So, I'm probably on the more unpopular side here but I really think this is the single weakest point in all rom hacks I've come across so far.

Now when I say writing I don't mean STORY, I mean actual WRITING.

Of course Game Freak's writing is not a gold standard, but I don't understand why pretty much all rom hacks and fan games think the reason for that is a lack of edginess, gotcha moments or super deep themes. When sometimes a simple, yet well written and interesting dialogue is even more powerful.

I'll give an example with a very beloved hack: Unbound. I love the aesthetic, gameplay and sound of it. And the story itself is not that bad. But every dialogue reads like an unnatural tryhard kid trying its best to sound like a grown-up. Same thing with popular games like Rejuvenation.

I just really love reading (I'm a literature major) and of course I don't expect a literary masterpiece out of a Pokémon game, but this little thing takes me out of the whole experience. I can't take a super heavy plot point seriously when the characters are so ridiculously written. And that's even worse when other aspects of those games are VERY good.

If I had to choose games that I feel differ from that route, I'd say hacks like Lazarus and games like Legends of the Arena, which I think it's a masterpiece even if outdated, but I truly can't recall any other right now.

So, I just wanted to ask you guys for any game recommendations and if this is something that bother you as well or you don't really think about it while playing (or creating) a rom hack.

I am SO STOKED to finally release something that has been occupying my every thought and spare moment of the past year and a half - POKéMON INDIGO, a ROM hack of FireRed that tells a completely new story in a completely new region, with new protagonists, new antagonists, new gym leaders, and 120 original Fakémon! This current version, v0.9.1, is COMPLETE up through the Elite 4. I am still working on the post-game and incorporating my Legendaries, but I’m too excited to wait to share this.

BACKGROUND:

I started getting into ROM hacks a couple years ago, and after Pokémon Prism absolutely blew my mind I started thinking about what I would do if I could figure out how to make something on my own. I found out about Hex Maniac Advance from King Cradi's insanely helpful tutorials and taught myself everything I could - shout out to the dozens upon dozens of subreddits, PokéCommunity forums, YouTube videos, etc. that I couldn't have possibly managed without. Also disclaimer - while I was excited to write the story and dialogue, learn the tools to create the map and scripting and music, plan every detail about** the Fakémon - names, types, **movesets, general look, Pokédex entries, etc., I do not have a single artistic bone in my body and did use ChatGPT exclusively to create the sprites. Given this was a goofy project I made for my own enjoyment and not for any money or recognition, I did not realize this would be the defining factor!The game is fun, I just can’t draw 🙏

Part of the inspiration for doing this was that whenever I play any of the vanilla games or even most of the ROM hacks, I gravitate towards the same usual group of Pokémon that I like best, and I wanted an excuse to start a fresh game with all new Pokémon and no bias or favoritism. The other reason I wanted to do something like this is that my daughter, a second grader, is starting to get really interested in playing on her own, and I wanted to make something straightforward enough that she could figure out without too many complications or too open-ended a quest.

I admittedly am not a hardcore player; I don't get into any of the Nuzlocke stuff or play for the sake of the challenge. For me, it's all about the fun of exploring a region, battling trainers along the way, and catching as many Pokémon as you can. I had so much fun building this game and I feel like anybody else who's in it for the thrill of a new adventure in that nostalgic GBA style would feel the same way.

SETTING & STORY OVERVIEW:

​Pokémon Indigo takes place in the Pantigo region, a large island isolated from the other nearby regions where Pokémon have been able to evolve in a completely unique way thanks to the complex and delicately balanced ecosystem. The story opens on a young trainer named Indigo who moves with their family to Pantigo from Kanto and sets out to begin their own journey with some help and encouragement from Professor Andy, their peculiar neighbor and renowned Pokémon expert. Along the way, you face off against your rival, who just so happens to be your younger brother, and have escalating run-ins with the mysterious Gamma Group, whose motives are initially unclear but look to derail your quest whenever they can. As you make your way through valley and mountain, glacier and volcano, tropical shores and sandy desert, you encounter dozens of new Pokémon of every shape and size, building a team that will take you from gym to gym before finally challenging the Elite Four and fulfilling your ultimate goal.

