Synohan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,083
A Guide to Pokemon Rom Hacks & Fan Games
With the ever growing popularity of Pokemon Fan games and Rom Hacks, and the threads here and there wondering how to get into them or recommendations based on certain criteria. Here's a good list of stand out games that is separated by Generation.

Relevant Tags Explained:
QoL (Quality of Life) - Enhancements such as bug fixes, oversight corrections, etc.

PSS - Means the game has the Physical/Special Split (This is only important for Generation 1-3 Hacks)

Higher Difficulty - Higher difficulty compared to all vanilla Pokemon games. It's not brutal, but doesn't pull its punches
(Optional) - Has different customization options (Difficulty Modes, Custom Difficulty, Easier Patches) that allow you to change how difficult the game is.

Challenging - Pushes the player, their Pokemon, and strategy to their limits.

Stat/Ability/Type Changes - This game changes Pokemon Stats/Abilities/Types in order to re-balance or make no trading possible.
(Optional) - Means the game provides the ability to use a patch that does not include the Pokemon changes

Fakemon - Has brand new Pokemon unique to this game
(Regional Variants) - Adds new regional variants of old Pokemon unique to this game
(New Forms) - Adds new forms to already established Pokemon



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Gen 1
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Pokemon Red++
Tags: QoL, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-15-25-PM.png
  • Fixes bugs present in the original release. Alongside adding a slew of new features for a better experience. Some of which include Gender selection, faster running, surfing and biking. Updated graphics, the Physical/Special split…and more
Pokemon Shin R/G/B
Tag: QoL, Restoration, Difficulty (Optional)
www.youtube.com

Shin Pokemon - v1.24 Release Trailer

Started in 2018 by a secret cabal of ancient Pokemon nerds, Shin Pokemon is an enhancement ROM hack of Pokemon Red & Blue that aims to be the ultimate remast...
  • Enhancement mod aims to fix bugs and oversights from the original release. A what if Virtual Console release.
  • New English builds of R/G/B, restoring original PokeDex entries and more. AI Trainer Enhancements
  • Hard Mode
  • A wide variety of toggle-able changes that can be enabled through NPCs in-game…and more
Pokemon Unova Red
Tags: Twist, Gen 5, Higher Difficulty (Optional)
  • Reimagining of Gen 1 with the Gen 5 Pokedex. Attempts to still Emulate the Gen 1 experience, with the main difference being the PokeDex. Some changes include:
  • Addition of Steel and Dark types
  • New Moves from later Generations for Dark and Steel coverage, and to assist certain Pokemon
  • An optional Challenge Mode patch
  • …And more
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Gen 2
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Pokemon Polished Crystal
Tags: QoL, New Areas, Feature Restoration, Fairy Type, PSS, Stat/Ability Changes (Optional)
XA2Ohaj.png
  • An improved, polished version of Pokemon Crystal, fixing bugs, restoring features removed from Gen 1, and adding in convenient improvements from HG/SS. Some other
  • Features include: Fairy Type, Natures, Continuous Repels, New areas from HG/SS, and more
  • Polished Crystal makes changes to the BST of Pokemon, alongside some move redistribution. It offers a 'Faithful' patch for those who would rather play without those changes.
Pokemon Crystal Clear
Tags: Open World, Twist
www.youtube.com

Pokemon Crystal Clear: An Open World Pokemon Game - Pikasprey

A Pokemon adventure where you can go anywhere from the start? Pikasprey takes a look at this amazing little game!Twitter: https://twitter.com/PikaspreyGamepl...
  • Crystal Clear is an Open World version of Pokemon Crystal. Allowing you to choose any Town/City as your home and starting point. From there you can tackle every trainer or gym, with the game scaling as you proceed.
  • Crystal Clear has a slew of changes. From complete character customization, to a very informative Pokedex, allowing you to pinpoint information and the location of Pokemon you've seen in the wild or in battle.
Pokemon Fool's Gold
Tags: Twist, Fakemon (Regional Variants), PSS
youtu.be

Pokémon Fool's Gold Trailer

A couple of friends and I have been working hard at a Pokémon Crystal ROM hack for the past year or so and it's finally complete! In this game, all of the Po...
  • Pokemon Fool's Gold is an April Fool's Day hack that redesigns all 251 Pokemon available visually and mechanically into 'regional variants.' All Pokemon are obtainable without Trading. New areas were also added as new content and to assist with the wild redistribution.
Pokemon Prism
Tags: New Region, Content Rich, PSS
youtu.be

[Mirror] Pokémon Prism - Trailer (Fan-Made ROM hack)

