Pokémon Perla is one of those GBA ROM hacks that actually feels like a proper Pokémon game—just with way more polish. You start off in this cozy little town, pick your starter (I went with the grass type, no regrets), and immediately notice the sprites are way cleaner than the original Ruby/Sapphire. The routes feel fresh, too—some new layouts, a few surprise trainer battles that actually make you think.

What I like is that it doesn’t just slap new Pokémon in and call it a day. The pacing’s better, the dialogue’s less cheesy, and there’s this weirdly satisfying difficulty curve where wild Pokémon don’t just keel over after one tackle. If you’ve burned through the official games and want something familiar but with a bit more bite, this one’s solid.