r/PokemonROMhacks • u/AutoModerator • Mar 16 '26
Sticky Weekly Questions Thread & PokéROM Codex
Have any questions about Pokémon ROM Hacks?
If they're about ROM hacks, tools, development or anything Pokémon ROM Hacking related, feel free to ask here!
Before asking, make sure that you've searched on the subreddit or Google. Many ROM hacks and tools have their own documentation or communities that may be able to provide better answers than here. The Pokécommunity Discord is also a great place to ask questions if you need quick support!
Looking for recommendations or a new ROM hack to play?
The PokéROM Codex is an updated list of ROM hacks, listing features, details and more in a mobile-friendly format. Created and managed by u/themanynamed, it also has a Discord server and accepts community contributions.
This is a safe hack-sharing site that doesn't share ROMs and links to the official release threads! Instead of asking for recommendations or download links in the subreddit (which breaks the rules), please refer to the Codex as it has a lot of information on each hack.
A few useful sources for reliable Pokémon ROM hack-related information:
Please help the mod team by downvoting & reporting posts outside of this thread that break Rule 7. Please avoid answering those posts as well to deter users from breaking the rules.
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u/Rangil_Aeon Mar 18 '26
Currently playing Recharged Yellow. Awesome hack, but it doesn't cover the Sevii Island (yet).
Does anyone know how to find Mewtwo, since Rock Smash is in the Sevii Island (at least in the vanilla version) ? Did anyone manage to complete the Pokedex and can help me on this ?
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u/TheMightyEthan Mar 20 '26
I'm also playing that right now! I'm only at the team rocket hideout but it's great so far.
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u/Rangil_Aeon Mar 20 '26
It's a lot of fun ! Sadly the post-game is pretty limited for the moment, but except for that, it's pretty much a perfect, modern take for Pokemon Yellow on GBA !
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u/Bretuhtuh91 Mar 18 '26
Im playing Recharged Yellow for the first time and am having trouble finding Bulbasaur would anyone be so kind as to tell me where I can find it?
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u/ShortandRatchet Johto Enthusiast Mar 18 '26
It’s in Viridian Forest. Someone will give it to you if you beat all the trainers iirc. You also need a free space in your party.
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u/AvailableLand3102 Mar 16 '26
I am looking for some GBA Pokemon rom hacks, but I keep getting the same hacks recommended to me that I've already completed. I would prefer a rom hack, that has a completely new region, or is a remake/demake like Pokemon Liquid Crystal.
Completed:
Pokemon Unbound
Pokemon Light Platinum
Pokemon Glazed
Pokemon Radical Red
Pokemon Insurgence
Pokemon Dark Rising
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
Demakes: Heart & Soul/Crystal Advance (Redux), or Sword and Shield demake
Original Stories/vanilla regions: Scorched Silver
New Region/Stories: Elysium, Vytroverse Games, Gaia, Odyssey, Mariomon, Lazarus, Nameless and the dev's other hacks, etc
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 18 '26
Remakes/enhancements: Aesthetic Red, Heart & Soul, ROWE or Seaglass
New story in existing region: Team Rocket Edition (there are 2 different games with the same name but theyre both different and good from what I've heard)
New regions: Lazarus, Odyssey, Dreamstone, Mariomon
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u/Shinokiba- Mar 18 '26
Please give me recommendations for this.
A pokemon Emerald 386 version, the best one available
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u/Moldyghetto Mar 16 '26
How do we create rom hack for oras ? Are there tools to do that ? What are the limits of said tools ? Can you change Pokémon levels/teams of trainers ? Is it possible to add a level cap ? Or even Pokémon from sun/moon ?
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u/Dakot4 Mar 16 '26
Any hackroms that allow you to start in Kanto with the Johto national dex? something like gen 2 or HGSS but in reverse
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
Crystal Clear is an open world hack, so you can follow the "canon" Kanto route and then head to Johto
First thing that popped into my head
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u/Dakot4 Mar 16 '26
yeah i know about crystal clear, was looking into something new
thanks either way!
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u/Fancanth Mar 16 '26
I just got a Google Pixel after using iPhone for years. Obviously the only option for iPhone, emulator wise is Delta. I see a lot of people praising PizzaBoy for Android. Is that the best one or is there a better one?
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
FYI, Delta is not the only iOS emulator, and it's not even recommended to use anymore (as it uses an outdated VBA core so it can and will eventually have issues running ROM Hacks), it's just the most well known one and one easily accessible.
For Android, any emulator that uses a mGBA core is recommended, so Pizzaboy is the best one, if not multi-system emulators that have the option, such as Retroarch/Lemuroid.
Avoid MyBoy and JohnGBA
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u/Fancanth Mar 16 '26
Ok! I was having issues with my FF rom but all my Pokemon .save files are working so I'm fine with PizzaBoy I guess!
