I still remember that time, I secretly stuffed the GBA in my school bag, huddled in the corner of the playground with my best friends after school, hiding from the teacher, and exchanging Pokémon online. It was the most passionate memory of the entire middle school period. Later, I also played a lot on PSP and NDS, but only the Pokemon series, from Ruby, Sapphire to Pearl and Diamond, each generation was like an old friend, accompanying me through countless sleepless nights.
Recently, I downloaded a game called "Pocket Evolution" on my mobile phone. I was quite skeptical at first. After all, mobile games have become too fast-food nowadays, and you can earn money and draw cards at every turn. But after playing for a few minutes, holy shit, when that familiar BGM started playing, my eyes almost got wet - isn't this the same smell as the GBA emulator back then? The three cute little pets at the beginning are still the classic triangle of grass, water and fire, and even their cries are exactly the same. And all the map scenes in it, from forest caves to volcanoes, lakes and seas, each scene looks like it was cut out of Lao Ren's cassette, but with high-definition filters and light and shadow effects added, it runs as smoothly as silky milk tea.
What surprises me most is that it actually retains the complete gym challenges and the plot of the Four Heavenly Kings! In the past, on the GBA, I could play SL repeatedly for half an hour in order to defeat a gym leader; now on the mobile phone, it still feels the same, but it eliminates the trouble of loading files, and the touch screen operation is optimized for comfort, and the feedback of the virtual buttons is much better than expected. I even feel that it is more enjoyable than playing the original version on an emulator because I no longer have to endure the lags and frame drops. Oh, by the way, it also has built-in shops, department stores, island towns, and even battle towers. It simply combines the best of "Emerald" and "Dark Phantom" 🤯
Of course, as a veteran player, I have to be honest. The grainy pixel style on the original GBA is uniquely romantic, and although the picture quality of "Pocket Evolution" has been upgraded, the rough retro feel is missing. Fortunately, the developer didn't change it randomly. The values and characteristics of the elves basically follow the original version. The Pikachu I raised is still the useless leather god, and can't beat Xiaogang and Big Rock Snake hahahaha 😐 And the most conscientious thing is that this game is completely free, and there is not even an in-app purchase pop-up window. The developer is a true fan!
In short, if someone asks me if there is any game on mobile phones that can bring back the simulator feeling of the past, I will recommend this without hesitation. Don't miss it if you're a nostalgic party. Although you can't go back to your youth, you can at least relive the adventures of those years on your handheld device 💪 I'm already on my third gym anyway, so let's exchange flashes online when you have time!