Although Pokémon FireRed was released in 2004, it has withstood the test of time and is still a very enjoyable game. It takes place in a world where people coexist with creatures called Pokémon. Each Pokémon is unique and has varying abilities and typing, and people capture Pokémon to train them to be stronger. These people are called Pokémon trainers and they battle each other using their Pokémon to see who is stronger. The gamer plays as the protagonist, who has just become old enough to embark on their own journey to become the strongest Pokémon trainer in the region. On his or her journey, the protagonist undermines a criminal organization called Team Rocket and defeat 13 of the best Pokémon trainers in the region.
Developed by GameFreak and directed by Jurichi Murasa, this game was designed with simplicity in mind. From the plot and graphics to the battle system, the game is very simple. For the plot, the protagonist must complete very specific objectives to continue. For example, to leave the protagonist’s hometown, the player must first choose a starter Pokémon before being allowed to travel out of the hometown. Then he or she must travel to the next time and grab a package for someone. If the player does not deliver the package, he or she will not be able to progress in the game. This ensures that every player has a very similar experience when playing the game. The game’s graphic’s simplicity comes from its art style. When the player is not battling, he or she is traveling around the region, and the animation for this is pixelated. It is not a bad thing because it makes the game very relaxing while playing. For the towns in the game, they are very repetitive. The game uses the same building designs and people designs throughout the game, which again is not a bad thing. The way the battle system works is, once again, simple. The battle system is turn-based. The goal of battle is to reduce the opponent’s Pokémon’s health points to zero, and the Pokémon can only have four moves. As a result, when battling the player basically only decides between four actions.
Although the game is designed around simplicity, it still has its complexities. The game is centered around becoming the best Pokémon trainer and to do this the player must beat the best Pokémon trainers in the region. The best way to do this is by exploiting the weakness of each Pokémon. Each Pokémon is categorized into one or two types, and every type has its weakness. For example, Pokémon whose typing is water have a weakness to attacks with grass or electric typing but have a resistance to attacks with fire and rock typing. Knowing the strength and weaknesses of each type plays a huge role in battling Pokémon. Using certain attacks to win Pokémon battles is important, but that is not the only strategic component of the game. Choosing the Pokémon on the player’s team is also very important. Having a variety of typing is an extremely important or else all the player’s Pokémon can be defeated by one specific type of attack.
Pokémon FireRed is not the first of its kind. Being a remake of the original Pokémon Red, this game has a whole family of predecessors and successors. Also, being a part of the Pokémon franchise, there are multiple spin offs of the game. For example, there is the manga and the anime. There are also off-brand spin offs of the game. Because of the game’s age, there have been people who able to rewrite the code to their desire. These same people have put out their versions of the game online. Some of them are very well developed such as Pokémon Light Platinum which is a modified version of one of Pokémon FireRed’s predecessors. Not only that but other games have also taken note from Pokémon FireRed. Multiple games have copied the games play style and battle system. This is evident through some mobile games. The controls of the game are very similar to Rick and Morty’s mobile game.
As an advertainment game, Pokémon FireRed has done a fantastic job because it has advertised the franchise, while at the same time entertained people of all ages. In addition, the violence in this game is very minimal. Battling is the only violent part, but because of the simplistic animation it looks like the Pokémon are just tackling each other. This violence is also by proxy because the players are not actually fighting each other they are using their Pokémon to fight.