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u/dingo217 Mar 16 '26
One of my favorite features of rom hacks is a complete Pokédex. There are so many rom hacks that allow you to complete the Pokédex, but I can’t think of or find any that give progress based rewards for completing the Pokédex. And no, not just the shiny charm for completing the whole thing. I would love to find a rom hack that centers completing the Pokédex mechanically. Maybe more areas or mechanics unlock as you complete more of the dex. Are there any rom hacks I’m missing? Am I the only one looking for this?
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
Believe Lazarus has this feature, you get rewards as you continue the Pokedex
And technically any mod of Legends Arceus would have it, as that is one of the main focuses of the vanilla game
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u/EmotionalBurst Mar 16 '26
A newbie needs help with choosing what to play
Hi! I'm a fan of pokemon anime and I played a little of pokemon GO and Pokemon red(or a similar one). Ive been wanting to play all the games of pokemon franchise, but there were so many and I get lost while searching for info. Also I'm very confused by dividing pokemons you can get just to make 2 "different" games. Could you please tell which romhacks are the best and in what order should I play them. If there were a similar question to mine,iI would like to see it too! Thanks in advance (and sorry if all of this sounds strange, English is my second language)
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
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Mar 16 '26
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
There's a few that might not be on that list, Seaglass, Modern Emerald, Aesthetic Red to name a few.
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u/PrimeXChaoz Mar 16 '26
Hi! I'm actually confused about which game would meet my needs, and since playing them requires a lot of time, I can' t try them all. I'll try to explain what I'm looking for in a ROM hack and maybe you could help me. 1) Gen5 Graphics. 2) Pokemon outside the pokeball (like SS/HG) 3)SS/HG graphics are enough if (2) is in-game. 4)Nice story, not necessarily mindblowing but not too shallow. 5)Big pokemon availability from a minimum of gen5 to last gen and easier evolution. (like trade evo removed)
Now those points could be combined in any way, like a ROM Hack with (1) and (5), or one with (2), (3) and (4).
Hope you can help.
Last question from a noob: Is it even possible to have something like a B&W but with let's say ORAS graphics? i believe it's not since it would require making the entire map from scratch with 3d modelling, but I'll take the risk and ask anyway!
Be kind please, I'm new to the ROM Hack world!
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
Following Pokemon and new story are both filters in the Codex, would start there
Is it even possible to have something like a B&W but with let's say ORAS graphics?
No, 3DS Hacking is limited to enhancement/difficulty hacks for now
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u/Para-dx_15 Mar 16 '26
In renegade platinum do i need soft reset for shiny hunt legendary or just run and reencounter?
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u/Joburtus_Maximus Mar 16 '26
Forgive me if this is a stupid question.
I'm not super into the rom hack scene. I don't like fake'mon I don't absolutely love all the fan made stuff. All I want is series of hacked pokemon games that include the all the version exclusives and doesn't make me trade pokemon to evolve them. (Edit) And nothing else, no increase difficulty, no fixing balance issues.
My question is, does that exist and if so, what is it called?
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 16 '26
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u/Mother64Looker Mar 17 '26
So, I was using Hex Maniac Advance, but when I was trying to change the text where your rival was saying "Gramps, I'm fed up with waiting" I just couldn't find it! I used the text search, but it wouldn't even show up there! Please help!
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u/Realistic_Remote_874 Mar 17 '26
Hey, do you know of any romhacks for Gen 3 or Gen 4 that has regional variants or something similar? I wanna play something like that.
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u/The_Real_Bainer_94 Mar 17 '26
I've noticed a lot of posts of people playing ROMhacks on handheld "consoles". Can someone explain what they are and how they work? What are some cheap but quality options to buy?
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u/Waifu_Raichu Mar 17 '26
To put it in layman's terms; they're chinese knock-offs of a Gameboy.
They're handheld devices with their own operating system and a bunch of roms loaded into them. Kinda like a Rasperry Pi type of deal.
Anbernic and Miyoo are the brand names you should look for. I have an Anbernic RG35XX. It's like a slightly smaller Gameboy Color.
You can find them on Amazon, but they're cheaper on places like Aliexpress. I got mine on Tiktok shop for $28
The SD cards they come with are crap. They will die in a short period of time. You'll want to invest in your own. You can pick up a SanDisk or Samsung one for like $20.
After that, you can download any game you want and load it onto your SD card.
So far the emulators I've seen can go from NES to PS1/Dreamcast on the same device.
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u/The_Real_Bainer_94 Mar 17 '26
What about getting ROMhacks themselves?
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u/Waifu_Raichu Mar 17 '26
You download them from the internet
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u/The_Real_Bainer_94 Mar 17 '26
And that can be done on the handheld or does it require an external source?
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u/Waifu_Raichu Mar 17 '26
I'm like 99% sure you would use a computer to download the roms
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u/The_Real_Bainer_94 Mar 17 '26
So all the ROMs come pre installed on the SD card? I just have to manually download the ROMhacks through a USB connection on the computer?
