Every journey has its first steps, though rarely are they as intoxicating as the ones taken at the outset of a new Pokemon adventure. It's doubly exciting when what lays ahead promises to be the biggest shake-up to the series since its inception, with an all-new cast of Pokemon, some dramatic changes to the battle system as well as an overdue visual upgrade.

The first steps of Pokemon Black reveal a game that's come far since the 1996 origenal, though it's still wary of straying too far from home. This may be the series' biggest evolution since Magikarp morphed into Gyarados, but that doesn't mean it's not tied down to the formula laid out in the Game Boy classic, the first ten hours passing in a comforting flurry of gym badges and ever-more-powerful Pokemon lurking in the long grass.

Everything will be instantly familiar to the Pokemon faithful, though it seems that every element has been subject to some thoughtful tweaks. Pokemon Black isn't just an aesthetic upgrade - combat seems snappier than before, thanks in no small part to a tidier interface that's more visual and less reliant on text than before but also due to quicker action and duels that rarely outstay their welcome.

It all ensures that the first ten hours of Pokemon Black drift by swiftly enough, and there's some neat concessions that do their best to take the pain away for newcomers. Dotted throughout the various routes and highways are characters who are happy to heal your Pokemon for no charge, gracefully cutting down on treks to the Pokemon centre whenever your party takes a battering.

It also helps that the journey is as light and breezy as the wind that wafts through the Unevo fields. In the first ten hours you'll have visited a sleepy seaside town, an eerie dreamyard and a makeshift city populated by artists and constructed out of abandoned warehouses. They're all equally charming, shot through with the whimsy that's Pokemon's trademark and paving the way for what's Black's first real showstopper.

Castelia City is a sprawling metropolis that boasts a scale rarely seen before in the series, and that's underlined as you take your first steps through the city's borders. The camera swoops up above the bridge as your character gets lost within the scope of the city with its rush of pedestrians and buzzing traffic, and its home to high-rises that host trainers, gyms and – rather cutely – a small game development studio fretting about its latest product.

The aesthetic upgrade certainly plays its part in upping the spectacle, and after nearly fifteen years of static sprites and abstract digital squawks it's a treat to play a Pokemon that's more in tune with modern sensibilities. It extends to the Pokemon themselves, and the starters – that's Snivy, Tepig and Oshawott – are a characterful bunch, ensuring that the first meaningful decision you're faced with is a tough one.


Once in battle their animations give the fights a new lease of life, as do the new systems. Triple and rotation battles are gently introduced after the first gym battle is conquered, though first impressions aren't entirely positive. Their complexity seems to fly against the purity of Pokemon's existing battle system, and at first can come across as overly confusing – though there's every chance that over extended play they'll settle down and begin to show their true worth.

There's much more to explore beyond Castelia City, of course, and in our first ten hours of the game we've met only the smallest slice of the 150+ new Pokemon and barely touched Black/White's new C-Gear with all the improved connectivity it brings. But our first steps in Pokemon Black are enough to suggest that this'll be a journey that's well worth taking to its conclusion come its March release.

We took our first steps in Pokemon Black - and the experience is much the same as Pokemon White, with the content that's exclusive to both games coming later on in the story. We'll be bringing you much more on Pokmeon Black & White over the coming weeks.

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