A great addition to the pokemon pantheon of games. While it is, at its core, a FireRed remake the addition of some new QoL features as well as the fusion concept really help elevate the game. Having HM replacement items, new locations, side quests, etc. are all really great additions even without the meat of this experience. Of course, the main selling point of this is the ability to fuse pokemon together into wacky/funny/interesting/broken combinations as your heart desires. The game makes it very easy to access early and does a good job of using the fusion ability to make for interesting gameplay that helps freshen up some of the familiar gym battles and plot points. The game does suffer from some technical glitches and the fact that not all sprites for the fusions are custom. But overall, this is a really solid game and well-worth playing for any Pokemon fans.

Gameplay: More or less the same as any of the early GBA games, and that isn't a bad thing though because it takes that gameplay and everything that was so special about the original release and it makes it the best that it CAN be. From the first time I played Pokémon Infinite Fusion, I was hooked. The ability to fuse any two Pokémon together and create entirely new mon's is insanely in depth, and not just a generated mix like the old browser generators did, these fusions are entirely sourced by fans and some of the artwork is impressive. Since every Pokemon imaginable can be fused with any others including itself, every single fusion combination feels like you are the first person to ever discover it. The battles with these unique hybrids are challenging and balanced for the most part as well. Updated gyms, new moves, the gameplay innovation is commendable and it shows that a lot of die-hard fans worked on this.

Graphics/Visuals: It just looks like Pokemon of course. Seeing all of the new pixel art of each fusion though nice though. The attention to detail in each one is impressive, but it is all done by artists for fun.

Story/Narrative: While not a narrative masterpiece, The Kanto region and Johto postgame content provide a lot of exploration, sidequests, and more. Just about every single npc and trainer have a purpose now and there is a TON added to each random house in the game. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s the regular Pokémon storytelling with a twist and a lot of added layers.

Audio/Sound: The music and sound effects are serviceable. Its mostly the same things we are used to. They don’t distract from the gameplay, but they don’t stand out either. The music though is great of course, but it mostly just samples music from past games so I cant really say that this game did anything new.

Replayability: Infinite Fusion thrives on replayability. From Nuzlockes, challenge runs, and tons of youtube content to go with it. With over 170 thousand possible fusion combinations, you’ll actually want to actually catch them all and see everything the game has to offer by fusing random ones together. They even implemented wonder trading so that's even more of a reason to keep going.

Innovation: This is where Infinite Fusion is the best. It’s the game Nintendo should’ve made. Not solely the fusion aspect, but the level of detail, mechanics, story/cutscenes, new secrets, and scope is unlike anything Gamefreak has even thought of making. The fan-made effort surpasses novelty; It literally blows my mind constantly. More innovation here than I've seen out of nintendo for the past 10 years.

Content/Extras: Beyond fusion, the game surprises with a full Kanto region, AND Johto region, along with tons of sidequests, secrets, and Legendary Pokémon. The developers have a dedication to updates and quality-of-life features.

Overall Enjoyment: I had a blast with Pokémon Infinite Fusion. It’s a fan-made game of course, but it for sure deserves recognition. If Nintendo ever decides to embrace this level of innovation, the Pokémon games wouldn't be as clowned on as they are now.

Similar Games: For more fan made and other unconventional Pokémon, play titles like Pokémon Uranium and Pokémon Insurgence. They prove that fans can breathe new life into an old and tired franchise.

Note: My mvp for the run was an alakazam fused with a togekiss, calm mind and psychic swept most of the game, but i got a whole new team for johto and a lopunny fused with shedinja swept johto.