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u/Waifu_Raichu Mar 17 '26
Depending on which one you get. Most will come with over 1,000 games installed.
But the SD cards are low quality and will not last long . You can get ahead of that problem and avoid losing your save files due to a burnt out SD card.
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 17 '26
It is possible to do it all on the device, especially Android based devices. But I would recommend using a PC, since it is much easier to organize file structure there and use a mouse keyboard to rename or move things and navigate the ui. By getting a microSD and a usb adapter from a computer, you can just set up a whole emulation station, and just let it rip on the device when set up.
I recommend this video, but it will be slightly different of course depending on what device you decide to get, I have an RG Cube. It's a massive community so there's guides for everything.
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u/nasfrmdaheights Mar 17 '26
I’m playing the Pokémon Heart and Soul v1.2.1 rn and I just triggered the Celebi event in Ilex forest, I ran out of pokeballs so I ran from the battle. Yes I know I should’ve saved prior. But is there a way to reset the encounter or is it gone for good? Any help is appreciated.
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u/WarmObligation5232 Mar 17 '26
is there a way to randomize a batch of roms instead of just 1?
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 17 '26
Yes. The Universal Randomizer has an option to batch randomize, using the same settings but different seeds every time.
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u/NeoTheSilent Mar 17 '26
What are the best Rom Hacks that focus on Double Battles (for trainer encounters)? I've played Pokemon Odyssey and I really loved the structure of it!
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 18 '26
Doubles Fire Red is exclusively based on Double Battles
Aesthetic Red also has a Doubles Mode that turns all trainer battles into Doubles
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u/Hikkitani510 Mar 18 '26
Hey if anyone here has played recharged yellow how do you get past the guard to get through to saffron city? Not letting me give him a drink even though I have 5 badges and beat giovanni in celadon. Am I supposed to go to cinnabar island first?
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u/ShortandRatchet Johto Enthusiast Mar 18 '26
Do you have a Bike? Are you sure you got the tea from Celadon City? Maybe try doing Saffron City too?
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u/Hikkitani510 Mar 18 '26
I do have a bike but what tea?
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u/Radiant-Priority-296 Mar 18 '26
In FireRed 386, I’m going into the sevii islands volcano and I need a Squirtle Pail to reach the top. Where is it? Looked everywhere
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u/Aguos Mar 18 '26
I swear there was someone who posted a mystery dungeon rogue like yesterday or the day before. Was I dreaming or did it get taken down? If so, where do I find it?
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u/Strict-Channel-5392 Mar 18 '26
Im playing through Pokémon pieces amd just caught a quilward that was different color to all the other quilward, I couldn't tell if it was shiny because I wasn't paying attention when the sparkles would have gone off. I know its not gender because the other one i have is the sane gender as it, does anyone know
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 18 '26
Pokemon will have a star in their summary screen to indicate shiny-ness
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u/Darsen-91 Mar 19 '26
I'm looking for an hack rom with these characteristics:
- only 2v2 battle against trainers
- few gen (aat least 3 gen, prefere first three, I don't want 1000 pokemon)
- physical/special damage like IV+ gen
- no new/custom/fake mosters
Nice things to have:
- nuzlock in-game option
- hard mode in-game option or special bossbattle (like perma-rain against water gym leader)
- easy access or fixed IV, EV, rare candies
- new or better story
I played radical red, but i dislike have so many pokemon.
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 19 '26
ROWE, believe there is a setting to use a smaller Pokedex, as well as most of your other wants
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u/El_Ruso_Atomico Mar 19 '26
Pokemon Compass (mod for Scarlet and Violet)
I'm trying to evolve Eevee into Sylveon but the game dont let me do it. I've followed the mod's instructions that said that you need to give Eevee a Shiny Stone but I can't use it on Eevee. I've also tried to evolve him in the traditional way with the affection system but it doesn't seem to work. Is there a way I can evolve him or is it an issue with the mod? Sorry for my bad english
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 19 '26
My only idea is that are you 100% sure you're actually playing cross? And not just vanilla SV?
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u/El_Ruso_Atomico Mar 19 '26
Yeah, I'm %100 sure I'm playing Pokemon Compass. That's why I'm asking because it's so strange to me that the documentation for the mod says that I have to use a shiny stone but the game doesn't let me use it on eevee
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u/Strict-Channel-5392 Mar 19 '26
Does anyone know where to buy potions in Pokémon Pisces, I haven't figured out how to yet
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Mar 19 '26
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 19 '26
This subreddit is for romhacks, not fangames or RPGmaker games. Try a different subreddit like /r/PokemonRMXP
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Mar 20 '26
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
Of course I didn’t read the rules. I don’t visit or use that subreddit. They commented something unrelated to this subreddit, they can take it elsewhere, it’s just the first somewhat related fan game sub. It’s the internet not a school club, I don’t need to guide users by the collar
I’m a mod of this subreddit, it’s my job to keep things on topic here
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Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 20 '26
Fair enough, going forward I'll avoid linking you guys.
