Pokémon Red and Blue

Pokémon Red and Blue doesn't have cheat codes. The tips and secrets below are the next best thing.

1. Bulbasaur or Squirtle makes Brock and Misty easy; Charmander makes the first two Gyms a real fight.
2. Psychic types are overpowered here because Ghost moves were bugged and can't touch them, so grab Abra or Kadabra early.
3. The Special stat covers both special attack and special defense, so Pokémon like Alakazam and Starmie are monsters.
4. Fast Pokémon land far more critical hits, because crit chance is tied to base Speed.
5. Teach Fly and Surf to Pokémon you don't care about and save your team's move slots for attacks.
6. Stock up on Repels before Rock Tunnel and Victory Road; you'll want them.
7. Three fishing brothers hand out rods: the Old Rod in Vermilion City, the Good Rod in Fuchsia City and the Super Rod in a house on Route 12.

Tap a secret to reveal it.

• It launched in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green; the international Red and Blue used the polished Japanese Blue version as their base.
• Satoshi Tajiri based the idea on his childhood hobby of collecting insects.
• Programmer Shigeki Morimoto slipped Mew into the game late in development, which is why it's so glitchy to reach.
• The game was almost too big for the cartridge; developers had to strip debug features to make room.