:(I'm not affiliated with the game at all. Just reuploading the trailer for people.
  • Pokemon Prism is a beast of a Rom Hack taking place in a new unknown region. After being separated from your mother due to a cave in, you set off on a journey with a Larvitar. Prism contains several regions, a plethora of content, the ability to control your own Pokemon at several points, and alot more.
Pokemon Gold & Silver 97 Reforged
Tags: Restoration, Spaceworld 1997 Demo, New Region, Beta Pokemon
TEL2lFP.png
  • Re-imagining of Pokemon Gold and Silver based off of the 1997 Demo. You explore the Nihon Region, with a brand new story, cast and beta Pokemon, remastered in the Crystal GBC style.
Pokemon Black and White 3: Genesis
Tags: PSS, Fairy Type
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-05-39-PM.png
  • Sequel to Black and White 2 that takes place in the Unova Region several years later. Features a demade Unova Region, demade music, Physical/Special Split, Fairy Type,…and much more.

Pokemon Crystal Leaf
Tags: QoL, Twist, Feature Rich
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-24-42-PM.png
  • Allows you to play as and switch between Red and Green. You basically have two parties. They share inventory, money, can trade between eah other, talk to each other and battle as well.

Pokemon Crystal Legacy
Tags: QoL, Feature Rich, Stat/Learn/Moveset Changes
www.youtube.com

My Crystal Romhack just Got a HUGE Update

Links for Downloading/Playing the Rom:➤ *NEW* 1.2.1 Patch File: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uFQCSsV2IjnvnNzRosmQyRcTo8wRPJh2➤ Online Patching Too...
The goal of this Rom Hack is to polish, balance, and make Crystal a more engaging adventure. Makes changes to the storyline, movesets of Pokemon for more diverse building, and helps bolster the Johto Pokemon representation. There's a lot more to this as well. I suggest checking out the video from the creator in the Media section.

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Gen 3 (R/S/E)
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Pokemon Altered Emerald
Tags: QoL, PSS
vb9zns_Y-2.jpg
  • Quality of Life Emerald Hack what aims to flesh out the base game. No Pokemon beyond Gen 3 (with the exception of evolutions of Gen 3 Pokemon introduced in later Generations), redesigned routes, abilities, the Physical/Special Split…and more
Pokemon R.O.W.E
Tags: Open World, Feature Rich, PSS
fA5IBhw.png
  • Open World Hoenn Region, with a plethora of different options on how to customize your adventure before the game even begins. You have 9 different Pokemon to choose from as a starter, with an extra Surprise Me! Option. As you can start in any town, no HM's are needed at all, which allows you to begin your adventure in island towns such as Pacifidlog Town. Has Pokemon up to Gen 8, Mega Evolution, Z-Powers, Brand new UI, following Pokemon and much more.
    • An expansion including the Kanto Region and Sevii Islands is in progress.
Pokemon Emerald Rogue
Tags: Roguelike, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-14-35-PM.png
  • A roguelike Pokemon game. It has plenty of content, alongside a Quest system for optional goals and to unlock new features. Emerald Rogue is an incredible game and a must play. Don't want to say too much here. A lot to discover on your own.
Pokemon Emerald: Double Up Delevelled
Tags: Twist, Double Battle, PSS
  • Every possible trainer battle is a Double Battle. The standout feature is the new leveling system. Level does not determine a Pokemon's stat, with the exception of HP. Instead, stats are set to a set value based on their BST, and will change depending on the EV's gained through your journey.
    • Damage does not scale by level due to this change.
Pokemon Glazed
Tags: Story Heavy, New Region, PSS
  • Glazed is set in the Tunod region four years after the events of HG/SS, where a force is trying to merge the real world and Pokemon World. Also a scarfed Pikachu is attempting to kill you. Glazed contains the Physical/Special split, Fairy type, 2 extra regions, …and more.
Pokemon Inclement Emerald
Tags: Higher Difficulty (Optional), QoL, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-21-52-PM.png
  • Difficulty focused hack based on Drayano's balancing. Includes most non-legendary Pokemon up to Gen 7, ability to choose any of the regional starters, New areas to help spread the new Pokemon, ..and much more. Inclement also includes 3 different difficulty modes that the player can choose.