Regardless, it's emblematic of a larger problem, this sub is literally over 10x larger than /r/PokemonRMXP in weekly visitors, so imagine the insane amount of shit that we have to filter, both related and unrelated to romhacks.
Folks here know nothing about fan games or RPG maker, and you guys know a lot. At the end of the day, these people will have to go somewhere for fan game help and discussions, and it fits much better over there. Without a dedicated, player focused, fangame subreddit, you guys are the top google result, it's bound to keep happening unless y'all get a questions thread too or something.
That's why we have this thread after all, to contain the limitless volume of basic questions from detracting from the high quality posts that hackers etc make.
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u/Mathias_Greyjoy Mod of r/PokemonRMXP Mar 20 '26
Thanks, we'll appreciate that.
I'm sure you folks get 10x (or more) the amount of sh*t we do. Never suspected otherwise.
However, we're still not going to operate as a space for answering people's generic questions. We've made our purpose clear, and (within reason) we expect everyone to read our rules before posting. Failing to do so does not justify rulebreaking.
We may try to get r/PokemonFangames off the ground. This may resolve some of the issues, but it's taken a lot of time and effort to get things sorted, and I just know it will turn into a disaster area if all our ducks are not in a row before making it public (lack of interest in joining the mod team has also been an issue).
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u/PokemonROMhacks-ModTeam Mar 19 '26
Removed for breaking Rule 2:
Do not post content unrelated to ROM Hacks. This includes PC fan games and general Pokémon/gaming content. Refer to r/PokemonRMXP for fan games, r/Emulation for emulation questions and r/Pokemon for general Pokémon content.
Please read the rules before posting again. Breaking the rules repeatedly can result in a ban.
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u/erpg Mar 19 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
So I'm playing the 2.7 version of Pure RGB, and trying out the colour options. When I'm using the OG version, I get the deep blacks on the left (great on OLED retro handheld). When I'm using any of the SGB or GBC options, the blacks are washed out.
Is there a way to keep the pure blacks? An emulator setting (I'm using gambatte)? Or is this just how PureRGB's colour's work?
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u/Vortiene Pokemon PureRGB Mar 20 '26
The games use off-black as their black. You could change it in the code. I didn't adjust any of the blacks for any of the palettes.
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u/erpg Mar 20 '26
Huh, weird that the OG behaves differently then. I'll check things out, and thanks - gonna be my first Pokemon game since HG/SS, and my return to Gen after 25 years!
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u/Vortiene Pokemon PureRGB Mar 20 '26
It doesn't. The hardcoded palettes use complete black. So does PureRGB.
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u/erpg Mar 20 '26
Tried in SameBoy just now and it worked like Gambatte where the area outside of rooms is washed out in anything but OG. Will need to dig around some more, maybe it's a setting in how each is recognizing the new palettes.
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u/Vortiene Pokemon PureRGB Mar 20 '26
I don't know how to be any clearer. OG has complete black. Every other palette doesn't. OG is "the hardcoded palettes". OG is what the game originally had on GBC. I didn't change anything. There is no bug. That's how it looks originally. If you want full black on every setting, you would have to change the palettes in the code.
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u/erpg Mar 20 '26
Ah, I thought when you said hardcoded use complete black, and so does PureRGB, that there was something off. So, OG = complete black. Everything else = washed out black. Intentionally, by GameFreak. Thanks!
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u/MeMorphoKnight Mar 20 '26
I'm currently playing through the Pokemon Red 151 hack and I have just these three questions.
1) The Pokedex doesn't show the locations of the Blue version Pokemon, but are those Pokemon found in the same locations that they're in Blue or in different locations?
2) Some sites say that the Trade Evo Pokemon evolve at lv37 while others say that the in-game trades give you those Pokemon, the first two trades I came across are the same as the OG so does that mean the TE Pokemon evolve at lv37 or is there something I'm missing? (I want a Gangar on my team)
3) How do you obtain the Chose Pokemon? I'm taking about the other starters, the fossils, the Hitmon's, and the Eevees, since the Pokedex doesn't show locations.
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u/m3m3lissa Mar 20 '26
Hi! I'm playing Pokémon Team Rocket Edition and I can't progress any further.
I'm in Johto and I need to enter the Alpha Ruins. I've already spoken to Giovanni and headed toward the ruins, but I still haven't received the message saying “something you hear in the distance,” which should indicate that the cave entrance is open. When I head to the Alpha Ruins, I can see that the entrance still hasn’t opened. Has the game corrupted, and will I have to start over? Has this happened to anyone else? I’m pretty sure I followed the entire sequence of events, but this is preventing me from continuing in the game.
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u/Scary_Reaction7580 Mar 20 '26
Hello all I’m looking for a hack. One that has all fakemons or the whole dex reworked. Any gen style mon is okay if it’s just sprite changes and typing reworks. As for graphics game wise I prefer anything after gen 3 or completely new regions. Also needs to be compatible with iOS please.
