Maxim "Sensei Mori" Tomilov The Game Boy Advance has left a significant mark on the history of the gaming industry: its 32-bit processor, backward compatibility, multiplayer options with friends, and many other features have made the console iconic. In addition to a library of hundreds of titles, it also offers projects about Pokémon + several spin-offs that have become classics. We will discuss the best of them in this article.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
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These were the first titles in the official series about magical creatures. One of the most notable innovations was the enhanced graphics, thanks to the new capabilities of the Game Boy Advance. Moreover, the title received numerous gameplay updates such as a revised storage system and, of course, over a hundred new characters. The plot unfolds in the new Hoenn region, but conceptually, it does not differ much from the stories of previous parts.
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Ruby and Sapphire were criticized for their lack of novelty, copying elements from earlier projects in the series. Nonetheless, they achieved great success both in the Japanese, Western markets.
Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
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Released several months after the original Ruby and Sapphire, the pinball version is essentially a wonderful arcade game for several evenings. The title is styled in the universe and features unique mechanics: for example, upgrading a Pokeball to an Ultraball or Masterball multiplies the points earned.
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Players can choose from several modes unified by the idea of catching all the characters, totaling over two hundred. Besides scoring points, this gameplay goal is much more engaging, as catching requires meeting special conditions: first, hitting the Pokémon bumpers three times, and then the creature itself three times to send the fighter to the Pokedex.
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In another mode, users need to hit a moving character twice with the Pokeball. There are bonus levels where boss battles occur. Winning these battles allows the player to capture legendary creatures: Groudon, Dusclops, Kyogre, Kecleon, Rayquaza. The game keeps users engaged and constantly holds their attention on the screen. It's no wonder that it was well-received and earned high ratings from both critics, fans.
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
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Remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue also deserve a place on our list. On the GBA platform, they received an expanded storyline on the Sevii Islands, as well as all the mechanics, features of the third generation. Additionally, the game introduced several new features that make it easier for players to familiarize themselves with the gameplay, such as tutorials.
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These Pokémon games for GBA offer an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the series, avoiding the issues of the Red and Blue versions, but with the capabilities, improvements from the second, third generations, updated graphics.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon — Red Rescue Team
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We discussed the Mystery Dungeon series in one of our previous articles. All projects were developed for the Nintendo DS platform and are excellent examples of spin-offs. The only game not listed is Red Rescue Team, released on the GBA. Essentially, it is the counterpart to Blue Rescue Team, featuring all the same mechanics, storyline, characters.
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In this title, characters from the first three generations are available, along with series-specific features: a test that determines which warriors the user will be, partly turn-based combat, multiplayer capabilities.
Pokémon Emerald
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Pokémon Emerald is one of the most important projects on the GBA, a key part of the official game series. It largely relies on Ruby and Sapphire for its plot, region, characters, goals. However, unlike previous projects, it introduces many new elements: the Battle Frontier for trainers to compete against each other, an expanded story of Team Aqua and Magma who clearly play the villains, improved graphics, some error corrections.
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Emerald faced criticisms related to copying past parts and a lack of innovations, but this did not prevent it from becoming one of the best-selling games of 2005 in North America. By 2007, total sales had exceeded 6 million copies.
Moreover, the title is suitable for getting to know the third generation, as it combines the best of the Ruby and Sapphire versions and appears as the most complete project.
Which Pokémon GBA games are your favorites? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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