Pokémon Ultra Violet (Beta) is one of those fan-made GBA hacks that actually feels polished—like someone took FireRed and cranked up the weirdness just enough. You start with the usual Kanto setup, but pretty quick you realize this isn’t your childhood Pokémon game. There are Gen 1-3 Pokémon mixed together in the wild, some unexpected evolutions, and a few curveballs in the story.

First thing I noticed? The starter choices include stuff like Ralts and Bagon alongside the classics. Picked Ralts because, well, Gardevoir’s a beast, but then ran into a wild Houndour before even hitting Viridian Forest. The pacing’s faster, too—gym leaders have better teams, and some routes throw double battles at you out of nowhere. Feels like the game actually expects you to strategize.

It’s still rough around the edges (beta life), but if you’ve burned through the official games and want a fresh twist on Kanto, this one’s got teeth. Just don’t expect everything to work perfectly.