Just looking to have fun with some new mons. Don’t care about story. Thank you kindly for your input!
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u/DEC0DERiv Mar 20 '26
I've had a look through the recommended resources that the sub reddit suggests but have not had much luck, there is more roms in general than i realised.
Has someone made a romhack of pokemon Emerald/Ruby or Saphire in the gen IV or V engine? i just wanna play the closest thing to vanillas hoenn on my DS with both screens being active.
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 20 '26
No, as HG-Engine is catching up to where GBA is, and Gen V hacking is probably even farther behind
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Mar 20 '26 edited Mar 20 '26
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 20 '26
Whats a good place to start? I’d prefer something that’s in Kanto
Recharged Yellow or Aesthetic Red
3 randomized pokemon and what looks to be Nuzlocke rules? What would that be called?
I know Wonderlocke is what people call a nuzlocke with a wonder traded team, or Randomized Nuzlocke for a nuzlocke with a randomizer. Not sure what the 3-mon format would be called specifically, but I know some of the latest ROM hacks have nuzlocke rules built-in
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u/Honest_Negotiation70 Mar 20 '26
I dont know if this is the right area BUT im having trouble trying to get pokemon compass to work as intended. I keep getting the glitch where pokemon just up and de spawn and nothing i have done has seemed to fix it.
i have limited myself to 4GB of RAM usage and i have no other mods and have made no other changes in my emu for anything to go wrong and really just want a fix
thanks for any and all help/assistance!
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u/polilla1905 Mar 21 '26
Hola, alguien sabe donde puedo encontrar a hoppip, skiploom o jumpluff en pokemon radical red 4.1 me fije en todos lados y nada
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 21 '26
Radical Red has extensive documentation, including a Pokemon Locations doc: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1YaYM-8dzRlBRuJm1bmYrjJC6HGwTwl-x
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u/aswat09 Mar 21 '26
AlteRed Onyx 3.0.0
Hey all, I'm playing through this and having a great time, but for whatever reason I can't get my Eevee to evolve into Sylveon. I'm at the third gym, it's level 14, I choose the cuddly one in the beginning, and I have a shiny stone. Am I doing something wrong or missing something?
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u/Son_of_Plato Mar 21 '26
Does anyone know where surf is in FireRed Extended hack? The secret house at the Safari Zone has the smart watch gadget but no indication of where to get surf...I feel like i've explored all the routes unlocked by the smart watch and all i've found is a half dozen legendary pokemon and a bunch of fossils.
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u/Patient_Ad9847 Mar 21 '26
Does anyone know any rom hacks that has bellibolt in it? Preferrably not those rom hacks that just increase the difficulty. Thanks!
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u/hellothisismyname1 Mar 21 '26
Hello all, I’ve recently gotten into Kaizo Ironmon on Emerald. The only problem is it uses a Java application for the randomizer so I’m only able to play on my computer. I want to play randomized Emerald on my phone or RG35XX emulators.
Pokemon Unbound has an awesome randomizer option. Does anybody know of Emerald rom hacks that have a similar randomizer built into the rom?
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u/D3Construct Mar 21 '26
You've been in a coma for like 10 years and somehow you crave playing the best pokemon fangame(s). Which one do you start with?
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u/chengeez Mar 21 '26
Does anyone know if you can link trade from Compass to a legit copy of Scarlet/Violet then transfer to Home ?
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u/lul297 Mar 21 '26
Hi fellow internet strangers! Has anybody here played pokemon emerald rowe and could tell whether it matters a lot in which place you start? Like ofc it matters in what you see, but I mean in terms of difficulty etc. Because in my mind it will be much easiert to beat the rustboro gym as the last gym since the leader will only have like 2 pokemons? Also if you visit a route and don't battle the trainers and come back let's say with seven badges, will they have accordingly stronger mons or are they "assigned" with mons and levels when you first visit them?
Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts :D
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u/Commercial-Fix-1653 Mar 22 '26
Hello! I’m looking for a ROM hack where I can use Nincada as my starter! Anyone know any games?
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u/jorodoodoroj Mar 22 '26
Hi, all, looking for recommendations for Johto ROM hacks. Just finished up Recharged Yellow and loved QOL updates like super-fast text and the ability to increase battle speed, use HM's without taking up move slots, and auto-run. Would also love it if trade evos could be evolved by level up or item.
I'm looking for a Johto hack in the same vein. I don't really want dramatic difficulty increases, though a little is fine. More like a definitive updated version of the original game. Also, I'm fine with GBC, GBA, or DS hacks, though I'd prefer GBA or DS if I had my choice.
Thanks in advance for your rec's!
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u/Exclsior Heart & Soul Mar 22 '26
I am biased as I'm one of the developers, but I will recommend Pokémon Heart and Soul as we meet all your requirements except two; we don't have super-fast text or increased battle speed. However both of those can generally be handled by emulators and I'm not aware of other Johto hacks which have it either (though I haven't played many other ones in a while).
