Pokémon FireRed

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Fast Facts

Christmas 1999

It’s Christmas 1999 and Westlife croons on the radio, but my heart prefers Mr Hankey’s Christmas classic. At 14, every note feels magical.

Hopefully, under the Christmas tree is Pokémon Red or Blue, an alien goo egg and some Pokémon trading cards. I tear off the wrapping paper and am overcome with joy to get my hands on the game. Sliding that cartridge into my Game Boy, that beautiful soundtrack by Junichi Masuda begins opens my intro into the world of Pokémon.

I honestly think I spent hours exploring and figuring out Pokémon that Christmas, learning about weaknesses and strengths. Also somewhat flustered by the way the Kanto region is set out, along with the number of random encounters that keep happening!

October 2004

Fast forward to October 2004. At this point, I’ve saved enough of my own money (and am not relying on Santa now I’m in Uni), I figured I’d get Pokémon FireRed for my Game Boy Advance. Excited for those updated visuals, abilities, and the new gameplay. The best part for me was the running shoes; god forbid a person wants to run at some point. The walking infuriated me back in the original games. By this point, there are rumours of glitches and hidden Pokémon and item duplications, so you bet I’m trying them all out for my new play-through.

My journey into Pokémon has been beautiful, and over the years, I have played nearly all of the Pokémon releases, or at least one of the sister titles on release. Through every game, the real joy for me has always been exploring the world in my own way, rather than following the crowd.

When I had the chance to revisit Kanto, I jumped at it. 21 years later, I’m heading back to challenge Gary and the Elite Four.

February 2026

Living in the age of social media, my feeds are already spammed with “best this,” “best that”—do this, do that—to the point where, even before I’ve started the game, I’m already annoyed at influencer culture!

Back in 1999, at a time when every new Pokémon discovery felt like finding a secret treasure, I had to make my own way. Even in 2004, when influencers weren’t everywhere, physical media lined shelves, and internet dial tones still echoed in valley homes, all my decisions were my own. Honestly, forging your own path in Pokémon is a nostalgic joy, so much more memorable than simply copying everyone else’s team.

So what if I don’t evolve Pikachu? What’s wrong with Pidgey, who needs Snorlax? I like Butterfree, and yes, I’ll spend all my money trying to get Porygon, even though he’s completely useless.

Starting FireRed’s re-release, I knew I would once again forge my own path, and if you’ve yet to pick it up, you should do the same. Why follow the crowd?

Learning and enjoying the game is more important than Geoff screaming at you to “like and follow”.

Kanto Calls

Now, for some reason, I completely forgot how hard starting with Charmander actually is, but I did it anyway, and let’s be honest, he is the coolest one of all the OG three!

The game delivers exactly as I remembered: the iconic Game Freak logo, the huge intro of Gengar vs Nidorino, and then that iconic Pokémon theme song as the title screen, with Charizard erupting in flames.

The goosebumps!

There’s something satisfying about beating your rival with its weaker type Pokémon; however, that never usually lasts long, as Blastoise beats Charizard later on. So I head into Viridian Forest and grab a Caterpie and a Pidgey. I need sleep powder (Butterfree) and flying-type Pokémon to get me ready for Brock.

While Pokémon Blue and Red laid a foundation, FireRed feels like the version the devs wanted to make. The remake from the original back in 1999 introduces a plethora of new dynamics like held items, improved move sets and abilities, all of which bring an increase in the depth of battles, no more going to the item bag for a paralysis heal when Charmander can consume a berry automatically.

The menus are also much smoother, bag management feels less clunky, and the game definitely feels faster overall. Pokémon FireRed still has the spirit of the original adventure. However, there are enough improvements to make re-visiting Kanto feel like you’re with an old friend who’s got some new life stories to share.

Visuals & Music

Now I know the game has been updated for newer consoles, and, truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much, but the graphics look great and are not distorted at all, and the 2D animation style is beautiful in a world of 3D and AI takeover. Pixel art (or retro) for the new kids on the block is extremely charming and gives me those old-school vibes.

