Pokémon Crystal

Pokémon Crystal Version
Also known as: Pocket Monsters Crystal (JP) Developer: Game Freak Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Color Released in JP: December 14, 2000 Released in US: July 30, 2001 Released in EU: November 2, 2001 Released in AU: September 30, 2001 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused modes / minigames. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has regional differences. This game has revisional differences. This game has a development article This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article This game has a notes page This game has a bugs page This game has a Data Crystal page

This game/console's online features are no longer supported. While this game/console's online features were once accessible, they are (as of December 14, 2002) no longer officially supported and online-exclusive features may be documented as now-unseen content.

Pokémon Crystal is the updated companion to Pokémon Gold and Silver, with a focus on Suicune and mobile-based online functionality (though the latter is exclusive to Japan). It is also notable for being the first Pokémon game to give you the choice between a male or female protagonist. Go Kris!

Sub-Pages

Development Info

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Notes

Bugs

Debugging Material The Japanese version has a boatload of debugging functions!

Mobile Content Would you like to subscribe to our POKé NEWSLETTER?

Unused Graphics Now with twice the tileset space!

Unused Text Damn youngsters and their newfangled MOBILE nonsense...

Unused Trainers Here lies Firebreather Dick. May his legacy live on.

Version Differences For mobile tips! POKéCOM CENTER

Leftovers

All the unused data from Gold and Silver remains in the code of Crystal, virtually all of it unchanged aside from a few exceptions, which are documented below:

• The text string tied to the Entei static event was removed, and so was the unused Celadon Condominium roof string. As for the Mahogany Town and Route 45 unseen messages, they were both changed, as seen in the unused text subpage.
• While all unused maps remain untouched, the "Unknown Office" and the "Chief House" now look messed-up due to the "Mansion" blockset being updated. The Safari Zone and the Haunted House attic were also affected by respective blockset changes, but to a much less severe extent.
• Staryu's holdover egg move data was removed entirely.
• The Burned Tower's static Entei encounter data was removed entirely.
• The TM24 "item get" messages in the Dragon's Den actually get used here. As for Blackthorn's Gym, the copy of Clair's dialogue in the den can be seen with the right setup.

Main article: Pokémon Gold and Silver

Unused Cry Base

Data for an unused base cry can be found in the ROM at 0xF35D3. This is a leftover from Pokémon Red and Blue, and just like in those games here it isn't referenced by any pointer table, therefore there is no ID associated with this base cry.

(Source: Pokémon Crystal disassembly - Discovery)

Unused Songs

This rearrangement of the Pokémon Center music is used for the Pokémon Communication Center at Goldenrod City once the player successfully connects to the Mobile System GB service for the first time, and is therefore never heard in the international versions as the building has been replaced by a regular Pokémon Center. Its ID is 66.

This theme is used when accessing the Mobile menu, and is therefore never heard in the international versions. Its ID is 5E.

This theme is used on the mobile connection screen, and is therefore never heard in the international versions. Its ID is 5F.

The music from the opening sequences of Gold and Silver remains in the ROM, despite there being no use for it in Crystal:

The unused Opening Demo track from Gold and Silver. Its ID is 52.

The unused Opening Demo 2 track from Gold and Silver. Its ID is 53.

Super Game Boy Features

Even though Pokémon Crystal is only compatible with the Game Boy Color, it retains an unused Super Game Boy border programmed into the game. It can be enabled by setting the flag at offset 146 to 03. It is a leftover from the Japanese Gold version in all releases; given that the border does not fit well with Crystal, it was likely that it was never intended to be used at all. To enable the Super Game Boy features on real hardware or on an emulator, use the Game Genie code 031-46F-E6A (Note that because the SGB checks for the bit after booting, you must first power it up with any game that has SGB enhancements inserted into the Game Genie, then insert the Crystal cartridge with the Game Genie to see the hidden features). It is worth noting that music was planned to play on the error message screen that appears as load functions are present.

