Pokémon Trading Card Game (GB) Review

By Charles

August 30, 2025

This game is one of my favourite games on the Game Boy Colour, so I have already fully completed it twice before doing it once again for this review. I thought it would get near perfect, but as I looked at the game through a more critical lens, it wasn't quite as good as I remembered.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

Game Boy, 1998 ~$1,500 sealed ~$40 used

Virtual Console 3DS

Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy

32

/40

PRESENTATION

CONTROLS

CONTENT

The game's overworld has a great look that is similar to the main Pokémon RPGs. I appreciate this a little less since all of the characters are on a constant walk cycle, even when standing, that makes the overworld look low-quality. The most important part, the battle UI, looks fantastic. It is very neat and organized and it's easy to maneuver. The card arts look amazing and are expertly copied from the physical cards. You can instantly tell what card the pixel art has adapted thanks to smart use of colour palettes and shading. All the music is great, especially the battle themes, but they can get repetitive.

The game contains 228 cards. It's impossible to get both the secret cards, but it's okay since the card counter is /226 unless you get one. With almost every Base-Fossil card, as well as a deck save feature and multiplayer, there are a lot of possibilities. The issue with the game's content is single-player. Story mode is fun, but there are only 40 opponents in the entire game. You can beat the game with any deck and there are no extra challenges for advanced players. The only thing to do is complete the card album, but the only way is to battle the same NPCs over and over, which took me longer than beating the game.

8

10

I had so much fun playing this game all the way to the credits. You start with a weak deck, so every pack opening is exciting. You have to scrape up every last resource you have to make new decks. Changing up your deck for different typed opponents is really interesting, and it feels great to challenge the final boss when you feel confident in your deck. Once you beat the game, however, the fun is all gone. There's nothing new to do except do repeat battles to get the last few cards you don't even need. If you have friends to battle with, you can get a lot more out of it, but the postgame feels very bare on single-player.

5

9

The developers did a fantastic job creating a simple UI for the entire card game. It's very easy to use and there are a lot of quality of life features. Everything moves quickly on the GBC version, letting you feel like a card master while you empty out your hand in seconds. You can change the settings to remove unnecessary animations and pauses. The overworld even has a run button, which was not yet in the main series.

FUN FACTOR

WORTH THE MONEY?

The cartridge is a low price and is reminiscent of the main series RPGs, so if you have a Game Boy, I would recommend this game. It's compatible with the original Game Boy, but it does run a bit slower. This game might make a month of NSO worth it if you're a big Pokémon card fan.

WORTH THE TIME?

I think any Pokémon fan should play this game through to the credits, since it's relatively short, but call it there. Finishing the card album isn't fun at all.