Pokemon Emerald Enhanced
Tags: QoL, Challenging (Optional), New Areas, Story Heavy, PSS
  • There's a lot going on in this game. Adds the Seasons Mechanic, you can start a farm, own property, romance, etc. Game also has a barrage of side quests. It's a bit of a weird one, recommending taking a look at the review in Media.
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Gen 3 (FR/LG)
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Pokemon Fire Red / Leaf Green +
Tags: QoL
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-24-19-PM.png
  • A simple Quality of Life hack that is a complete version of FireRed and LeafGreen. Adding more post game content, Master Trainers similar to Let's Go, and much more.
Pokemon Throwback
Tags: QoL PSS(Optional Patch to add into game)
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-30-21-PM.png
  • Aims to create the most refined version of Kanto possible. Incorporating new features from later Generations and bug fixes.
Pokemon Radical Red
Tags: Challenging, Feature Rich, PSS
  • A notorious Difficulty Hack with a bunch of new features that really push how flexible Gen 3 hacking has become. Contains hard level caps, customizable difficulty modes, 8th Gen Pokemon and 8th Gen mechanics, DexNav, Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, Raids, and a lot more.
Pokemon Unbound
Tags: Challenging, Story Heavy, Feature Rich, PSS
  • A Difficulty and Story focused rom hack that pushed FireRed to it's full potential. Including a new story set in the Barrius Region.
  • Pokemon up to Gen 7, with some 8th gen variants are available. Battle system changes up to the 8th gen were also added. Includes a lot of QoL and features such as the DexNav, Raid Battles, Auto-Run, a quest system, daily events, puzzles, etc.
Pokemon Unbound: Battle Frontier
Tags: Challenging, Feature Rich, PSS
youtu.be

Pokemon Unbound Battle Frontier Showcase

A look at the Battle Frontier available in the current release of the Pokemon Unbound Battle Frontier Demo. Download it and play today!https://www.pokecommun...
  • I refer to it as an offline Pokemon Showdown. As it's sort of basically just that, with rule sets based on the 8th Gen, and a safari zone. No exploration, just a lot of fun endgame battling you can participate in, with battle system changes based off of Pokemon Unbound
Pokemon Gaia
Tags: New Region, Story Heavy, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-09-6-33-31-PM.png
  • Known as the closest a rom hack has come to feeling like an official Pokemon game. Takes place in a brand new region, with new story, characters, music and Pokemon up to Gen 6 + Mega Evolution.
Pokemon Dreams
Tags: New Region, Story Heavy, Fakemon, Feature Rich, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-40-44-PM.png
  • Story and Worldbuilding focused rom hack, taking place in a new region called Solda. Has a wide array of customization similar to Pokemon Unbound and Radical Red. Also contains some Fakemon.
Pokemon FireRed: Rocket Edition
Tags: Story Heavy, Feature Rich, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-03-1-43-08-PM.png
  • You step into the shoes of a Team Rocket grunt during the events of FireRed/LeafGreen, with the ability to steal the Pokemon of other trainers, climb the ranks, and just cause chaos all around the Kanto Region.

Pokemon Adventures: Red Chapter
Tags: QoL, Challenging, Story Heavy, Feature Rich, PSS
Screenshot-2024-02-09-6-34-53-PM.png
  • Pokemon Adventures: Red Chapter is an adaptation of the Pokemon Adventures Manga in the eyes of Red.
  • Do note that this hack only works on emulator or on the EZFlash Omega DE due to rom size

Pokemon DarkViolet
Tags: Story Heavy, New Areas
youtu.be

Pokemon Dark Violet could be the BEST version of Pokemon Firered EVER!

Pokemon Dark Violet could be the BEST version of Pokemon Firered EVER!Welcome to my review of Pokemon Dark Violet!Twitch: twitch.tv/enartogoLeave a like and ...
Story focused remake of Pokemon R/B/G/Y, with an expanded cast of characters.
 
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Synohan

Synohan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,083
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Gen 4
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Pokemon Renegade Platinum
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Type & Stat Changes (Optional)
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-31-13-PM.png
  • Slightly increases the difficulty of Pokemon Platinum, while also allowing all Pokemon to be obtainable in-game. Renegade Platinum, also makes changes to the BST of different Pokemon to keep them viable to your team from beginning to end. Some Pokemon have also had their types changed. New Events across the main story were also added.
    • If you'd like to play without the Pokemon changes, there is an optional Classic patch without them
    • Pokemon Following Platinum is compatible with Renegade Platinum
Pokemon Sacred Gold / Storm Silver
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Type & Stat Changes (Optional)
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-33-30-PM.png
  • Increases the difficulty to HG/SS, while also repairing the level curve issue. Adds new events, Pokemon moveset and stat changes, etc.
Pokemon Garbage Gold
Tags: Challenging, Mega-Evolution
youtu.be

Pokemon Garbage Gold -- Official Trailer

Come join my ROM hacking discord server for more hacks like Garbage Gold:Discord Server: https://discord.gg/p5mFXQtD4DGame Download and Documentation:https:/...
  • A trashlocke hack. You'll only be able to use Pokemon that have a BST total of less than 425. There are gauntlet battles that you have to survive through without healing. There are also Level Caps, a max of 10 PP on each move…Please understand what you're getting into. Also contains Pokemon beyond Gen 4 and Mega Evolution.
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Gen 5
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Pokemon Blaze Black / Volt White
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Type & Stat Changes
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-36-16-PM.png
  • Increases the difficulty of Pokemon Black/White. Adds the ability to catch all Pokemon through Gen 5. More Post Game content, type & stat changes, and more.
  • Compatible with Challenge Mode Key
Pokemon Blaze Black 2/ Volt White 2 - Redux
Tags: Challenging (Optional), Type & Stat Changes, New Events
youtu.be