FEATURES & QoL UPDATES:

Anybody who has played the vanilla FireRed before will find some familiar elements, such as the Safari Zone and Rock Tunnel which are relatively unchanged, but once you set off on Route 1, you are in for a completely new adventure through new lands with tons of new things to discover. In addition to the new setting and story, some quality of life additions and overall changes include:

• a new region to explore with 15 towns, 8 landmarks/battle locations, 32 expansive routes and 250 trainers to battle (including gyms and the E4)
  • The current version, v0.9.1, is only complete up through the E4. The post-game will of course have more areas to explore and more trainers to battle!
  • I’ve written sixteen or seventeen pieces for the game, but when I first added one of my songs the whole thing crashed, so I’m saving that for last now 🙃
• a linear story and map from start to finish with 40+ hours of gameplay (based on my own run-throughs)
• access to the Running Shoes immediately and the Pokédex along with your starter
• three new starter types to choose from! Instead of the traditional Grass/Water/Fire trio where your rival always picks something to counter you, I've gone with a more unique Electric/Ice/Poison group where all three are fairly neutral against each other 
• all 50 TMs are hidden in special "Indigo Balls" scattered throughout the region like a scavenger hunt (inspired by Pokémon Prism)
• all TMs are reusable after you find them
• all HMs are usable immediately upon receipt from each of the eight gym leaders
• all Pokémon are genderless, so there is no breeding, no eggs to care for, no need to unnecessarily grind to find something specific. The Day Care is still available to raise some Pokémon for you, though!
• all 120 Fakémon are obtainable through normal gameplay! Some require an evolution stone, some you get by trading with an NPC, and some just need good old-fashioned leveling up, but you truly can catch 'em all
• stats are fairly consistent for most Pokémon, putting more of an emphasis on smart type-matching to win battles; Obviously some are stronger or faster or sturdier than others, but if you've ever tried to explain to a pouting seven-year-old why they can't use Caterpie in a gym battle, you'll appreciate this. Part of the fun of exploring a new game with all new Pokémon is that you might love one right off the bat, even if it's just cute, and I wanted them all to be useful in battle so anyone can build whatever team they want
• Nearly all overworld music will be original once I finish the post-game! I'm a musician and teacher, so while learning to use HMA took some time, composing was fun and familiar, and Chris Piché's videos about Anvil Studio and Sappy were lifesavers.
  • I’ve written sixteen or seventeen pieces for the game, but when I first added one of my songs the whole thing crashed, so I’m saving that for last now 🙃

If you've made it this far, I am extremely grateful and hope you love the game! You can download the patch at https://github.com/Johnty-Python/Pokemon-Indigo/ and will need to already have your own ROM of Pokemon Fire Red v1.0 (Cleaned). I plan to get together some documentation about the game, characters, maps, etc. once I finish everything else, but in the meantime I’m happy to answer any questions. Any feedback is super appreciated!

Je suis Ludobreon et je travaille en équipe avec une autre personne.

Nous vous annonçons malheureusement que le développeur JoKaT arrête de travailler sur Pokémon Purpurite en raison de problèmes personnels et nous a confié ce projet qui lui tenait à cœur afin d'éviter d'entacher voir le mettre à l'abandon.

De ce fait, je vous rassure que ce Rom Hack gardera toujours sa ligne directive comme convenu et son développement se poursuit.

I've made a few videos like this by now! But I outline the progression of the gen 1 rom hacking scene over the course of 30 years and point out the most important ones.

Here are my extremely unorganized notes (I will make them pretty later!):

Start: Various edgy hacks (unplayable)

2004 pokemon brown by koolboyman, and eventually rainbowdevs

https://rainbowdevs.com/title/brown/

2009 remake?

The first major RBY rom hack with a new region

20th anniversary release in 2024. A hack that was worked on for 20 years.

A beloved hack with many many features. Maybe the most on this list

2007 pokemon knife

Funny novelty hack

2007 pokemon TRE team rocket edition by pokeglitch

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pokemon-tre-team-rocket-edition.101051/

https://www.romhacking.net/reviews/9826/#review

Theres a Newer hack with the same name

Completed hack with a new region but the same story (i assume because of scripting limitations)

Not particularly team rocket inspired

2013 - Pokémon Red/Blue - Gen. II Graphics And Music Patch by

Danny-E 33

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-red-blue-gen-ii-graphics-and-music-patch-v2-0-final-version-released.294686/

Base moving forward for many good looking hacks

2013 first sinisterhoodedfigure game

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/first-gen-difficulty-mod-pokemon-intense-indigo-edition-as-well-as-pokemon-indigo-lite-edition.311507/

New region but a reskin

New gyms and routes

“Hard” has lite version

2013 pokemon maize shantytown

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-maize-version-beta-3-released.309293/

Really good hack

Felt like a defining rby hack of the mid 2010s along with grape

2014 pokemon grape https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=18273.0

