Pokemon Dreary Review
Score: 8/10
This game seems like it starts off "normally" for Fire Red, waking up in your bed in Palette Town. But when you leave your house, things are clearly not okay. The way you get your first pokemon really drives that point home. This theme continues throughout, hence the name "Dreary".
The game itself is short lived- I played it all in an afternoon, with copious grinding as I tend to do. I didn't use any cheats on this one. The game gave you the resources to succeed, in my opinion- you just had to know where and when. Regardless of how short it was, I found it rather endearing. The story and this situation of mystery and doom really drew me in. I wanted to know what was going on and why. I highly recommend playing this ROMhack, though be warned, there are definitely some… Dreary themes. As the name implies.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Okay so let's get into the gritty, assuming you plan to play or are playing. Check every single house. Leave no stone unturned. This is where you'll find your supplies, as supplies are limited. Healing and PC usage is severely limited throughout, so you need to play knowing those resources aren't so freely distributed as usual. When you first start, you're going to want to grind. To heal, you have to go back to your home in Palette and sleep in your bed. The pikachu starter you receive I honestly didn't find all that useful with your limited healing opportunities and how weak pikachu is. Bulbasaur's leech seed was a Godsend.
The way to proceed forward isn't always made clear. Talk to everyone and check EVERY nook and cranny. Almost every police officer will fight you, so keep that in mind. Before you enter the Indigo plateau, I recommend picking up a sandshrew in the grass, or fishing up a poliwag. You'll need the type advantage for later. Personally, I found sandshrew quite helpful.
When you arrive at Silph Co., I HIGHLY recommend fighting every single trainer in the building to grind. You'll need it. Again, the only source of healing is the beds found on the upper floors (7 and 8, or 8 and 9 I think?). Don't be afraid to run back and frequently use those. Also for grinding, there's an old man outside Sabrina's gym you can fight infinite amount of times. Highly recommended, because you'll need to fight Sabrina and Blaine, and they aren't pushovers.
Another good grinding spot: victory road. There is a nurse in the second floor down, so use her while you grind up those levels. You'll fight a "rival" at the end, so be prepared. Before talking to Lance, I highly recommend having a strong, healthy team. The area ahead will not be kind.
Inside the unknown tower, the "Rocket" girl to the right on the first floor is your new grinding station. Again, you'll need her. As a bonus, she gives you money, so you can grind against her and use that money to stock up on revives and super potions from the guy outside to the right of the tower. Don't bother buying ultra balls or ethers. This is the final stage, and you'll keep access to your nurse joy on the first floor. Hardly any pokemon to catch from here, and you can't leave. I recommend listening to the Abras on each floor. The stories they tell give you a greater insight into the situation and story, and I found them both solemn and interesting. It gave the story some life. For the final battles on the top floor, you will want evolved pokemon. Use those rare candies they shamelessly gave you. Use those single use TMs.
My critique comes from the ending, which I found both dreary and shocking, but at the same time, unfulfilling. Throughout the game, you're hyped up to be the hero this world needs, and you can see how you can resolve it. But in the end, you don't. You just die and that's it. No resolution. Perhaps that's what the makers were going for with the theme of dread, but I was still disappointed. I wanted to know what would happen, what happened to Aphrodite, your rival, Dialga and Palkia, everything. I feel a sequel could be really promising, where the next reincarnation of the hero finishes what you couldn't.