*NEW RomHack* Blaze Black 2/Volt White 2 Redux TUTORIAL+GAME REVIEW

DOWNLOAD THE RomHack Here:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xGtMbYtM2JIsTGg9PeRBvr5NBghBUqJ5Easy to read document for redux boss fights: (the doc is st...
  • A reimagining of Drayano's Blaze Black 2/ Volt White 2. Can catch all 649 Pokemon, addition of the Fairy Type, new Legendary encounter events, big postgame questline, Type and stat changes, ability to encounter Hoenn Leaders around Unova to battle, and a lot more.
  • Difficulty Keys are supported:
    • Easy Key is similar to the standard vanilla Pokemon experience
    • Normal Key is similar to Renegade Platinum, StormSilver/Sacred Gold.
    • Challenge Key pushes trainers to their limits.
  • Memory Link Compatible
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Gen 6
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Pokemon Eternal X / Wilting Y
Tags: Higher Difficulty
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-45-07-PM.png
  • Typical Difficulty hack containing all Pokemon up to X/Y. There is a rebalanced version with type and stat changes, and a 'legal' version without those changes.
Pokemon Rising Ruby / Sinking Sapphire.
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Type & Stat Changes
  • Another Drayano difficulty hack, making all Pokemon up to ORAS available to obtain in game.
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Gen 7
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Pokemon Photonic Sun / Prismatic Moon
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Type & Stat Changes
Screenshot-2024-02-12-3-49-26-PM.png
  • Difficulty hack of Pokemon Sun and Moon. Stronger trainers, all Pokemon obtainable, type & stat changes, and more.
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Gen 8
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Pokemon Divine Sword / Blessed Shield
Tags: Higher Difficulty, Stat Changes
youtu.be

Pokémon Divine Sword & Blessed Shield - Romhack Trailer

Its out!: https://gbatemp.net/threads/pokemon-divine-sword-blessed-shield-version-1-0-release.590250/
  • Difficulty hack taking inspiration from Drayano's work and Pokemon Radical Red. Store changes, moveset changes, and edits to almost all Pokemon. All DLC Pokemon are catchable outside of Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra.
Pokemon Luminescent Platinum
Tags: Higher Difficulty, New Events, etc
youtu.be

Natdex Teaser Trailer - Luminescent Platinum

https://www.discord.gg/luminescent
  • Brilliant Diamond romhack based on Drayano's Renegade Platinum
  • There's a lot more to this romhack, and it's basically going to be a completely different game when it's 3.0 update releases. Some of the dev updates are unbelievable, i'd suggest taking a look at their Discord if you're curious.
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Gen 9
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Pokemon Legends Arceus Plus
Tags: QoL, New Events, Higher Difficulty
youtu.be

PLA+ Trailer (Pokemon Legends Arceus Rom Hack)

This is a trailer for my new Pokemon Legends: Arceus mod, PLA+ (details in description). Unnecessary? Probably. But I had fun learning how to edit a video. A...
  • Revamped version of Legends Arceus, adding a ton of new challenges to the game. A new weather condition known as Alpha Storms, which cause rare Alpha pokemon to spawn. Catchable gold noble Pokemon, higher Pokemon spawn radius, revamped Wyrdeer and Basculegion controls and camera, increased difficulty, Lake Rage event, revamped map, longer swim time, and more.
Pokemon Scarlet / Violet +
Tags: QoL, New Events
  • Overhaul of Pokemon S/V, with new QoL changes, full trainer overhaul, brand new post game, improved map, new raids for unobtainable Legendary Pokemon, faster battles, new wild Pokemon, and a lot more.
Pokemon Compass
Tags: Complete Overhaul
youtu.be

Pokemon Compass - v2.1.0.0 Feature Preview: Ace Tournament Expanded

Compass 2.1.0.0 Feature Preview:Ace Tournament ExpandedThe repeatable post-game Ace Tournament is getting completely overhauled — and expanded on — in the ne...
  • An huge overhaul of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, meant to be the definitive enhanced experience. The documentation on the game is huge (80 pages long).
  • Pokemon Compass has a new 'intended' route for the player to take similar to the original release. To make the intended route apparent, the Map has been overhauled to show wild encounter levels and recommended levels for story and quest events. Each story location has been completely changed to fit this idea.
  • 94 new raids to assist with Pokemon distribution.
  • Wild Pokemon can enter towns
  • New fixed encounters…and a lot more.
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Spinoff's
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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Explorers of Skies
Tags: QoL, Higher Difficulty, New Events
youtu.be

