The Pokémon franchise is such an enormous beast these days that there are some fans out there who only really bother with one facet of it. Whether it’s the anime, TCG, or video games, there are a millions ways to get involved with what is easily one of the biggest media properties on the planet.
Weirdly though, there are plenty out there who don’t cross between the different mediums all that often, with most locking in on one in particular that serves as the focus of their obsessions. That further extends out to The Pokémon Company’s approach to new releases, with elements of the anime rarely appearing in video game releases. That doesn’t always have to be the case though, and fans are taking matters into their own hands to bring the various approaches together.
Pokémon Fire Ash is a fan-made Pokémon game created using RPGMaker XP and Pokémon Essentialsv19 that loosely follows the adventures of everyone’s favorite wannabe Pokémon Master, Ash Ketchum. It tracks his entire journey across eight regions, and includes a National Dex with over 900 Pokémon up to generation 8.
Along the way, you’ll be taking on over 50 Gym Battles, as well as directly coming into contact with Ash’s iconic traveling companions. To accompany all the new ‘mons that are in the game, you’ll also have access to the abilities and moves up to Gen 8 as well.
The release also includes many of the modern conventions from more recent games in the official series, including Mega Evolution, Alola Forms, Z-Moves, Dynamax, and Ash-Greninja, as well as over 100 TMs so you can really make sure your team is setup in the way you want.
The graphics are drawn from the seemingly evergreen Generation 3, and trade evolution Pokémon have been given an alternate method of hitting their advanced forms. This is either just by leveling up, or using the item that you would normally require as part of the trade.
The real kicker, though, is that you get a little Pikachu who follows you around in the overworld, and if that wasn’t the dream when we were all children, then I don’t know what was. Pokémon Fire Ash is also fully feature complete right now, with the download available for free via the PokeCommunity forums.
If you're yet to take the leap yet in Pokémon fan games, there are hundreds out there, catering to each generation individually. That means you can target your favorite games from years gone by to see what dedicated developers have managed to do with them, in many cases putting out a more convincing final project than Game Freak themselves managed.
Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history.
