It's Conker's birthday party, and Berri and friends have given him a mountain of presents. Before he can open them, though, Berri first whistles in a trolley bearing the biggest birthday cake he has ever seen. However, something is up, as she notices it's not the one she made. The fake cake then bursts open with a crash, as the Evil Acorn springs out of the wreckage, gathers the presents and kidnaps Berri before fleeing. By the time Conker made it to the door, he had already escaped, and it's now up to Conker to get his presents back and rescue Berri.
The game was originally going to get a sequel on the N64 known as Twelve Tales: Conker 64, but that game was later cancelled and retooled for an older audience as Conker's Bad Fur Day, which has become far more known than Pocket Tales itself.
Pocket Tales's tropes include:
- Alternate Monochrome Version: As this game is one of the black GBC cartridges, it has an alternate monochrome palette so that it can be played on the original Game Boy and the Super Game Boy adapter.
- Big Fancy Castle: Much of the third world, Krow Keep, takes place in and arond a Medieval castle.
- Birthday Party Goes Wrong: The game is set during Conker's birthday, which is crashed by the Evil Acorn who steals Berri and his presents.
- Border-Occupying Decorations: Playing on the Super Game Boy fills the borders with differently colored balloons and presents, alluding to the game's plot being about Conker's birthday party.
- Brats with Slingshots: Conker uses a slingshot as his main weapon, using conkers as the ammo.
- Bubblegloop Swamp: Claw Swamp, which serves as the game's fifth world.
- Collapsing Lair: After freeing Berri in the Catacombs, the Evil Acorn activates a bomb, with Conker having 5 minutes to escape before the place explodes.
- Damsel in Distress: Berri, who is captured by the Evil Acorn in the intro of the game.
- Dual Boss: Sol and Luxo, a pair of vultures who act as one of the bosses in Vultureville.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: This game was made and released when Conker was still being aimed at kids, so it's much more cartoony, kid-friendly and lighthearted than the game most fans know Conker for. Berri's design in particular is much different between the two games, looking like a Distaff Counterpart of Conker in Pocket Tales as opposed to her taller, more sexualized design in Bad Fur Day. Rare would later try to justify this in promotional material for Conker: Live & Reloaded as Pocket Tales taking place when Conker was a kid.
- Evil Counterpart: Honker the Skunk, who serves as The Dragon to the Evil Acorn. He shows up as a boss in Vultureville and challenges Conker to races in Mako Islands.
- Giant Hands of Doom: The Swamp Fiend, who is the boss of Claw Swamp, is a set of giant hands that pop out of the mud and attack Conker.
- Golem: Siegfried Golem, the boss of the Aztec Temple, though he's really just a giant stone head.
- Ground Pound: Conker has one, which he can use to attack enemies and activate switches.
- Idle Animation: Leave Conker alone long enough, and he will pull out a Game Boy Color and play Donkey Kong Land on it, with music from that game's bonus stage playing in the background.
- The Lost Woods: Willow Woods, which is the starting area of the game.
- Jumping Out of a Cake: The Evil Acorn does this in the intro of the game, much to Conker and Berri's shock.
- Kid Hero: Conker.
- Mayincatec: The Aztec Temple, which serves as the game's sixth world.
- Palmtree Panic: The Mako Islands, which serve as the game's fourth world.
- Racing Minigame: There are three in Mako Islands, all against Honker; in the first, Conker will need to race Honker over some hurdles, pressing left and right on the D-pad to run and A or B to jump. In the second, Conker will need to beat Honker in a swimming race, pressing left and right on the D-pad to swim and A or B to breathe. In the third and final race, once Conker has built his boat, he will need to beat Honker to the finish line while staying on course.
- Reformulated Game: A unique example done on the same cartridge. Unlike most games specifically designed for the Game Boy Color, this one can be played on an original Game Boy, but it drastically alters its title screen, layout, animations, save system, and even some events to fit the weaker system.
- Underground Level: The Catacombs, which are the The Very Definitely Final Dungeon.
- The Unfought: Despite being the Big Bad of the game, the Evil Acorn is never fought. After Conker frees Berri in the Catacombs, he activates a bomb to blow them sky high, but ends up getting caught in the explosion when they escape, getting blown into space as a result.
- Vile Vulture: Sol and Luxo, who serves as the end-of-world bosses of Vultureville.
- When Trees Attack: The Big Bad of this game is the Evil Acorn.
- The Wild West: Vultureville, the game's second world, is set in a western town. Early in the stage, Conker is accused of shooting the Undertaker and arrested by the Sheriff. After Conker escapes from jail and meets up with the Sheriff again, the Sheriff realizes that Honker is the real criminal, and makes Conker his deputy as a means of apology. He then tells Conker to go to the bank, which is being robbed by Honker, whom Conker must defeat in a shoot-out. Later on, Conker must fight Sol and Luxo, a pair of vultures.
