Certain Nintendo games are pretty significant to me.
Growing up, my family didn’t have a game console. But we did have a Game Boy Advanced (SP).
There weren’t a lot of GBA games, but we had a couple of bootleg, 300 in 1 NES games. So most of the time I was an unknowing retro gamer.
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When it came to actual GBA games, my favourite was Pokemon Ruby.
I was abt 6 years old when I first played it. So my reading ability wasn’t very great yet, and I struggled…
Then when I was around 8 (2010-2011), I cld better understand the texts and game mechanics, therefore appreciating the game more. So I ended up playing it a lot, and probably completed it at least 10 times.
The replay value is rlly high cos there’s so many different Pokemon teams u can make to go abt ur journey wif. Sometimes u stick to reliable guys like Gardevoir and Aggron. Other times ur more adventurous, and go wif a Delcatty or Sableye.
I always like making my team very early in the game. Catching Pokemon near the start, giving them funky nicknames, then journeying with them from Littleroot Town, all the way to Ever Grande City. It’s always nice watching my team grow from lil babies, to champions of the region (but still my big babies 🥹)
As a result of playing so often, I noe the layout of the region of Hoenn (the place where the game takes place) at the back of my head. The Trick Master’s house north of Slateport City, the rain at Route 119, the logs dat submerge when u walk on it at Pacifidlog Town.
These are ofc just some oddly specific things dat live rent free in my head. I probably noe Hoenn better than I do a lot of real places, even those dat I visit often. Hoenn’s like my second, virtual home.
Another aspect of the game I love is the music. There’s literally no underperformers in the soundtrack department. Every piece has its own distinct charm dat will stay deep in ur brain, sneaking up on u randomly every once in a while, prompting u to wanna go to YouTube and listen.
Ofc the game’s not perfect. Sometimes there’s too many unnecessary wild Pokemon encounters (cos there’s too many water routes). Some of the puzzles are oso impossible w/o a guide.
But it’s real easy to look past those flaws, cos there’s so many good things to look at instead. So good dat I oso played the remake like 10+ years later (Pokemon Omega Ruby) back in 2016. Dat was loads of fun too, flying around on my Latios 😀
The OG will always be the best, though…
But it was a lil sad growing up becos none of my friends played the game. So I cldn’t talk abt it a whole lot, or get people to play wif me.
To make up for dat, I rmb watching a lot of Pokemon walkthrough videos, wif my fav being a dude called Lueroi. I’ll find videos where they’re at the same point in-game as me, and then play alongside them, while they gave their commentary. Dat way, it felt I was playing wif someone ☺️
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Das some real good memories. Pokemon Ruby will always have a special place in my heart 😌. It’s not just a game, it’s like a whole other world in my mind…(dat unlocks whenever I decide to play it again on my emulator, hehe…)
25.01.2026
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