Hello there, Spherical.
I just thought I'd add my two cents to the discussion. Honestly, your hack seems more authentic than some of the more recent official titles. It's challenging, has an interesting storyline, very professional graphics (in my favourite style, which is an added bonus) and generally it feels really polished for the most part. I'm really happy that this is a GBA hack as I am not very fond of the 3D gimmicks found in the later generations. So I really think you've done a great job. I'm very happy for your skills.
Not asking for a release date as I guess you've heard this type of requests way too often. No matter when you release it, I believe it will be great.
Keep up the good work, and PM me should you need any spriting or mapping help ? I used to be rather okayish in those areas when I was an active ROM hacker.