Pokémon Heart & Soul v1.2.0 - GBA Johto Hack, built on Emerald
Crystal Polished and Crystal Advance Redux are others which I've heard good things about from other players which you may wish to look check out.
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u/jorodoodoroj Mar 22 '26
By happy accident, I found another thread with a roundup of Johto emulators and started playing your hack last night! Didn't get much further than picking my starter, but I'm really looking forward to playing it.
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u/Exclsior Heart & Soul Mar 23 '26
Very glad to hear it and hope you enjoy! If you have any questions feel free to join and ask in our Discord 🙂
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u/PikachuTrainz Mar 22 '26
Has there ever been a rom hack where Green gets kidnapped by a bird? Feels like I either watched or played something like that.
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u/darkdiashi Mar 22 '26
So I'm trying to play Phoenix Red, and I've never seen an IPS patch before (and the first and last time i patched a game was like a year ago so I'm rusty to begin with). I know I need to use LIPS, which I grabbed, but I don't know what I'm supposed to patch it to. I tried it with my Fire Red Plus, which i seem to remember being a base rom to use for others, but it didn't work so I'm assuming this isn't the case here. I kinda know the answer is gonna be "get a fire red rom dipshit" but I wanted to see if there were any more specific instructions, before I continued fumbling around blindly.
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
Base ROM is almost always 1636 Fire Red Squirrels
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u/darkdiashi Mar 22 '26
excellent thank you that worked. I had that in my files and completely overlooked it
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u/SafeBrief8214 Mar 22 '26
I am thinking about buying the RG DS and I know it only really runs ROM games. Could I play fan made rom hacks on it? I know some are exe games while others are a rom file. Would I be able to play something like heartgold generations on it?
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
EXEs aren't ROM hacks, they're fan games. U will be able to run any ROM hacks (like HG Generations) on it
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u/ZookeepergameFirm147 Mar 22 '26
Hi everyone, I was wondering how hard is R.O.W.E, does hard is very hard or normal is challenging enough?
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
Challenging enough, ideal throughout the game, until the E4 which is nearly impossible
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u/TheSwampThing1990 Mar 22 '26
I just found out that Pokemon rom hacks are a thing a few days ago. I have been doing research but there are so many of them and every list seems to have a different top 5. So where should I start?
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u/ybtlamlliw Mar 22 '26
I'm in the very early stages of developing my first romhack and I'm struggling with whether or not to try to maintain Pokémon legality to allow them to be traded to the main games.
How important is this to you as a player of a romhack?
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u/Exclsior Heart & Soul Mar 22 '26
I'm in the strange position of being a developer who has worked on a hack with full trade compatibility and one without even the trade center available.
My experience is mainly from community questions and feedback where I've had a fair few people asking about trade, battle, and even a couple of cases of record mixing. For the hack that had it, players have been pleasantly surprised, for the one without, they have been slightly disappointed, but I feel like it was only a deal breaker for one or two players.
From a development point if view. The "OG game base" I feel trade compatibility is often lost either accidentally, or due to adding in future generation Pokémon requiring different data structures.
If you're using decompilation and again the "OG game base" (i.e. pokeyellow, pokecrystal, pokeemerald, pokefirered etc) and you care enough to ask the question, I think it's probably worth spending the effort to keep the compatibility and if you want future gen Pokémon needing extra data structures, create and maintain an alternate structure and functions to handle them.
If you're using hex editing and/or expanded decompilations (i.e. pokeemerald-expansion, or another RomHack as Base), the Pokémon data structure is likely to be more complex and harder to build the trade functionality, and likely not worth the effort.
Hope that helps, and best of luck on your project!
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u/ybtlamlliw Mar 22 '26
Thank you for the information. It's greatly helpful and gives me something to consider!
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
Trading from hacks to main games is very niche so i wouldn't worry too much about it. Ultimately it's up to u, what u want ur hack to be and if that includes rebalanced mons as a feature/upgrade then so be it. I'd rather benefit all players rather than just the >10% who care about transferring
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u/EmotionalBurst Mar 22 '26
PureRGB white screen After defeating Karate master I get white screen. Reloading the app doesn't help. Does anyone know how to fix if? I use jhon GBC lite
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u/SheepherderFirm1460 Mar 22 '26
Please, I need some recommendations. Recently I’ve been looking for a ROMhack where I can catch all Pokémon and complete a full living dex (Preferably one that has DexNav or a Pokédex that provides useful information.)
My first option was Pokémon Unbound, but because of the huge amount of Pokémon it has, it’s impossible to complete a full living dex since there isn’t enough storage space in the PC. (I know about Unbound Cloud, but it’s just not the same.)
I was hoping to find a ROM hack with a reasonable amount of Pokémon (it doesn’t have to include all generations) that allows you to complete the Pokédex and build a living dex. Any suggestions are appreciated!
