Pokémon FireRed on Nintendo Switch 2 is the nostalgia fuel I needed

Not to age myself, but I’ve been a Pokémon fan since Blue arrived back in 1998 on my transparent original Game Boy, and if I can throw a little salt, I was always a little annoyed that my older brother bagsied Red so I had to have the stupid cannon turtle version… However, when FireRed and LeafGreen rolled around, my brother had lost interest, and I was finally able to choose the version I wanted, which I think gave me a bit more love for these remakes and an immense sense of nostalgia when I think about them.

So naturally, now that I’m a 32-year-old grown woman, I still revel in the fact that I get to pick the version with my boy Charizard on the front and write this review for you all. Now, sorry for going on a little bit there, let’s talk about Pokémon FireRed on Nintendo Switch 2.

I want to start with the elephant in the room before I gush over this port – the price. Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch 2 are $19.99/£16.99 each and not part of the Nintendo Switch Online Classics catalogue. Which, in a few words, sorta sucks. However, as I mentioned before, I’m a 32-year-old grown woman, so I don’t mind paying $19.99 for the ease of playing this game whenever I choose on my Switch 2 – even if my NSO sub runs out – and I’ll undoubtedly get 100+ hours of playability through replays and shiny hunts.

My situation is probably going to be different from many of you, so I can see where others are coming from, and I can imagine this port would attract many more players if Nintendo included the game with NSO, but that seems to be a risk the gaming giant is willing to take. It’s up to you if this version is worth it, but spoiler alert, the rest of this review is pretty positive, even with the price tag.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve played a substantial amount of FireRed. I always choose Charmander as my starter, and this playthrough was no different. I loved every second on the road to Viridian City, checking every patch of grass and mashing A through the Pokémon catching tutorial. Then I smuggly defeated Brock with nothing but my starter, a Butterfree, and an admittedly useless Pikachu. I was gleefully kicking my feet and giggling like a child as memories flooded back and I defeated more and more trainers, evolved more and more Pokémon, before taking on the Elite Four.

During my first playthrough, I had this funny, slightly ominous sense of residual fear from the days when handhelds needed a constant supply of AA batteries. I had to keep reminding myself I can charge my Switch 2 whenever I like, and losing my progress due to a dead battery is no longer a problem.

If you don’t have a strong sense of nostalgia for this game, I can imagine you may find it a little slow, as you don’t get running shoes or a bicycle until you defeat a few gym leaders. But on the flipside, it’s such an excellent time capsule from the days of early 2000s gaming that I would implore younger fans to give it a try and see if this slightly slower, more methodical version of Pokémon is for them.

Pokémon FireRed on Nintendo Switch 2 is really fun. That’s all there is to it, really. It’s your classic ‘mon experience where you must take on gym leaders, defeat the Elite Four, and perhaps fill your Pokédex as you catch ’em all. I can very much see myself getting my money’s worth in the coming weeks, months, and years, and if you want an easy way to enjoy this game and have a spare $19.99 lying around, I can’t see any reason for you not to dive in with Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle.

With Pokémon Winds and Waves just around the corner, it’s nice to remember where the games began. If this sparks a desire for more monster catching, we have a guide to all of the Pokémon games in order so you can be the very best, like no one ever was.