(s)Game BoyReleasedSeptember 28, 1998Developer(s)Game FreakGenre(s)JRPG

The first Pokemon games to release in the West, Pokemon Red and Blue had a big job to do of selling the franchise to a brand-new audience. There is a lot in these games for first-time players to get their heads around, and the first games on the original Game Boy did a great job by keeping things simple.

Pokemon Red and Blue opens with a static conversation with Professor Oak, who explains who he is and what Pokemon are. Players are then given control of the player character, and sent to choose their first Pokemon from the lab immediately. A quick tutorial battle happens once players have their Pokemon, but the rest of the game is open to them after this brief introduction. This opening may be quick, but it set the stage perfectly for the series to follow.

Pokemon X And Y

Bringing Pokemon To 3D

Pokemon X and Y

Platform(s)3DSReleasedOctober 12, 2023Developer(s)Game FreakGenre(s)JRPG

Pokemon X and Y are the sixth generation of Pokemon games, but they did not reinvent the wheel much in terms of the core gameplay in the series. Battles are largely the same format, and players must still complete the gym challenge, defeat the evil team, and beat the Pokemon champion to finish the game. However, Pokemon X and Y had a big hill to climb, as they were the first main series of games to be released in 3D.

This massive shift in design could have been jarring for a lot of older Pokemon players. The games transition fans into the 3D world expertly, though, as the game opens with a cutscene that follows a new Pokemon, Fletchling, as it flies around the new 3D scenery in the region, before landing in the player character’s bedroom. The game then begins after this great introduction, and the player is instantly put at ease with the fact that this new set of games is still faithful to the Pokemon series, as they then go on to the lab to pick their starter.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Introducing Players To A New Type Of Pokemon Game

Pokemon Legends Arceus

Platform(s)SwitchReleasedJanuary 28, 2022Developer(s)Game FreakGenre(s)Action, RPG

Pokemon fans were understandably nervous when first playing Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This game from the main series took place in the past and featured a very new way of playing in this iconic franchise. Pokemon and humans were not yet living together peacefully in this era, so catching and battling mechanics were very different. Fortunately, the opening of Pokemon Legends: Arceus was able to introduce players to these new concepts brilliantly.

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Pokemon fans can expect the starter lineup for the new Pokemon Legends game to follow the style of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

The game starts with a bright light as the legendary Arceus speaks to the player and sets the mysterious tone. Then, the protagonist wakes up on the beach and is met by the professor of the region, who teaches the player how to successfully catch Pokemon in this new game. From here, the first map of the wild area in the region remains a tutorial for the Legends format, but its opening sets the stage perfectly for everything else in the new game.

Pokemon Ruby And Sapphire

Putting A Spin On Choosing A Starter

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire

Platform(s)Game Boy AdvanceReleasedMarch 19, 2003Developer(s)Game FreakGenre(s)RPG

By the time the third generation of Pokemon games were released, the franchise had gotten pretty good at introducing new players to the games with their openings. Players would always go straight to the lab to pick their Pokemon, and then have a battle with their rival as a tutorial, as well as a catching tutorial. However, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire found a way to streamline this simple process even further.

Pokemon: Every Main Pokemon Professor & What Their Specialty Is

Every mainline Pokemon entry introduces a new Professor, each with their own field of study. Here’s what each one specializes in.

These games start with the player getting out of a moving truck and then leaving their house to go to the first route, instead of heading to the lab to get their starter. On this route, the player will meet that region’s professor, Professor Birch, as he is being chased by a wild Zigzagoon. He will instruct the player to choose one of three Pokemon to assist him, and the player must then battle and defeat the wild Zigzagoon. Such a change introduces players to their first Pokemon, battle mechanics, and is a fun way to include new players into this franchise by engaging in a wild Pokemon encounter immediately.

Pokemon Sun And Moon

Starting With Both Plot & Mechanics

Pokemon Sun and Moon

Platform(s)3DSReleasedNovember 18, 2016Developer(s)Game FreakGenre(s)JRPG

There is little doubt that the Alola region from the Generation 7 games is one of the best-looking regions in the franchise’s history. Loosely based on Hawaii, this set of colorful islands makes up a great variety of environments for players to explore. What’s more, the Pokemon in Alola populate a wide variety of trees, beaches, oceans, clifftops, and volcanoes.

Fortunately, players get to see all this incredible region has to offer in the opening cinematic for Pokemon Sun and Moon, which is similar to that of the one shown in Pokemon X and Y. However, the Alola region is far more interesting to look at than Kalos. From here, players get to receive their first Pokemon as normal and save the main NPCS, Lillie and Nebbie, in a move that heightens this game’s plot in a way that hasn’t been done before in the franchise. Pokemon Sun and Moon’s opening starts with great visuals and sets the stakes for what is to come effortlessly.

Pokemon: Best Pokemon For A Solo Run In Each Generation

Using just one Pokemon in a single game can be incredibly tough, but each generation does come with a good candidate for a solo run.