Every month I make a video about the best Pokemon ROM-hacks and Fan Games released in those last 30 days. So make sure you subscribe to keep up with all of them!
You disliking the graphics of prism as your major point, looks a bit like, you are to young to see the jump from gen 1 to gen 2. I played gen 1 till 4 but gen 2 will always be my favorite.
I can 100% understand the love Gaia still gets. Pokemon games recently have been moving further and further away from the original formula (and, arguably, quality) of the first few generations, so I think it's natural that many people would look for a game that feels like another Pokemon game in the same vein as the originals. Not everyone is looking for a completely unique experience from romhacks, and I think that's just as valid as the people who want to see something new.
I always look for new story, etc. I dislike most hacks that just make small changes and leave the entire story the same. I don't see a point in playing those
I like games like Gaia and Unbound because it’s the classic Pokemon formula, I enjoy that formula, it’s fun and unique to Pokemon. I don’t think Romhacks need to differ from the formula to be good, sometimes it’s nice to just have a classic styled Pokemon game but with a new region and more recent Pokemon
@@pastapastel910 Agreed. And really the issue is that the people diving the deepest into a huge number of romhacks have honestly probably just played "too much" Pokemon. It's understandable why they value "fresh" ideas over other things, but it's easy to fall into the trap of "overvaluing" it compared to someone who has mostly played the main series games, maybe one or two romhacks, and is looking for something familiar to scratch a specific itch.
@AnimaLepton That's a good point but I think people like that never had the right mindset in the first place. Rom Hacking was just an outlet for people to make new ideas. Not better ideas but new ideas. I've always had this mindset, and I've been playing Rom Hacks since 2013. It's this mindset that leads to shit shows. It speaks volumes when I can honestly say I enjoyed Pokémon Saiph in comparison to some other games released during it's time and even some of the games now. Like that one Unbound like game where the main character has white hair and the game makes you needlessly backtrack Think it had a blood fountain? That game just wore me out. But Saiph's buggy as hell still kept me through because it was an honest attempt that wasn't trying to break the mold. And we got Sors, Saiph 2, and Sors 2 because of that hard work.
Crazy that Pokemon Odyssey is probably bringing more attention to its inspiration series, Etrian Odyssey, than rereleasing the first 3 games on modern consoles did. Can't wait to give it a play soon!
The funniest thing is that the discord server of our game (i am one of the devs of PO) has two times the members of the Etrian Odyssey's Discord server. Thank you for all the support you're providing us, it means something!
That's the reason you and many other people play hacks. But a lot of us, myself included, desire a different experience than what gamefreak has given us for the last almost 30 years. Everyone has different desires and opinions
@@Devan... I look at romhacks the way i look at mods for modern games. Which is exactly what they are at it's core. Some people use mods that just enhance the game, other people use mods that change the game to make it a completely new and fresh experience. Both are valid forms of use. If someone used a mod for minecraft would you tell them to 'pick something else'? it's such a wild statement to say to someone.
Pokemon Elite redux was a solid game for anyone who wants a fresh experience with a lot of new features, by far one of the best combat focused hack roms ever made
@@ed_mic kinda it has every pokemon up to gen 9 with a bunch of extra but and 2.5 is in beta atm but they don't plan to stop updating it any time soon best QoL in any romhack ever tho I can't go back to normal hacks after playing it my personal fav hack of all time
im shocked to hear you say pokemon unbound "falls flat" in the writing, when i just recently finished the story segment occuring at thundercap mountain and ithe story so far is PHENOMENAL. i LOVE it.
@@tryingtofindlife189sho Because you are a random on the internet, I’m going to take your question as you coming across as snide rather than actually being curious. A life changing thing can be subtle as simple as this game being the best Pokemon game I have played, changed my life because of the enjoyment I have had playing it. I hope you find some life changing moments big or small 🤘🏻
I've just started getting into Pokémon fan-games and romhacks, and I really appreciate the analysis you put into your lists. Thanks for the great content!
Theres a reason why the mainline game utilized that formula for so long. Its a solid foundation for a pokemon game and general works well. People generally enjoy the formula, the majority problem with it has been its overuse. Fan games that reinvent the wheel can be and are often quite interesting and overall good, however I do believe there is a place for the original formula. For every Emerald Rogue, its nice to have something like Gaia that looks at the original formula and says "I'm gonna do that, and do it extremely well."
Joined to keep an eye on vanguard development, was pleasantly surprised to receive a bunch of new ideas for fangames and romhacks to play! Keep up the good work!
16:15 I think your channel is becoming the solution to this problem! If incentive structures for ROM Hack developers weren't so dire, we would see more creative ROM Hacks. A vocal segement of the fandom is appalled by developers taking donations for their work, therefore appealing to the tastes of popular streamers (and their large audiences) in exchange for notoriety is a much safer incentive to chase. Creating a platform to directly shout-out hard work is the best way to counter this trend, and I really appreciate your efforts here.
Emerald Rogue doesen't hold a candle to other romhacks artistically, but if I just want good battling with a ridiculously large pool of pokemon (and more freedom than Pokerogue, as excellent as that game is) I've found it cant be beat.
