The name "Squirrels" refers to the specific individual or group that originally dumped the game data from a physical cartridge. This specific dump (ID 1636) is a clean, 1.0 version of the US release.
Because the Squirrels ROM is such a reliable foundation, developers have used it to push the limits of what a GBA game can do. Many "Squirrels-based" hacks offer significant upgrades over the original Pokémon Fire Red: 1636 pokemon fire red squirrels rom better
: Unlike some "bad dumps" that can cause random crashes or visual glitches, the Squirrels dump is verified as a high-quality, stable copy of the original retail game. Notable Projects Using the 1636 Base The name "Squirrels" refers to the specific individual
: The vast majority of ROM hacks, including heavyweights like Radical Red and Pokemon Unbound , are built specifically to work with the 1.0 Squirrels base. Using a 1.1 version or a different dump will often result in a "checksum mismatch" or a corrupted game that won't load. 1636 pokemon fire red squirrels rom better