Pokémon Gold & Silver's Kanto post-game will never be bettered

As a diehard Pokémon fan, I wholeheartedly believe that there’s something to love about every single one of the main series games. I’ve written enough opinion articles on this very website to back that point up, even though I’ll eternally stand by Diamond, Pearl and Platinum being my favourites overall.

Regardless of which Pokémon game is your favourite though, I feel like all fans can agree that the post-game content in the Johto games (those being Gold, Silver, Crystal and the fourth-gen remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver) is yet to be surpassed by any other title in the series. Everyone remembers the first time they set foot in the Kanto region after collecting all eight Johto badges - the moment you realise that the entire region is there to explore, complete with all the gym leaders waiting to fight you… Sigh. That’s peak gaming.

Take a look at our interview with the original voice of Ash Ketchum, Veronica Taylor, right here.

Over on Reddit, people have been discussing games with “genius” post-game experiences, and unsurprisingly, Pokémon fans insist that Gold and Silver are shining examples.

“Best example that comes to my mind is Pokémon Gold and Silver. After finishing the main story you kinda get to replay the first generation in a completely different region,” Crocodile_Banger wrote. “Pokémon Gold and Silver taking you back to Kanto for another eight badges, Elite Four, and battle with [the] protag from Red and Blue. Best post-game. An entire additional game,” BoisterousLaugh commented.

To this day, the Johto games are the only main-series Pokémon titles which have let players explore more than one region. Time and time again, fans have wondered if the concept will ever return in a new game (I’ll be honest, I was really hoping for Kalos DLC in Scarlet and Violet). As of now though, Johto is special, and even if we ever do get another double-region bonanza game in the future, I imagine that most fans will probably still look back at Gold and Silver most fondly.