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Skies (Rom Hack Trailer)

I've been working on this for the past week, and it's already almost complete! One of the first Mystery Dungeon ROMS, and a QOL/Difficulty hack too!Join my D...
  • New QoL, Dungeon variety, Pokemon spawn lists, higher difficulty, addition of the Fairy Type, new postgame content, removal of the partner/player restrictions, full control of your team, and much more.
Pokemon Grand Colosseum
Tags: Challenging, PSS, Fairy Type, Stat & Type Changes
youtu.be

Grand Colosseum 3.0 Release Trailer

Grand 3.0 is finally out!Want to give a huge shoutout to Stars, who without his help I couldn't have made any of this. Another big thanks has to go to Brawle...
  • Difficulty hack of Pokemon Colosseum with new QoL. Addition of the Physical/Special Split, Fairy Type, new moves, alterations to stats, types and abilities. New shadow encounters, two Alolan Pokemon, and more.
Pokemon XG: Next GeN
Tags: QoL, PSS, Fairy Type
youtu.be

Pokémon XG: Next Gen - The DEFINITIVE Way To Play Pokémon XD

Pokemon Colosseum and Pokemon XD: these were the two 3D Pokemon adventures on the GameCube that attempted to spice up the mainline gameplay with a set-up tha...
  • Overhaul hack of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Includes the physical/special split, over 100 shadow Pokemon, new abilities and moves, the addition of the Fairy Type, and more.
Pokemon Conquest: Reconquered
Tags: Higher Difficulty, QoL, Stat Changes
  • Romhack of Pokemon Conquest increasing the difficulty of the campaign. Alongside other QoL, like adding new moves and overhauling the rest, modernized stats to reflect the current state of each Pokemon, new Pokemon, and more.

Pokemon Pinball Generations
Tags: QoL, New Features
Screenshot-2024-02-12-4-42-35-PM.png
  • All Johto Pokémon are obtainable (251 total)
  • New Gold and Silver fields
  • Smooth 60fps gameplay (the original game lags quite a bit)
  • Travel to Johto map locations on the Gold and Silver fields
  • New breeding mode on the Gold and Silver fields
  • GS Ball on the Gold and Silver fields
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Pokemon Fan Games
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Pokemon Reborn
Tags: Challenging, New Region, Story Heavy, Content Rich, New Forms
  • Pokemon Reborn is a massive game with over 100+ hours of content. It's known for its high difficulty and story heavy campaign. Has Fakemon, Pokemon through Generation 7, a custom terrain system, and more.
    • Note: Pokemon Reborn dives into some dark subject matters. It's a lot sometimes.
Pokemon Rejuvenation
Tags: Challenging, New Region, Story Heavy, Content Rich, New Forms, In-Progress (It has 100+ hours of content)
oQQnXax.png
  • Story driven adventure in a new region known as Aevium. Contains multiple starter pokemon, the terrain mechanic from Pokemon Reborn, 18 gyms, a quest system, and over 100 hours of gameplay.
Pokemon Xenoverse
Tags: New Region, Fakemon (+ New Forms)
  • Fakemon Pokedex, new X species Pokemon, new regional Pokemon, addition of the Sound Type and much more
Pokemon: A Farfetch'd Story
Tags: Story Heavy, Short
8997
  • A short three hour adventure where you play as a Galarian Farfetch'd trying to find its way home.
Pokemon Castaway
Tags: Story Heavy, Short
7A8OOXR.gif
3F8EiXY.gif
  • A 6 hour adventure, where you play as a character on their way to Alola for vacation. Their plane is struck down on the mysterious Bermada Island, leading to the survivors trying to find a way off of the island.
Pokemon Infinite Fusion
Tags: Twist
In this game you have the ability to fuse Pokemon, which can change the looks, characteristics, and strengths of your new abomination
Pokemon Super Eevee Edition
Tags: Twist, New Region
Screenshot-2024-02-12-4-15-43-PM.png
A FF-style ATB game featuring an Eevee that can shift forms mid-battle that can fight alongside a party of 3 other Pokemon. Features Gen 1-3 Pokemon (and the Gen 4 Eeveelutions). This game is on the shorter side compared to most Pokemon fangames, my playthrough of the game once the completed version was released about a year ago ended up being something like 15-ish hours.

Pokemon Legends of the Arena
Tags: Story Heavy, New Region, Multiple Endings
HDjAYMS.png
A Gen 4-style fangame featuring a talking protagonist traveling a new region to take part in a tournament, featuring an Eeveelution starter based on a personality quiz at the start of the game. IIRC because the fangame started development about 13 years ago, it uses gen 5 mechanics (as in, grass types are still susceptible to powder moves and electric types can still be paralyzed, and I think TMs were still limited use). The writing is rather good and the overall premise is much more light-hearted than most other fangames leaning way into edge.
 
