Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal

About

Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal is the nickname given to a particular bootlegged version of the video game Pokémon Crystal Version, the third and final Generation II title in Nintendo’s role-playing video game series, that became infamous for its Engrish mistranslations.

Origin

Pokémon Crystal Version was first released in Japan on December 14, 2000.^[1] Although it is unknown exactly when the bootlegged version was made, it is presumed to have been circulated as early as 2001. It was likely translated from a Chinese language bootleg of the game, which itself was translated from a Japanese version.^[2]

The Bootleg

The earliest known video of the bootleg was uploaded to YouTube in 2006. The bootleg languished in obscurity until 2010, when it was played during a video game marathon held by the charity ExtraLives; this marathon is also where the game earned the name Pokémon Vietnamese Crystal.^[3]^[4]

Spread

One of the earliest notable playthroughs of the game was created by the YouTube-based Let’s Player DeliciousCinnamon; the first episode of his Let’s Play, which was uploaded in 2011, has nearly over 900,000 views as of June 2015. Other notable Let’s Players and streamers who have played the game include cr1tikal and both Vinny and Joel from Vinesauce. The game was also discussed in a video about various Pokémon bootlegs by the video game critic and Let’s Player JonTron.

A TV Tropes page for the game was created in 2012. In 2014, an image containing several quotes from the game was shared to the subreddit /r/pokemon, where it gained over 1,000 points before being archived.^[5] An article on the game was published on the Pokémon news site Bulbanews on January 28, 2015; this article inspired a similar article on the game journalism site Kotaku later that day.^[6]^[7]

Notable Quotes

Elf

In the bootleg, the word “Pokémon” is mistranslated as “elf”, leading to infamous lines such as “Welcome, it’s elf’s world” and “Go to the elf’s world”.

Trashy

“Trashy” is a word associated with a long piece of dialog spoken by the character Silver in the bootleg. During the monologue, the word “trashy” is spoken over and over, to an absurd degree.

Volcano Bakemeat

Volcano Bakemeat is a mistranslation of a line about a dish being baked in an oven in the player’s house at the beginning of the game. The line has inspired people to attempt the creation of a recipe for “volcano bakemeat,” whatever it may be.^[8]