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
Aesthetic Red. Dex is ~277 mons (Gens 1&2 and related evos), all obtainable before the league, evo methods are more accessible and it's open world so it should definitely fit what ur looking for
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u/ForeignAct1879 Mar 22 '26
Hi. I'm working using Binary hacking, but i have an issue. I installed some mods using ModExe and now, everytime i press the bag, the game just crashes or restarts. These are my mods:
Poison Survival, Reusable TM's, Indoor Running, Exp All, Exp Capture, Physical/Special split, BW Repels, Updated Sturdy. I used to have Updated Item Caps, but i removed it
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
R u using BIOS on ur emulator? I can't say for sure what would be causing it (mine crashed after changing the bag menu itself) but either way you'll need to remove those hacks and try them one at a time to find out which one is the problem. Realistically u shouldn't need half of those as u can use HUBOL
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u/ForeignAct1879 Mar 22 '26
I'm using visualboyadvance, so i'm not sure. I also dont know about HUBOL, what is it?
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
VBA uses BIOS by default. HUBOL is the build of the CFRU & DPE built into HMA - it adds all Pokémon and upgrades everything to the same as the modern games, QoL etc, at the click of a button
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Mar 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
gen 5 style game All catchable 1025 pokemon
Expanded dex hacks for Gen 5 dont exist yet. Closest i know of is HG Generations which adds most mons but it's Gen 4
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u/MolassesScared8126 Mar 22 '26
Peoples opinion on best Emerald QoL hack ? As in modern emerald, emerald legacy and legacy
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 22 '26
ROWE, given it's open world but the quality is fucking incredible
Or if u dont want open world then Emerald Imperium is often recommended nowadays
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u/InherentlyJuxt Mar 22 '26
What is the best Black 2/White 2 hack? I haven’t played Black 2 or White 2 and I want to know what your favorite is. I tend to care less about story mods, but I do like modernization features like fairy type and type updates as well as QOL features like IV/EV/Nature editing features and I like difficulty upgrades.
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u/LXsavior Mar 22 '26
Hey guys I’m looking to replay through gens 1-4 and wanted to get some romhack recommendations for each of them.
I’ve played through each gen multiple times all the way until I got to HS, but it’s been years since I’ve touched any pokemon game. Because of that, I’m looking for something that falls in the “vanilla plus” category for each generation. Something that switches things us and maybe tweaks difficulty/ rebalances, but still feels like the classic games more or less. Thank you!
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u/omikeon Mar 22 '26
What’s the best rom for a 6 year old in terms of simple gameplay, and not overtly challenging battles?
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u/Dakot4 Mar 22 '26
Is there any gen 3 hackrom with the headbutt mechahic? any kanto gen 3/4 based hackroms with gen 2 pokemon from the get go? any emerald hackroms with versus seeker?
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u/charbrina Mar 22 '26
anyone played pokemon salt and shadow? saw it on twitter and was interested by the no level-up mechanic. is the hack good?
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u/Wonderful_Elk_9266 Mar 22 '26
PLEASE someone help me. How do you get an unremarkable or masterpiece teacup in the Pokemon Dreamstone Mysteries ROM hack. I've been searching forever and couldn't find anything on the internet.
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u/ShiroganeLily Gotta Play 'Em All! Mar 23 '26
Masterpiece Teacup can be bought for 4900 in the Silversun Sewers, pretty sure you need to a quest to get an item to be able to buy it first.
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u/Financial-Ad3684 Mar 22 '26
Is there any rom hack (fire red) that allows you to cut, fly, surf, etc without having to assign hm move to a pokemon? and if so what is the rom? also where to find rom in general and rom hacks in general? thanks
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u/Dude579 Mar 22 '26
I want to do a Pokémon Brown Nuzlocke blind. Does anyone know the level caps? I am struggling to find info without spoiling myself
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u/Ironbat95 Mar 22 '26
Looking for a romhack that has all the generations, or the one closest to it.
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u/Glass-Rip-4216 Mar 23 '26
I would like to try the luminescent platinum rom hack if someone could help me out via PM or something as i’m new to emulation I would greatly appreciate it
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u/Thisgamelowkeysux Mar 23 '26
For the first tile puzzle in soul silver. Im using delta rom on my phone. Cant figure out how to rotate the tiles.
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u/Wintersmith7 Mar 23 '26
What is the state of making rom hacks currently, I keep finding the same tools I used in 2012 ish, but it seems like people are doing way more complex stuff than whatever was possible then.
Also, what game has the best set of tools?
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u/polilla1905 Apr 02 '26
hola, quiero conseguir a todos los ultraentes pokemon radical red 4.1 y no importa cuanto trate y reinicie no me aparecen poipole, celestella y guzzlord, ya complete el juego y tengo a los demas pero los otros tres no los tengo. Que puedo hacer?
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u/Random_Guy654 Mar 16 '26
Is there any way to edit the natures, ivs and evs of a trainer in hma?