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Jubilant Duck

Member
Oct 21, 2022
6,509
A decent list!

Would be useful if you included a link to the patches and maybe some screenshots/YouTube links?
 

Faiyaz

Member
Nov 30, 2017
5,396
Bangladesh
A great thread. So many good rom hacks out there. I highly recommend the Gen 4 and 5 Drayano difficulty hacks in particular, like Sacred Gold/Storm Silver, Blaze Black/Volt White 1/2, and Renegade Platinum.

I personally am quite unfamiliar with Pokemon hacks after Gen 5 from the 3DS era onwards. I wonder how they stack up.
 
Oct 25, 2017
57,149
This has gotta be one of the greatest threads created here. Gonna check some of these out been a long while last one I played was reborn
 

Titantodd

Member
May 3, 2023
2,240
Fantastic thread that I'm going to follow very closely. Thank you!

Pokemon Reborn and Rejuvenation (some of the same dev team and both done in RPG Maker, but different games in different regions) are my two favourite creature collector/mons games ever made, and way up there in terms of favourite RPGs, period. Massive recommends from me.

If there's anything else in this list with a similar vibe/difficulty level/story I'll more than happily dive right in.

EDIT: Also, as far as I'm aware they're aren't any fakemon in Reborn. Instead, there are existing Pokemon that are massively juiced up thanks to machine enhancement, like alternate forms similar to Dynamax/Gigantamax etc. If that counts as fakemon, then Rejuvenation has fakemon too because it has existing mons juiced up in alternate ways, too.
 
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SantosStrife

Member
Oct 27, 2017
369
The amount of hacks and fangames are really overwhelming sometimes.

Great thread, nice selection of recommendations.
 

MiTYH

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,641
I would add infinite fusion to this list. Had a lot of fun/replayability with that one
 

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,627
The creative output of the Pokemon fangame community is insane. Not only are many of them complete but a lot of them are pretty damn good.

Play Pokemon Bushido if you want a shorter one but not too short (about 10-15 hours). Its pretty cool, does a lot with the old fasioned samurai style.
 

Tommy Showbiz

Member
Jul 20, 2022
2,021
Anyone got any strong feelings on Reborn? Got recommended a YouTube video and it looked to be transformative in an interesting way.
 

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,627
Anyone got any strong feelings on Reborn? Got recommended a YouTube video and it looked to be transformative in an interesting way.
I like it a lot. Its pretty damn hard too. Game does not pull punches and there are some double battles that actually forced me to think.

It can be abit edgy but never enough that it stopped me but tolerance on this can differ.

Nothing offensive to my knowledge, mind. Just darker themes. Salty words sometimes, that sort of thing.
 

chatsquared

Member
Nov 19, 2020
533
I google "recommended Pokemon romhacks Reddit" once every three months so this thread is highly appreciated. What really surprises me is that there's already hacks for the Gen 9 games. Stuff like that Compass hack really makes me wish I had a hacked Switch...
 

Titantodd

Member
May 3, 2023
2,240
Anyone got any strong feelings on Reborn? Got recommended a YouTube video and it looked to be transformative in an interesting way.

Hello. Me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

So, Reborn (and Rejuvenation's) entire thing is Field Effects. The actual terrain you're fighting on drastically changes move power, effect and your mons' ability. So, if you find yourself underwater, for example, fire type moves are basically worthless. But electric type stuff is gonna hit a lot harder. And while you don't need to worry about drowning or anything, anything that isn't water type is going to move a lot slower. Things like that. And you can change the physical terrain you're on with moves to give yourself an edge. So, if you're fighting on water and at a disadvantage, why not try and freeze it? Or evaporate it away?

There's about 20 different terrains to play with and a fair bit of interaction and interplay between them. And every gym leader is smart enough to take you on on their home turf. Which is a field that's particularly advantageous to them, or covers up that type's weaknesses. It's fully possible to completely turn the tables on anyone with planning and a bit of thought, but going for standard type advantages WILL NOT WORK. This, in turn with a few mons getting brutal alternate forms and buffs, raises the base level of difficulty a fair bit. Along with the game really trying its best to starve you of a few types early on. Like, the first gym in the game is the Electric type one, and it'll be a long, long time before you see a base Ground type pokemon.

