Review – Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Version

Pokémon and are titles that originate the idea of ​​remakes that are so popular today. In the year it was released, it improved the Game Boy experience for the Game Boy Advance, bringing improvements such as mechanics refinement and also a complete modernization of the first generation.

FireRed and LeafGreen modernized Kanto to the point of bringing third generation mechanics, including natures, skills and a more strategic creation system than that seen in the original 1996 games, in addition to updated graphics (even in pixels) and post-game that includes the Sevii Islands. At the time, this was what we would now call a “definitive remake”.

Now, in 2026, Nintendo re-releases the titles for the Switch. But here the proposal is different: it is not to reimagine Kanto. It’s about preserving it. And we at Gamerview decided to revisit this journey in a different way: each with a different version, as tradition dictates. Rafael Correia got FireRed and Rafael Nery got LeafGreen.

A trip back home

Rafael C.: Replaying Pokémon FireRed Version on Switch 2 is going back to a leaner version of Pokémon. No gigantic maps, no dozens of parallel systems. Just you, a starter (Squirtle) and Kanto. There is something comforting about this, especially when today’s custom is to use emulators that end up bringing certain tricks like speeding up the game, which helps, but takes away the rhythm and weight originally proposed.

Nery: I agree! For me, it’s like opening a photo album that we never had the courage to rescue. Kanto reappears intact, unpolished, exactly as we remember, with the linear map, the Gyms broken into their own rhythm, that chewy and (sometimes) tiring trail, which seems to come straight from affective memory. Reliving these games is definitive proof that we don’t always need gigantic maps or elaborate mechanics to feel like I’m still dealing with a timeless and elegant, albeit minimalist, game.

On Switch, the relaunch includes connection between Switches for trading, Sevii Islands with more Pokémon to find and a promise of future integration with Pokémon Home. But there are no graphical improvements, visual filters, new interfaces or quality of life adjustments.

Different from emulators, even from what we see in classic games cataloged in Nintendo Switch Online apps. You can’t go back, speed up or modify, it’s an intact experience, straight from 2004.

Rafael C.: It’s basically the original FireRed officially running on the current console. Interestingly, it has its advantages, as it makes you really play the way it should be played and perhaps you can even take the Pokémon to other games in the future, with this in mind the experience tends to be more immersive than it is when we play in other ways.

Rediscovering Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen Version Day

It’s inevitable to compare them to modern relaunch games and strategies. The Switch itself has already received reinterpretations of Kanto with These were remakes in the current mold: 3D graphics, new mechanics, reformulation of the capture. A beautiful tribute to the history of the game and the series. In fact, there are those who hope for other regions along these lines.

However, FireRed Version and LeafGreen Version don’t try to compete with that, they bet on preservation and nostalgia. It’s just a way to offer a revisit to the original game on current consoles. What makes this tricky is its pricing and distribution model.

Each version costs R$120.99. Furthermore, each language is sold as a separate product in the store (be careful when choosing your version). In other words: there is not even a language change within the same purchase. This happens because they are just the same game files, from each region where it was originally distributed, gathered in the Switch store.

Rafael C.: The experience provides a mix of feelings. Playing Pokémon FireRed Version officially and in the midst of celebrating the franchise’s 30th anniversary is a true honor, exudes nostalgia and brings back many memories. At the same time, it is somewhat painful to note the price we pay to relive these moments.

Nery: It’s important to highlight that this nostalgia when playing LeafGreen nowadays is also an exercise in patience. Slow movement, encounters with wild Pokémon, the time you spend trying to reach the ideal level for a Gym or Sevii Island. However, Game Freak didn’t worry about accelerating, with fast-forward, or offering shortcuts. This hardcore experience from 2004, considered old school by some, is purposeful in a game that doesn’t explain itself, doesn’t lead by objectives, and requires you to remember or discover everything on your own.

Two versions that complement each other

Pokémon always provides the experience that its versions complement each other. Splitting Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version for each Gamerview editor reinforced something interesting: the division has always been part of the franchise’s DNA and works in a genuine way. In this version, exchanges, battles and chats are limited to connections between Switches (wireless, but local) just as they were in connections on the Game Boy Advance, so there is a proposal to relive player meetings in person, which is really cool and detail: this is not possible in emulators, eh.

Rafael C.: Playing knowing that Nery was capturing Pokémon that I won’t find in my version brought back that old feeling of “my cartridge is different from yours” and there is no Wi-Fi to facilitate this connection. So I can’t wait to find it and be able to trade some exclusive Pokémon.

Nery: After all, only then will we be able to complete the Pokédex, right? That’s the magic of revisiting LeafGreen, on a trip back home where nostalgia is genuine, especially when we have an invitation to exchanges, battles and even local conversations between consoles, reliving the social experience of playing with a friend next door, something that emulators cannot reproduce so faithfully.

Reinventing memories

Pokémon FireRed Version and Pokémon LeafGreen Version are still great games. The design remains strong, the rhythm is satisfying, its soundtrack still enchants and the progression works even after more than 20 years. In these 30 years of the franchise, it was truly a pleasure to be able to officially revisit this journey, reliving memories and also reinventing or giving new meaning to many others.

Kanto remains incredible, but, as a relaunch, it needed to get closer to those who really matter, its loyal players (and even new coaches). Despite fulfilling the role of preservation, the title could bring new features and improvements that would justify its price.