Ladies and gentlemen, start your emulators. It is time for another episode of retrOS, and probably the biggest review I have ever written. The date of posting is a major milestone for myself and the people who know me personally.
To commemorate the occasion, I review a classic GBA title I played the days running up to the accident itself, and its immediate aftermath. Is this game a classic, or should this game be long forgotten?
Let's find out!
In August 2004, I took a 60 to 100-foot fall , my body making contact with the cliff face numerous times on the way down, resulting in countless horrific injuries
The link to the article on what happened, by the Daily Mail is here:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2674108/I-fell-110ft-castle-SURVIVED-Lucky-man-tells-amazing-recovery-10-years-cheated-death-teenager.html.
and a 10% chance of survival. Even today, I still don't quite fully understand how why, and how I survived this ordeal. But, I digress let's not on with this review!
Nintendo Corporation's Pokémon series is one of the biggest juggernauts that the company has in their portfolio.
The series started in 1996 with the release of Pokémon red, blue (or green in Japan)for the original Game Boy. Even in the franchise's infancy, it sparked a worldwide phenomenon, with the publisher, Nintendo, and the developers Game Freak pushing the franchise as far as it could.
With an insanely popular TV series, which came to a conclusion on September 2023, with the occasional movie spin-off following the events of Ash Ketchem who left his hometown to embark on a 25-year-long journey to be the very best (like no one ever was!).
Another big element of the franchise brought to the table in the late 90s was the trading card game, developed by Magic the Gathering creators, Wizards of the Coast, it practically took over schools nationwide. Seriously, I remember an incident, which happened in primary school, an actual fistfight broke out between two of my fellow students over a certain card. Although I cannot remember specifics, I certainly remember the scrap itself taking place.
Anyway, I digress, back to Pokémon. During this time, there were a lot of cult classics being released by Nintendo in the late 90s, including Pokémon Stadium for the N64. FUN FACT: did you know that Pokémon Stadium came with a peripheral, which plugs in the right way to the back of the N64 controller?
If you owned this peripheral, and a copy of the original Pokémon Red, or Blue, you can import the team that you had from the save the file and use it in the game, and using the GB Tower, you can continue on your Pokémon journey through a TV screen!
This particular title was released for the Game Boy Advance on November 21, 2002, however, the game itself was not released in Europe until 25 July 2003 and is set in a whole new world, the Hoenn region, which was specifically designed by the developers to mimic Japan's Island of Kyushu, rotated 90°.
You play the part of either in male, or female Pokémon trainer which started out in the small town of Littleroot. A secret organisation (the name varies with the specific version of the game you are playing) is trying to use the power of an agent, dormant legendary Pokémon, Groudon, or Kyogre* to eradicate the world of all humanity.
it is up to you to travel around the region, defeat all eight gym leaders, Then onto the Elite Four, putting a stop to Team Aqua, or Team Magma*and completing an encyclopaedia of all 202 Pokémon all the same time!
The accessibility scores are as follows –
Visibility 9.5
Although there are no colourblind modes available in this game, there is very little need for one. There are no colour-coded elements that wall cousin issue for a colourblind player.
Audibility 10
Due to the size restrictions on a standard GBA cartridge, there are no spoken dialogue present in this game. All dialogue is text-based. To be fair, there are no games of the Pokémon series that have spoken dialogue present.
Mobility 9
Again, due to the size restrictions of a GBA cartridge, and the game's age there are no alternate control layouts available in its interface. However, all battles are turn-based, which gives you enough time you need to think through your moves before you make them.
Gameplay 11
Out of all the Pokémon games I have played, this game is an instant classic. With over 200 Pokémon to capture, this game has plenty of lifespan. What makes this game stand out is the first inclusion of two-on-two Pokémon battles. In previous games of the series, only one Pokémon can be sent out.
This brings a lot more tactical depth into a battle as you consider which types of Pokémon you are sending out, playing one strength to hide the other's weaknesses. Another unique feature of this game up to four consoles that can be linked simultaneously for trading and PVP battles. Also, certain Pokémon had passive abilities which came into play as soon as they were sent out. For example, certain Pokémon can evoke certain weather patterns, such as rain and heat waves, which directly affect Pokémon's starts during battle.
This game has a lot of sentimental value to me. On that fateful day, I have a GBA SP in my pocket. In its cartridge slot was my copy of Pokémon Ruby. I remember the day that my mom brought in a replacement console.
One of the games that I remember playing in my hospital bed was this classic. So, it can be said that my experience with this game was one of the very few forms of entertainment that I had while my body recovered from the accident itself. I also remember the time when I was transferred from a local hospital to an intensive rehab centre in Edinburgh, I played Pokémon Ruby the entirety of the way.
OVERALL SCORE 98.75%
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