Pokemon Ash Gray (beta 2.5z)

Introduction: Pokémon Ash Gray is a fan-made ROM hack of Pokémon FireRed for the Game Boy Advance. It recreates the journey of Ash Ketchum from the original anime series, starting from his first day in Pallet Town. The game follows the geography of the Kanto region but is structured as a series of episodes that mirror specific events from the show's first season and the early Orange Islands arc. The visual style retains FireRed's graphics with custom sprites for characters like Ash and his companions.

Gameplay & Mechanics: Your starter is predetermined; you begin with Pikachu, who, like in the anime, initially disobeys and refuses to battle. You do not receive a starter from Professor Oak. The difficulty is moderate and follows the standard level curve of the base game, though some boss battles against characters like Ritchie or Gary can be challenging. The hack uses FireRed's engine, so it does not include the Physical/Special split, Fairy types, or Mega Evolution. A day/night cycle is not implemented, as the story progresses through specific scripted episodes.

Key Features:

• Episode-based story progression, including events like the St. Anne cruise, the Pokémon League conference, and the Orange Islands gym challenges.
• Faithful anime companions; you are periodically joined by Misty and Brock who function as support characters during their segments of the journey.
• Catchable Pokémon are limited to those Ash actually owned or encountered in the anime, such as Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, with specific story events required to obtain them.

The Beta 2.5z version is a significant but incomplete build, ending its main storyline after the events of the Orange Islands.