Pokemon Trading Card Game is a video game based on the real life Pokemon Trading Card Game. It is exclusive for the Game Boy Color but can also be played on the original Game Boy. The game contains the first three sets of the physical card game (Base, Jungle and Fossil) with a bunch of exclusive cards for a grand total of 226 cards. This is actually a decent amount and you can build a fair variety of decks. The card game itself is fairly easy to understand and get a hang of. The tutorial does an okay job of introducing you to the game but you really need to play a few games before it fully clicks. There are three types of cards: Pokemon, Trainer and Energy. A Pokemon card can be one of seven types: grass, fire, water, electric, fighting, psychic or colorless. Each type has their own distinct attributes such as fire usually having a high attack but also high cost.
Trainer cards will give you a variety of effects while Energy cards are what allows Pokemon to attack. Each Pokemon have attacks that require a certain number of Energy cards attached to use. In addition to attacks doing damage, they can also have a variety of effects. Each Pokemon has HP and knocking out your opponent's Pokemon will allow you to pick up a prize card. If all prize cards are taken, or your opponent has no more Pokemon on the field, or they run out of cards to draw, then you win. You're only allowed sixty cards in your deck and those slots are used up quite fast. Building a deck is really easy and the menu system is done really well here. Of course, being familiar with the cards and their attacks will aid you as you can quickly tell what's up during battles and also what cards you want. This familiarity will come in time as you continue to play through the game. You're able to save up to four different decks at once but just like the real life card game, multiple decks requires multiples of the same card because if you're using one card in one deck, you can't use that in another.
A really neat aspect of the game is how it contains a story mode. The story and flow of the gameplay takes cues from the mainline games. At the start, you're given the chance to get your Starter Deck. You have a choice between three decks, each based on one of the original three starts in the mainline games. The deck is usable but very flawed and doesn't complement itself well. Once you get your deck, you're told that there are eight clubs on the island. You'll gain a medal every time you defeat a leader from the club. Gain all eight medals and you get to challenge the Grand Masters in order to obtain the four Legendary Cards.
Throughout your journey, you'll be able to challenge other NPCs as well as having your own rival. Your rival's deck will change as the game goes on and gets stronger just like you do. A negative is that you select a club from a world map, you don't actually get to travel along routes like the main games. Every time you defeat a NPC you get booster packs for new cards to improve your deck. This is actually one of the most addictive things in the game as getting new cards gives you an awesome feeling of satisfaction. Like the physical card game, certain cards are more common or rarer than others. The story doesn't take too long to beat, only around five to six hours. Once you have a few good cards and a good strategy, then the rest of the game becomes a cakewalk. There isn't much replay value after you finish the game though, only a Challenge Hall which will hold tournaments at random for promotional cards as prizes.
Since this is a game for the Game Boy Color, the graphics are basic but still passable. The color palette is a bit on the simple side and doesn't fully show off some of the awesome art of the cards. Overall, Pokemon Trading Card Game is an addictive game. It perfectly translates the card game into a video game, including the feeling of beating other players and getting booster packs to increase your collection. The story mode is welcome and makes it feel that this spin-off game is fully fleshed out. Pokemon Trading Card Game is one of the fully realized Pokemon spin-off game we've had.
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