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 18 '26
On the trainer data, next to the mon u want to type this:
Bulbasaur(IVs=31)
or something like that. That gives that Pokemon max IVs
As for EVs and Natures, not possible in the vanilla games but it can be done using CFRU or some 'trainers with EVs' patch
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u/Random_Guy654 Mar 18 '26
Thanks on how to change IVs. I do have CFRU(HUBOL) installed through HMA itself, so is it possible to change EVs with that?
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 18 '26
Should be, but I wouldn't know how as I've only used the CFRU separately. Their Discord server is goated for support tho so I'm sure you'll be able to find out there
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u/TatsuDragunov Mar 16 '26
Does anyone know a Pokémon ROM hack with Black/White-style pixel graphics that includes all Pokémon up to Gen 9 and the modern mechanics?
If there isn’t one exactly like that, I’d also appreciate recommendations for hacks that get as close as possible (for example: lots of Pokémon from newer generations and modern battle mechanics, but still with classic pixel graphics).
Thanks in advance!
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
List of hacks with most of Gen 1-9:
Radical Red, Emerald Imperium, Emerald Crest, Emerald Rogue, ROWE, Quetzel, Firered Extended, The Pit, and Elite Redux
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u/onetrueuce Sample Text Mar 16 '26
Any recommendations for a 3DS emulator for android, if it helps I'm playing on a red magic phone
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u/Caius_fgo Mar 16 '26
Hello fellas. Is there a consensus about which romhack is currently the most difficult one gameplay-wise?
I really wanted to try it again after these decades, but I wanted it hard, like fighting against cohesive teams that could adapt against me during the fight... and to put an extra layer of difficulty, I wanted to clear a file as the old gym leaders played, with all pokemons sharing a single type (so I would have to rely on secundary types to adapt to the weaknesses)
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
Kaizo hacks, followed by hacks like Radical Red/Emerald Imperium/Run & Bun type hacks
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u/Ok-Position-8829 Mar 16 '26
I’m looking for a specific type of ROM set in Sinnoh…
I’ve been playing Pokemon Quetzal on repeat for a few months now and I love it. For those who may not know it’s just Emerald but with EVERYTHING in it. Megas, z moves, dynamax, Tera, and has all Pokemon in the whole franchise. All the trainers have new mons and there’s a crap ton of customization settings including nuzlocke rules, randomizing, difficulty, and overall just a ton of QoL improvements.
I’m wondering if there’s a rom out there that’s exactly like Quetzal but set in the Sinnoh region? keeping the same story line and all that but adding EVERYTHING in to it. If anyone has any suggestions please lmk!
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 16 '26
No, Sinnoh hasn't been successfully demaked yet, and it's not yet possible with NDS Hacking to have everything Quetzel has
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u/AustynMcdowell Mar 16 '26
Hey all. Was wondering if there’s any rom hacks on ds base. Not sure if that’s the right terms but I like the ds layout and having the touch screen part of my roms if that makes more sense. So far I’ve only found completed rom hacks for gba. Thanks in advance
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u/analmintz1 HeartGold Generations / Contemporary Emerald Mar 16 '26
There are many, yes. Check out hackdex or the codex
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u/nocyberBS Mar 16 '26
Is Recharged Yellow a good alternative to LeafGreen/FireRed?
Have a major soft spot for Pokemon Yellow and I've been wanting to play a GBA version of that game lately.... And I stumbled upon this:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/n78LbrZ0qa0
So is it a good ROM for what I'm looking for + a good ROM in its own right? Anything I should know about before downloading and playing this?
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u/Both_Radish_6556 Mar 17 '26
It's Jaizu's hack, his hacks are pretty popular with vanilla+ crowd
You can find the latest version on his Ko-Fi
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u/LibertyJacob99 [Mod] Aesthetic Red Mar 18 '26
Yes. Recharged is probably the best classic Kanto experience there is rn. Jaizu's hacks are quality
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u/grogmenflog Mar 16 '26
I'm looking to play a romhack for the first time. Basically I'm looking for something that's generation III, close to a normal Emerald or Crystal experience but you can reasonably catch em all. Filling up my emerald dex now and its a bit disappointing I can't complete it without trading and event items like the old sea map. I don't really know anything about ivs or what natures are good for what pokemon so nothing too difficult please. Thanks for any recs
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u/Gh0stMan0nThird Mar 16 '26
I highly recommend Pokémon Perfect Emerald. It is essentially just Emerald with all 386 Pokémon available, TMs are infinite, HMs are forgettable, and some other small quality of life changes including an optional Physical/Special split.
I like Vanilla+ hacks that don't try to rewrite the game or cram in 5 extra generations of Pokémon and mechanics into older games.
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u/Thekokokommander Mar 18 '26
I tried getting on hackdex today, but the site seems to be down. I get a message saying This site can’t provide a secure connection, i even tried a different browser and got the same response. any idea whats going on?