In equal measure, this is a great Pokemon adventure and a top-notch handheld RPG.
As I sit here on a Sunday night writing this review, I come into focus on one particular Pokemon game, and if you clicked the link to this review you will already know what that game is. Pokemon Sapphire. On Game Boy and GBC Pokemon had already released games, from the absolutely golden Pokemon Red to the classic remake Pokemon Crystal. When I first picked up a Game Boy Advance and Pokemon Ruby, it was in America a few years ago, and the following Christmas I got Pokemon Sapphire. And instantly I fell in love with this game, all over again, and I became amazingly anti-social for the next fortnight, all over again.
Pokemon Sapphire follows the same path as its predecessors. It's still the same top-down adventure; the same monster-crammed package; the same battle-filled festival. And after Pokemon forced me permanently into the shadows of my bedroom with the successes of Pokemon Red and Gold [they happened to be the two versions I bought] I did exactly the same thing, because Sapphire is exactly the same addictive cartridge. It takes the same golden formula and ports it into an entirely new adventure, with new monsters, a new visual style, and a brand-new world.
Do you need the gameplay engine explaining? The "Yes" button was automatically pressed. Pokemon Sapphire consists of exploration and fighting. For three-quarters of the game you will be walking around the suitably large world of Hoenn, interacting with others and uncovering secrets, discovering new areas and finding new friends. And the game is broken up with battles; battles where you pit your fresh Pokemon against a rival trainer or an intruding wild one. The fights themselves are turn-based, and the battle engine from previous games has been refined and honed, before being ported into this game. The result is something truly time-consuming; or, in other words, something only those eccentric Japanese could make.
Lots of other core gameplay mechanics have made it onto Sapphire - well, I say mechanics, but they're more like elements - like you have to get 8 badges and beat the Pokemon League, while simultaneously having to complete the Pokedex. Some afiocanados will be pleased to see old, familiar Pokemon in this game as well, along with some colourful new ones. One thing I'll say is that this game is slightly shorter than previous games; it doesn't take as long to polish off the Pokemon League and catch all the Pokemon. That's probably because Sapphire doesn't have an insane 16 badges spanning across 2 massive regions, with a final count of 251 Pokemon.
But of course, the Game Boy Advance wasn't created just so the company could make a buttload of Nintendollars. Well, yes, it was, but its graphical capabilities are much better than the now outdated Color. Pokemon was given a brand new coat of technicolor paint at the time of Sapphire's release, and it almost made me laugh out loud when I turned on my permanently-crimson copy of Pokemon Red. Everything in Sapphire is clean, crisp, and clear, and it's still a pretty game today, a few years after its release. Environments have become various, and now the cities look more individual, and the character models have been seriously improved. The Pokemon themselves have an amplified personality - Sapphire's stark art design makes Skitty cuter, Skarmory fiercer, Zigzagoon more lovable. Ruby was an unblemished technical achievement.
The audio is the same as previous games; the same mix of weird and wonderful sound effects and hummable tunes. You'll find yourself humming the main battle theme while absent-mindedly sitting watching some kind of tedious documentary on the television, or repeatedly choking out the cry of a Salamence whenever you get changed.
I've wanted to keep this review short and sweet, but all I've really wanted to say is that Pokemon Sapphire is simply a great example of handheld engineering. It's a brilliant, time-consuming RPG, and was, back a few years ago, a fine debut on the GBA. Three cheers for Nintendo.