I’ve installed the digital content on both my OLED and Switch 2, and I cannot see a visual difference, although I’ve preferred the OLED for longer battery life and lighter handheld use.

I mentioned the beautiful soundtrack by Junichi Masuda, but there’s more depth to the audio in this game that brings a nostalgic reminder of the “good old days”. The warm and calm Pallet town gives you a little safety net before you adventure out into the region. From the haunted tones of Lavender Town to the adrenaline rush of a gym leader battle, each carries a memory for me, and a small rush of adrenaline as it did decades ago.

Gameplay

The gameplay hasn’t changed much. Running shoes are there (thanks, Professor Oak), and you get an exp share after catching 50 Pokémon (from Oak’s aide), but I do miss auto exp share from modern games—doing the swap tricks after 15 hours gets old. But that’s how we did it! I also spent a lot of time in Celadon’s Game Corner chasing that Porygon.

Yet as Pokémon has evolved over the years, the more modern games are often criticised for being too easy. My return to FireRed highlights why older games, in general, feel more demanding (The Lion King on PlayStation, for example), where progression demands patience, grinding levels, and careful planning.

Nowadays, you can’t be humbled by Brock because there are 1001 videos telling you not to choose Charmander, or if you do, go pick up a Mankey (just let the player learn!). Brock is genuinely an early obstacle that teaches you that you’re not the best yet, and each gym leader will show you that growth is required to reach the Elite Four.

In a world where everything is available, Pokémon FireRed asks you to slow down and think.

Though I’ve played this game many times before, this feels more polished. A modernisation of one of the best Pokémon games ever released, in my opinion, and with fewer bugs and glitches in the menus and fewer crashes when being hounded by diglets.

Still, as much as I’ve hated having to swap out my Pokémon, it gives me old-school Pokémon cartoon vibes, of catching and training them individually; they each have to be on the team for a reason. Maybe I’m so deeply connected because I grew up with the cartoons in the same year I got my first game?

Beyond the Elite Four

Where this game stands apart is the addition of post-Elite Four content. Back in 1999, I kept challenging them until it became a trivial matter, and at that point, when every Pokémon on my team was at level 99, the game got put to bed.

Now, once I’d defeated the Elite Four, I was invited to go see Prof Oak, who, after I showed him 60 Pokémon in my Pokédex, gifted me a National one… more Pokémon to find, will I ever catch ’em all?

This post’s original game content introduces new evolutions and additional Sevii Island quests. Some of you will note that the islands are accessible before, but late-game content changes the options there with the Rainbow Pass.

You also have the opportunity to capture some legendary Pokémon, not just glitching for a Mew, or keeping your Master Ball for Mewtwo. In FireRed, you’ll encounter Suicune (because I picked Charmander) to go along with your Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. I remember feeling like you’d earned that legendary capture, and then fighting with them was the reward.

If that’s not enough, you can then go and take your legendary team and revisit the elite four and truly show them who the greatest of all time is. Be mindful, though, they have higher-level and second-generation Pokémon now, too.

Why FireRed Still Matters…

Revisiting Pokémon FireRed in 2026 is a strange experience; some elements undeniably feel old, like the grinding, HMs and the slower pacing compared to modern entries, yet those quirks are part of its nostalgic-appeal for me. The game doesn’t guide you; it gives you a Pokémon at 10 years old and says, “Off you go…”

Pokémon FireRed invites you to explore and experiment. Mistakes also happen, but once you start overcoming those mistakes, you feel the growth in discovery, and this is the refreshing part.

Pokémon Fire-Red is a must for any Pokémon fan who has never played the original games, or for old-school players like me who want a more polished version of the experience from 21 years ago.

And if I can offer one tip, save before you attempt any legendary Pokémon. I learnt that the hard way when I was a child.

Want more Pokémon reviews, take a look at Pokémon Legends

5 out of 5

5