Pokemon Gaia

Pokémon Gaia is one of the most famous Pokémon hacks around. It is a hack that felt like it was being worked on forever and I would go back and play it some more whenever something new was added to it. In case you did not know, Pokémon Fire Red is the game that this hack is based on. If you enjoy Pokémon games, you are in for a great time with this one.

A Different Kind Of Start

One area that more than a few Pokémon hacks have fallen short in is the story. I am glad that with this game here they have not tried to be to “grand”. Instead what we get with Pokémon Gaia is a damn fine Pokémon story that could very well be something that you would get in an actual game.

Instead of being a kid who wants to be the very best trainer around. The game starts you off as a research assistant. This is a different take and while there is still the big bad evil you have to overcome, the gyms to battle in and so on. I feel that the story is done well enough that it will keep you interested.

Hey, Who Are You?

One of the coolest things about these Pokémon hacks is when they put Pokémon from later generations into them. That is the case here and I think that it is awesome. However, some of the Pokémon that have been added to the game have a slightly different look to them. It is not bad or anything like that, but it is certainly noticeable.

The region that was created for this game, Orbtus is great and each of the eight gyms has its own personality that I liked as well. The sound in the game had a bit of a high pitch for me, but this to be fair could have been just me.

Getting To The End

I ended up putting 26 hours into the game. I did this over the course of a few days as I found myself that hooked. Pokémon Gaia is not trying to be too clever or reinvent the wheel. Instead what this hack is doing is giving you a slightly more challenging Pokémon experience than you get with the standard games.

The Pokémon can have new and extra moves and the layout can be drastically different when you are exploring. However, there is a real familiarity with all of this and I do not mean that negatively at all.

Pros:

• I loved the lineup of Pokémon in this game
• I found the story to be very well done
• It is the kind of game that is very addictive
• Great if you already enjoyed Fire Red
• The start of the game is awesome

Cons:

• The music was a tad high pitched for me
• Some of the newly added Pokémon have a slightly different look to them