HeartGold and SoulSilver take place in the Johto and Kanto region of the franchise's fictional universe, which features special creatures called Pokémon.

As with all Pokémon games for handheld consoles, gameplay is viewed from a third-person overhead perspective, and consists of three basic screens: a field map, in which the player navigates the main character; a battle screen; and the menu, in which the player configures their party, items, or gameplay settings.

[3] A new minigame called the Pokéathlon[d] uses the Nintendo DS touchscreen and allows Pokémon to compete in events such as hurdling.

The entire mechanics will be unlocked after having gained the national Dex, completed two quests by the Safari administrator and automatically answered to each of his calls (one-each 3 hours of game).

[4] After completing a special Wi-Fi mission download on Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, the player can send a Deoxys to HeartGold and SoulSilver.

They were originally defeated by the protagonist of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and have attempted to come back as an organization, while awaiting the return of their leader, Giovanni.

After battling all of them in a row, they proceed to the area where the player encounters the game's legendary Pokémon mascot, Ho-Oh in HeartGold and Lugia in SoulSilver, and perform a dance to summon them.

Shigeki Morimoto, the games' director, commented on the development of the remakes: "The first thing that I knew I needed to bear in mind was to respect the feelings of those people who'd played Gold and Silver ten years before.

[9] On the differences between the remakes and the originals and how the names bore out of that, Morimoto said "With HeartGold and SoulSilver, the way in which trainers and Pokémon relate has become a major theme and this has been added to the story.

"[8] HeartGold and SoulSilver introduced many new features that were absent in the original Gold and Silver, several of which came from the previously released Nintendo DS Pokémon games, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum.

[12] Junichi Masuda stated on his blog that "we, Game Freak have spent long and firm time developing above two titles [sic]", and that "'Pokémon Gold & Silver' will be back with far more excitement.

"[13] At the 2009 Pokémon World Championships, Nintendo stated that HeartGold and SoulSilver would be released in North America between the months of January and March, Europe sometime around May and June, and Australia in April.

He also expressed skepticism that the new titles could match the quality of the originals; stating, "For me, Gold and Silver were amazing because they introduced so many new features that have since become standards for the series.

He reminisced over the qualities that made Gold and Silver truly unique, including the full color support, internal clock, Pokémon breeding, and PokéGear.

[28] Nintendo Power gave the games one of the highest scores, remarking on its replay value though criticizing shortly about no improvement in graphic animation for Pokémon sprites.

[33] Jim Sterling of Destructoid stated, "While it is, at its core, the same game that you've played many years ago, it still manages to feel new and the updated features bolster the original experience in a manner that never intrudes and only enhances".

[26] VideoGamer.com reviewer Jamin Smith said, "With HeartGold and SoulSilver the Pokémon series has reached a point where it can't get any better.

[27] GamePro's McKinley Noble stated that "it's clear that this is a perfect experience for both old-school trainers and the newest generation of Pokémon fans.

"[30] GameZone's Cliff Bakehorn III said, "There is not a doubt in my mind: Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the pinnacle of the entire series.

[citation needed] In Japan, the games sold over 1.48 million units within the first two days of release, topping the Japanese sales chart that week.