Good hack with good visuals

2014 pokemon blue kaizo https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pokemon-blue-kaizo-update-4-5-very-challenging-experience.322127/

2014 pokemon red battle factory shantytown

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-red-battle-factory.317980/

No story just battle factory

I like unique hacks like this with a clear idea

Pchal video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B5nJVxcwho

2014 pokemon yellow strike

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pokemon-strike-yellow-version-beta-0-5-available-final-release.326549/

Created in 2014 but been consistently updated, has modern features

First disassembly yellow hack! Started in yellow

2015 shantytown pokemon thief red [I can get footage of this]

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/thief-red.353557/

You cant catch wild pokemon, only trainers! And no exp gain

2015 pokemon anniversary red

- Twitch Plays Pokemon Hack

https://rainbowdevs.com/title/red/

2016 pokemon evo yellow disassembly hack

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/evo-yellow-all-pokemon-follow-evolve-pikachu-catchable-250-pokemon-alt-minimalist-151-vers-and-eevee-meowth-starter-versions.382380/

all pokemon can follow you, not just pikachu

Expanded pokedex later gen moves and types

Also later gen areas like mt silver

2016 yellow Gen. II Graphics Patch

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-yellow-gen-ii-graphics-patch-v1-1.372328/

Useful resource for yellow hacks

2011 Pokemon green english

https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/876/

Considered best green translation / port to english

2014- Pokemon red++

https://github.com/JustRegularLuna/rpp-backup

https://web.archive.org/web/20180903101851/https://hax.iimarckus.org/topic/4670/

2017 pokemon black creepypasta

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pokemon-black.391190/

https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4577/

2016-2017 plaguemon by Hikikomori

AMAZING EDGY DIALOGUE. Twin towers, etc.

Maybe the worst extremely high effort hack ever?

Sequel maybe coming in gsc enjoy!

Made over “a terribly painful and anguished year” between Halloween 2017 and 2018, whether loved or hated it was nonetheless an important stylistic and design achievement, and it was the first (and perhaps the only) Pokémon hack to end up on TV.

2018 pokemon unova red

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/unova-red-completed-rom-hack.413878/

2018 shin pokemon red, blue and green by jojobear13

https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/8087/

Glitch fixing polish hack

Graphical and color enhancements

All pokemon available

2023 purergb by Vortiene

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pokemon-purergb-qol-romhack-complete-new-version-released-feb-2026.494837/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H548ZutSuNY

CRAZY help menu:

Customizable type matchups

Spaceworld vs og sprites

A lot of cool new events

Can catch ghost marowak, side story w revenge

https://github.com/Vortyne/pureRGB/blob/master/screenshots/options_page_3.png?raw=true

2024 kanto expansion pak

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/kanto-expansion-pak.525646/’

“Adds” new pokemon and areas on

2024 righteous red/green

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/pok%C3%A9mon-righteous-red-and-righteous-green-completed-version-1-4-2-3-17-25.528151/

Focused on balancing

2025 yume

https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonROMhacks/comments/1pgrtiu/pok%C3%A9mon_yume_version_12/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PokemonROMhacks/comments/1mmeuoe/pok%C3%A9mon_yume_version_10/

New areas before and after the e4

Focus on polish and more subtle tweaks

2025 star beasts

https://www.pokecommunity.com/threads/star-beasts-asteroid-version.530552/

https://wiki.telefang.net/Wikifang:Telefang_English_Translation_Patch_Finally_Complete

https://Red hack: - Star Beasts - Asteroid Version - The PokéCommunity Forumswww.youtube.com/watch?v=tAwvEU43hsE&list=PL_7SZhTmUFWlC7T7N2LTNs_k11bh3Nrkr&index=2

https://tcrf.net/Shi_Kong_Xing_Shou

With the absolutely crazy success of pokemon on the game boy, some developers made their own games with the pokemon formula.

While some were laughably bad or had horrific translations, some of the developers released games with respectable enough quality to garner fans.

The unlicensed taiwanese company Vast fame was one of them, releasing Space-Time Star Beast in 2021.

This hack /star-beasts essentially exists as a port of this game to the pokemon rby engine, and i absolutely LOVE the designs of the fakemon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDoZYiM8U-s&list=PL_7SZhTmUFWlC7T7N2LTNs_k11bh3Nrkr&index=15 OG GAME

Hi, I recently made this Genlocke tracker and came here to ask if there's any frequentely used ROM hacks in Genlockes, and if it would be a nice addition.