When someone takes Metroid, throws Pokémon into it, and lets it simmer on Game Boy Advance, you could get either a brilliant hybrid or complete garbage. PokéMetroid v3.0 is thankfully the former — a fan-made mischievous combination that actually pulled it off.

It's an exploratory action game with collection and training elements. You move across a map reminiscent of the Metroid universe, searching for new abilities that gradually unlock new territories. Except instead of Super Mario-style upgrades, you're collecting Pokémon that you take into battles. This turns the game into something between classic Metroid and a lighter Pokémon RPG, one that moves at an arcade-pace rather than a seven-hour marathon.

Controls are simple — movement, jumping, attacking, and a menu to select your Pokémon. No over-engineering, no unnecessary animations. Battles happen in real-time like the original Metroids, except instead of firing weapons you're hurling creatures at each other. It's not complicated, and it doesn't need to be — the GBA graphics are modest, but the details of Metroid's design are carefully preserved. Movement is fluid, feedback is clear, mistakes are on you.

Fan projects are rare because they can afford to take risks. You see that here — the creators took two iconic franchises and merged them without unnecessary hesitation. The result isn't revolutionary, but it's solid and has heart. Three versions already exist, which means the authors are still working on it.

Today it's mainly a curiosity and a nostalgia test. If you grew up with both franchises and want to see what happens when they borrow elements from each other, a few hours are worth it. You can run it in an emulator as a ROM — nothing dramatic, just solid fan-craft from a time when people believed in Pokémon and Metroid without irony.