Pokemon Ash Gray: Retracing the First Anime Season on a Game Boy Advance
Every kid who watched the early Pokemon anime wanted to be Ash. Ash Ketchum, a ten-year-old from Pallet Town, was given a Pikachu by Professor Oak and set out across Kanto with Misty and Brock, chased by Team Rocket. The anime itself ran in Japan from April 1997 to January 1999, while the main games let you play an unnamed player character instead. Pokemon Ash Gray, by the hacker Metapod23, swaps that around: a FireRed-based hack that follows the plot of the first season.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokemon FireRed (GBA) and the first season of the Pokemon anime (Indigo League)
- Created by: Metapod23
- Genre: role-playing game
- What sets it apart: you follow Ash's story rather than a custom trainer's
What it does with the anime
- The story follows the plot of the first series, with some elements from the early Pokemon films.
- You can catch Pokemon in the same order as Ash in the show and keep his team as it was, or take your own path.
- The Kanto world has been reworked with custom tiles, sprites, maps and a large number of story events, according to the product description.
The show's season is itself full of landmarks that a faithful adaptation could revisit: a gym badge quest from Pewter City to Viridian City, the sinking of the St. Anne, an island of giant Pokemon, and a Pokemon League that ends with Ash losing to Ritchie.
Reception
A roundup of the best GBA ROM hacks recommends it especially for fans of the anime.