Pokemon Apollo GBA ROM – Detailed Hack Overview
Game Information
Table Of Contents
About This ROM Hack
Pokémon Apollo is a story-driven, Team Rocket–focused ROM hack of Pokémon FireRed that places the player directly in the role of a Team Rocket Grunt. Instead of the traditional Gym Challenge, progression is based on missions, thefts, and criminal operations aligned with Team Rocket’s rise and fall.
The hack places heavy emphasis on custom sprites, tilesets, and narrative scripting, aiming to capture the atmosphere and identity of Team Rocket more faithfully than most similar projects. While technically unfinished, the available beta provides a substantial and unique gameplay experience.
Story Overview
You awaken in Team Rocket Headquarters on your very first day as a recruit. Giovanni himself summons you, gifts you your first Pokémon, and sends you on a series of increasingly dangerous missions.
As you prove your loyalty, you climb the ranks of Team Rocket by:
- Stealing valuable technology
- Raiding important locations
- Eliminating rival criminal groups
- Assisting in major Rocket operations
Your journey takes you through iconic locations such as Cerulean City, Mt. Moon, Lavender Tower, and beyond, ultimately leading toward Giovanni’s downfall and Team Rocket’s eventual revival in Johto.
Key Features
- Play as a Team Rocket Grunt: Experience Pokémon from the perspective of the villains, complete with Rocket uniforms, dialogue, and objectives.
- Mission-Based Progression System: Gyms and badges have been removed. Advancement is earned by completing Team Rocket missions such as thefts, raids, and sabotage.
- Team Rocket–Themed Starters: Choose from Ekans, Koffing, or Grimer as your first Pokémon, reinforcing the villain-centric design.
- Generation I & II Pokémon Focus: The roster emphasizes early-generation Pokémon with updated sprites, revised movesets, and modern balance adjustments.
- Physical / Special Split: Damage categories are based on move mechanics rather than type, improving battle depth and balance.
- Expanded Move Pool: Includes moves from Generation IV and V, along with several custom moves designed to enhance underused Pokémon.
- New TM / HM System & Move Tutors: The TM list has been reworked, and Move Tutors are available to support strategic team-building.
- Stealing Mechanics: Certain houses and cities contain Pokémon or items that can be stolen, triggering trainer battles where the reward is the stolen Pokémon or item.
- Anime & Lore Characters Appear: Encounter characters inspired by the anime and Pokémon lore who rarely appear in traditional games.
- Glow Stone Item: A new evolution item that replaces trade evolutions, allowing all Pokémon to evolve in single-player.
- Cosmetic Day & Night System: Visual day/night changes add atmosphere, though gameplay effects are minimal.
Known Bugs & Issues
Pokémon Apollo is unfinished and contains several known issues, including but not limited to:
- Palette errors affecting the player, rival, and reflections
- Scripted NPCs missing behavior in some locations
- Visual glitches involving James and certain overworld events
- Double battle instability during the Saffron City police chase
- Occasional dialogue formatting and facing-direction issues
- Incorrect door animations and reused intro screens in Mt. Moon Square
These bugs were acknowledged by the developer and remain unfixed.
Screenshots
Download Links
Developer Information
Developer / Team: MrDollSteak
Credits:
- Game Freak – Pokémon FireRed
- Aureus – Beta testing & continuity support
- Zaerosz – Scripting & ASM assistance
- JPAN – FireRed Hacked Engine
- Omega Zero – Battle background support
- Dr. Fuji – Battle background tutorials
- HackMew – Tools & engine fixes
- Primedialga – Day/Night/Season tools
- ShinyQuagsire – Wild Pokémon data editor
- Diegoisawesome – XSE scripting tutorials
- Various community contributors and tutorial creators
Source & References
Official Thread / Website: pokecommunity
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pokémon Apollo finished?No. The hack is unfinished and remains in Beta 0.3. Development appears inactive.
Is this a Gym-based Pokémon game?
No. Gyms are completely removed. Progression is achieved through Team Rocket missions.
Can I catch Pokémon normally?
Yes, but some Pokémon are obtained through theft mechanics, where battles reward stolen Pokémon or items.
Does the Day & Night system affect gameplay?
It is primarily cosmetic and does not significantly alter encounters.
Is this hack stable enough to play?
Playable, but expect bugs, visual glitches, and scripting issues, especially later in the beta.
Are trade evolutions possible?
Yes. The Glow Stone replaces trade-based evolutions.
How to Play
Requirements
- A Game Boy Advance emulator
- A compatible Pokémon FireRed ROM
- Pokémon Apollo patch file (IPS / UPS / BPS)
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