There are several other unused palettes that are leftovers from Gold and Silver. Game Genie codes ??9-A8B-91B and ?69-A7B-B31 will load any of these unused palettes. ATTR_BLK settings are not actual palettes but rather attribute settings and they appear black, and thus they won't be documented.

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  ID B6 5A

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  ID 26 5B

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  ID 36 5B

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  ID 46 5B

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  ID 86 5B

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  ID 96 5B

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  ID A6 5B

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  ID B6 5B

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  ID C6 5B

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  ID D6 5B

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  ID E6 5B

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  ID F6 5B

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  ID 06 5C

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  ID 16 5C

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  ID 36 5C

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  ID 46 5C

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  ID 56 5C

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  ID 66 5C

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  ID 76 5C

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  ID 96 5C

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  ID A6 5C

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  ID B6 5C

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  ID C6 5C

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  ID E6 5C

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  ID F6 5C

(Source: nensondubois - Palette Discovery)

Rival

In Gold, the default name for the player's rival when a blank name is provided is SILVER (シルバー in Japanese), which remains true in Crystal. Coupled with the fact that the game is programmed to load the Gold border when in SGB mode further suggests that Crystal was developed from Gold rather than Silver.

In contrast, the default name in Silver is GOLD in English and ゴールド in Japanese.

Unobtainable Shinies

All 26 forms of Unown have Shiny variants, but ironically enough only "I" and "V" are accessible due to how both Forms and shininess are dependent on IV values. All the back sprites remain unused from Gold and Silver.

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Early Title Screen

Early (Overlay On)	Early (Overlay Off)	Final (Overlay On)	Final (Overlay Off)

Found at the beginning of bank 43 (address 0x10C000) is this early iteration of the title screen which comes with its own tilemap, tilesets, and even preliminary palette data. Namely, the Pocket Monsters logo is much more dull, and its highlights are inverted for the most part. Part of the logo are actually background tiles, with the rest being an overlay, which is superimposed atop the crystal emblem. As for the crystal, it is also a fair bit more faded, as well as larger in size. Meanwhile, both the version name and "POCKET MONSTERS" text are swapped, and are both written in English, as opposed to only the later. No copyright date is to be found here as well, and neither is the running Suicune, though instead a unique Unown emblem can be spotted in the lower right corner of the screen.

Regardless of visuals, this title screen does function as intended, bringing the player onto the continue screen, with the only quirk being that it does not reboot the game after the music ends, unlike the final title screen. The bytes in the following offsets should be altered in order to disable the regular title screen's animation, loading the unused one instead:

• English version: change 0x67 in 0x6277 to 0x00 and 0x6D in 0x6278 to 0x40. Replace the five bytes in addresses 0x6226-0x622A with F0 A2 A7 28 FB.
• Japanese version: change 0x67 in 0x63EF to 0x00 and 0x6D in 0x63F0 to 0x40. Replace the five bytes in addresses 0x63A0-0x63A4 with F0 A2 A7 28 FB.

Alternatively, the following Game Genie codes may be used:

Japanese	English
003-EF9-7F7 403-F09-5DF F03-A09-D5D A23-A19-2A5 A73-A29-6E7 283-A39-2AA FB3-A49-085	002-779-7F7 402-789-5DF F02-269-D5D A22-279-087 A72-289-6E3 282-299-2AA FB2-2A9-085

(Source: Pokémon Crystal disassembly, Crystal_ (English version discovery), and SatoMew (Japanese version discovery))

Unused Movement Script

set_sliding
big_step DOWN
remove_sliding
step_end

The Burned Tower basement contains unused movement data, right between Suicune's second and third overworld scripts. The source file for this map, D18R0102.EV, labels this script as anm_sui_d18r0102_03.

(Source: Pokémon Crystal Disassembly)

Leftover Warp Data

The Burned Tower had its design updated in Crystal, which namely removed the holes which dropped down to the basement. However, both upper and lower floors still retain the data which defined where the player would fall/land, with it obviously going completely unused.

(Source: Pokémon Crystal Disassembly - Burned Tower 1F / Burned Tower B1F)