Content wise, yeah, I'd say the game is a fair bit darker in its themes. It makes no bones about the villain team being an actual terrorist group, and certain pokemon being essentially semi-sentient weapons of mass destruction. Here's a content warning list off the top my head:

Suicide
Self harm
Terrorism
Environmental destruction
Decapitation/gore
General violence/torture
Child abuse/violence against minors
Ritual killing of animals/pokemon
Transphobia
Poverty/deprivation

That's what immediately comes to mind. I should point out the game isn't edgy for the sake of it though, and the two lead devs are two trans women who really, really thought hard about their community and how best to depict this stuff, and the game is extremely LGBTQ+ positive on the whole. A major theme of the game is about taking an extraordinarily messed up city and region, and working towards making it drastically better, bit by bit. In the back half of the game, you have a clear and marked positive impact on the place you're in.

Feel free to ask anything else, because I could talk about Reborn and Rejuv for days. Rejuvenation, btw recycles a lot of the same mechanics, and also goes to some dark places, but in general is a bit goofier and sillier.
 
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DevilPuncher

"This guy are sick" and Aggressively Mediocre
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,966
This is a much-needed thread, OP!

I cant recommend Crsytal Clear enough, personally. The Nuzlocke mode in particular is a lot of fun.
 
OP
OP
Synohan

Synohan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,083
Won't be able to add media since it broke the OP. Think I went over the thread limit and it didn't like that. Links to each patch are being updated alongside some new additions.
 
Nov 14, 2017
2,864
Once Luminescent adds the national dex, it'll probably be my favorite romhack. Unbound is rad for a unique experience but even it's starting to fall behind in features due to lack of updates.
 

The Silver

Member
Oct 28, 2017
10,791
I really enjoyed Insurgence. That, Reborn, and Radical Red are the ones I've played the most.
 

Saito Hikari

Member
Jul 3, 2021
2,989
I have a few other recommendations as someone paying attention to the scene for about a decade now.

Super Eevee Edition: A FF-style ATB game featuring an Eevee that can shift forms mid-battle that can fight alongside a party of 3 other Pokemon. Features Gen 1-3 Pokemon (and the Gen 4 Eeveelutions). This game is on the shorter side compared to most Pokemon fangames, my playthrough of the game once the completed version was released about a year ago ended up being something like 15-ish hours.

Legends of the Arena: A Gen 4-style fangame featuring a talking protagonist traveling a new region to take part in a tournament, featuring an Eeveelution starter based on a personality quiz at the start of the game. IIRC because the fangame started development about 13 years ago, it uses gen 5 mechanics (as in, grass types are still susceptible to powder moves and electric types can still be paralyzed, and I think TMs were still limited use). The writing is rather good and the overall premise is much more light-hearted than most other fangames leaning way into edge. It also uses mostly FFXI music. The completed version was released about 2-3 years ago.

Pokemon Desoation: The third of what I consider to be the 'Field Effects Trio' among the fangames, the other two being Reborn and Rejuvenation. Unlike the other two, this game hit a period of development hell for a few years and remains incomplete (though still feature-rich, I think a current blind playthrough will still hit around 30+ hours of content), but development appears to be going somewhat smoothly again.

IMO Desolation had the best pacing of all three fangames (though I haven't played any of them since 2020 really, I remember Rejuvenation went through a major overhaul around 2018-2019 that massively improved it, to the point where I considered that to be superior to Reborn in just about every way at the time, not sure if Reborn went through a similar overhaul since because the last time I played that was when the train graveyard desert area was released), and also wasn't anywhere near as strict as the other two about restricting Pokemon based on their perceived tier placement. Your starter can be one of... I believe it was 12 Pokemon, and it includes things like Spheal and Sewaddle, and you also get to choose a traditional starter right before the first gym too. There are also powered up Pokemon hidden in sidequests and obscure areas that already come with egg moves and moves that they wouldn't normally know, such as a Darumaka with Belly Drum.
 
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makonero

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,766
I played Emerald Rogue for a week and became obsessed. I've put it away now because I have other games to play and things to do and I can't let myself get sucked in.

Fantastic game.
 

Titantodd

Member
May 3, 2023
2,240
IMO Desolation had the best pacing of all three fangames (though I haven't played any of them since 2020 really, I remember Rejuvenation went through a major overhaul around 2018-2019 that massively improved it, to the point where I considered that to be superior to Reborn in just about every way at the time, not sure if Reborn went through a similar overhaul since because the last time I played that was when the train graveyard desert area was released), and also wasn't anywhere near as strict as the other two about restricting Pokemon based on their perceived tier placement. Your starter can be one of... I believe it was 12 Pokemon, and it includes things like Spheal and Sewaddle, and you also get to choose a traditional starter right before the first gym too. There are also powered up Pokemon hidden in sidequests and obscure areas that already come with egg moves and moves that they wouldn't normally know, such as a Darumaka with Belly Drum.

So Reborn is totally, completely and utterly finished now (a lot of the dev team have moved on to a new game called Starlight Divide, a tactical RPG set in a war between heaven and hell) but they wrapped up everything beforehand. All gyms, Victory Road, final showdowns with the villain team and a super substantial postgame where every significant NPC gets their own chapter to close out their story while you go legendary hunting. It's fully done, and they closed out the lot before moving on.

