Pokémon Prism Ruby is one of those fan-made GBA hacks that actually feels polished—like someone took Ruby and cranked up the weirdness just enough to make it fresh. You start off with the usual starter picks, but the regional dex is stuffed with surprises, like early-game Dark types or random Hoenn Pokémon popping up where they shouldn’t. The map’s tweaked too, so don’t expect to breeze through with muscle memory.

Battles hit harder here—trainers actually switch out their Pokémon now, and some gym leaders pull sneaky strats that’ll wreck you if you’re just spamming your starter. I got walled by the third gym for a solid hour before realizing I needed to grind up a Geodude. Classic.

It’s still Ruby at its core, just with enough twists to keep you on your toes. If you’ve burned through the official games too many times, this one’s a solid way to relive the grind without it feeling like a rerun.