A lost game
Fans of Pokémon will undoubtedly be aware of the Pokémon Black game which was released in Europe in 2011 alongside Pokémon White. But some gamers may well have forgotten about the original version of this game that is now considered lost. Only one copy of this version has apparently been found at the bottom of a box in a flea market in a little town in Japan over ten years ago. Doesn’t it just remind you of a horror film?
Discover our latest podcast
Well, you’re not completely wrong…
A cursed ghost
Pokémon Black was adapted from the first versions of the Pokémon games that were released in Japan: Red and Green (Aka and Midori in the Land of the Rising Sun).
The adventure begins just like any other Pokémon game, but with the added difference of being able to choose a fourth type of Pokémon, ghost, in addition to the other three available at the beginning of the game. In contrast to the other choices, the Ghost Pokémon starts the game at level 1 with only one attack move, 'curse'.
Every time the player encounters a Pokémon, a message would appear saying that the opponent was too scared to move. When the player uses this unique attack move, the console screen would turn black and you would hear the agonising cries and screams from the defending Pokémon. During battles with other trainers, the opponent would disappear at the end of the battle, leaving nothing but a tombstone behind.
A post-apocalyptic universe
But Pokémon Black's gruesome adventure doesn’t just end when you beat the Elite Four. Instead, the player is then transported several decades into the future. Their avatar is now older and can only move at half their original speed around the devastated world that you are now in. The world is completely empty, with the exception of the multiple tombstones scattered around. The player then realises that a huge battle has since taken place.
The urban legend continues
The mystery of Pokémon Black has earned itself the status of urban legend in the gaming world. This myth, just like a good horror film, is doomed to haunt forums and be passed from generation to generation, scaring new players who have the misfortune of stumbling across the cursed game…
A video of this mysterious game looks just like a horror film!