Rejuvenation is now officially at chapter 13.5 out of 18 (so you can get a sense of how many gyms there are now) and it's been through some pretty gigantic overhauls since 2018-19. The last release (from November) basically redone the entirety of the early and mid game and added another pretty substantial area to play around in. This is all in service of what's coming next, because the story is about to split in two very different directions depending on prior choices you've made.
 
OP
OP
Synohan

Synohan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,083
Alright, OP has been update and I think I've also hit the limit of what can be added.

New Additions based on recommendations are:
Pokemon DarkViolet
Pokemon Crystal Leaf
Pokemon Adventures Red Chapter
Pokemon Legends of the Arena
Pokemon Super Eevee Edition
Pokemon Infinite Fusion

EDIT: Also, as far as I'm aware they're aren't any fakemon in Reborn. Instead, there are existing Pokemon that are massively juiced up thanks to machine enhancement, like alternate forms similar to Dynamax/Gigantamax etc. If that counts as fakemon, then Rejuvenation has fakemon too because it has existing mons juiced up in alternate ways, too.
You're right. Changing that to New Forms instead and adding it to Rejuvenation as well.
 

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,627
The only thing I would warn people about is games made with pokemon essentials do tend to have sluggish performance from time to time.

Don't know if the community has fixed that since I was last deep into the fangame scene but its the one caveat I would throw out there up front.

Its worth pushing past though imo.
 

RetroRunner

Member
Dec 6, 2020
5,032
Alright, OP has been update and I think I've also hit the limit of what can be added.

New Additions based on recommendations are:
Pokemon DarkViolet
Pokemon Crystal Leaf
Pokemon Adventures Red Chapter
Pokemon Legends of the Arena
Pokemon Super Eevee Edition
Pokemon Infinite Fusion


You're right. Changing that to New Forms instead and adding it to Rejuvenation as well.
You might want to note that Adventures Red Chapter only works either in an emulator or only on a EZFlash Omega DE due to the ROM size
 

Saturday

One Winged Slayer - Shinra Employee
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,693
damn, luminescent platinum looks wild af. whoda thought a underbaked remake would result in that?

i dropped off black and white 2.. and then dropped off blaze black and volt white 2. so hearing it got refined even further was pretty great and i'm going through it now. it's like the most refined romhack alternative to a main series you could play.
 

DevilPuncher

"This guy are sick" and Aggressively Mediocre
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,966

Alent

"This guy are sick"
Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,812
Good thread! I recently got an ambernic so I've been playing some rom hacks, just going through Polished Crystal now. Gonna try Coral afterwards.
 

SOLDIER

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
11,339
Is there a particular hack or fan game that is unanimously recommended as the best of all? Or at least a Top 5 of sorts?

Particularly any for someone like me who does not know the ins and outs of Pokémon and would rather not try something that requires extensive knowledge or grinding.
 

Mirage

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,666
The story starts off a little edgy feeling but I really enjoyed Pokemon Reborn.
 

Tommy Showbiz

Member
Jul 20, 2022
2,021
Okay Reborn kinda slaps. It's very serious what with the entire opening act taking place in a stereotypically "bad part of town" urban decay complete with kids in a gang and people using curse words, but it's very consciously written in a way where it sounds like people who live in the Pokemon universe being edgy rather than in a way that's actually edgy if that makes any sense. It's a really fine line to straddle, but its hitting for me so far.
 

Phionoxx

Member
Oct 26, 2017
412
United States
Thanks for taking the time to put this thread together. I've never tried any of these, I've heard of a few of them but had no idea there was so many. Would also be interested in hearing what peoples top picks are.
 

Valkerion

Member
Oct 29, 2017
7,389
Awesome!

I've always been interested in the various rom hacks/fan mods for pokemon but its like trying to sift through sand to find sugar lol. A lot are either hardcore modes or weird fan ideas it seems so a list like this is super helpful! I'm a QoL fan personally so I'll be checking these out.
 

Dunsparcer

Member
Feb 28, 2019
313
Isn't there a Pokemon Uranium or something? I think I remember hearing about that releasing a long while back?
 

Toxi

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
17,563
Is there a particular hack or fan game that is unanimously recommended as the best of all? Or at least a Top 5 of sorts?

Particularly any for someone like me who does not know the ins and outs of Pokémon and would rather not try something that requires extensive knowledge or grinding.
I totally recommend Pokemon Gaia. It's very good at replicating the feel of an official Pokemon game, including an easy difficulty curve.
 

Keyouta

The Wise Ones
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,240
Canada
Your Pokemon Rejuvenation Spoiler tag is hiding the other games under that "Fan Games" section.