It cuts out all the fat and gets right to what makes the games fun and makes it fresh each time. It ruins all the other games honestly, it's an evolution of the formula unless you actually care about the story. Infinite Fusion with kurays mod (to display typing) is the only other thing that can compete imo. Though that's a fan game not a hack.
Emerald Rogue, Clover and Unbound are all you need, theres also Infinite Fusion. With those 4 there is every kind of experience you could want from a pokemon game. Infinite fusion gives you the fantasy fusion mons, Emerald Rogue is the fantasy gameplay, Clover is a silly fever dream with good balancing and features, Unbound is the classic format elevated and expanded.
for rom hack i'm really putting hope on team lumi, especially re:illuminated since with how the data breach last year it give really big hope on bdsp mod advancement as for rpgxp,really hope pokemon atlas and for fangame gamma emerald is worth to waiting for, hopefully the project wont stop midway
I like games similar to mainline pokemon because you can only replay the mainline games so much. If pokemon company didnt go to full 3d and make a lot of changes I dont like I would never really play many romhacks to begin with and would probably still just be playing official titles.
If i have to mention one hackrom that i consider one of the best, it would be Pokemon Team Rocket Edition by Dragonsden, the game is in spanish but it has soo many good things, the history, the overworld, the characters, the battles, i can say many more things, for me...one of the most memorable gba hackroms. Nice video 😊
"I'm not here to talk about why Radical Red deserves to be on this list, i'm here to talk about why it shouldn't be" AYREI MY GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!
Definitely agree on Pokemon Prism, soooo much potential for this game. It'd be amazing to see a Generation 3 makeover, though I know that's asking so much. In the early days, that was such a huge want, the fact that you could travel to multiple regions and rebattle gym leaders, that's what made HGSS such amazing games.
Everyone should try Pokemon Reborn... Not perfect whatsoever, but insane experience if you want a challenge, a great post-game, a good story and creators thinking outside the box.
@@Diablo007-i Understandable, I am not into competitive Pokemon but this game forced me into it. Desperating but rewarding. Also the shiny hunt is great and shinies are different colous too
absolutely fantastic game, despite being overly edgy at times. I easily sunk 150 hours into my first playthrough. 100% recommend for anyone looking for something unique and challenging
I get what you're saying about Pokemon Gaia, because you seem to like ROM hacks for the gameplay - battles, cool visuals etc. However, many people just want to play the same game with a different story. It gets boring playing FireRed 100 times. But when you have a different story to follow, it can feel interesting without moving away from the original formula. If people were super interested in different game mechanics, they wouldn't be playing GBA roms in the first place.
Pokémon Uranium will always hold the crown for me, so good Pokemon forced them to take it down. It has the greatest Fakemon I’ve seen, the story was insanely good, the gyms and towns were incredible, front to back I love that game.
its not a rom hack, but it is absolutely my favorite pokemon fan creation as well. What an amazing game it is, many of its fakemon are up there with my favorite official pokemon. Cant wait for pokemon Flux
I'm feeling nostalgic about Pokémon games. I used to play them with my classmates during high school. Back in 2012, I didn’t have my own phone. Also, I played with Pokémon stickers. I would buy a pack of cards, and each card had a Pokémon on it. I needed to collect the matching stickers to paste on the cards. There were prizes for completing a Pokémon set, like finding a shiny square sticker or specific Pokémon like Golem and Vulpix. During my elementary days, the vendors would cut the stickers I completed, and I had to wait a week or a few days to claim my prize. I think that was back in 2008 the Pokemon cardboard I can still remember it.
Can't believe FireRed Rocket is not in here. The wicked of pokemon games and amazing with a significant change in game play and story intensity while giving you gen1 goosebumps with more modern graphics. Complete package
Its crazy to think that besides radical red from this list, none of those games even have custom battle backgrounds. Now maybe some people might feel distracted from it, but I personally have a high admiration for rom hackers to create those new wallpaper like backgrounds. It kinda brings the world more to life. Besides since I am a rom hacker myself, I can also tell how much creative work and time this consumes, which might also be the reason it never got to be a part of the mentioned projects unfortunatly.
I've always been waiting for a Secret of Mana Style Game, where instead of a sword you chose your pokemon and charging the attack will make it use different moves. That game would FINALLY get rid of encounters and turn based fighting.
I literally couldn't disagree more about hacks needing to change everything to the point of it looking unrecognizable. The entire reason I want to play a hack or a fan game is to get more of what I like and to me simple will ALWAYS be better than trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm tired of decomp because all they do with it is stuff every gimmick into one game(*cough*radical red*cough*) and I can't stand the rom hacks that demand smogon levels of play where the level cap will always just have the levels match you, the whole point of pokemon is leveling your pokemon up to be the strongest, which can't happen if literally everyone is always your highest mon's level or higher. That's why I'm extraordinarily worried about Silkso... I mean Gaia because it's been like freaking 4 years since the creator announced version 4 which is going to be made on decomp. I played through Gaia and had tons of fun so it'll suck if V4 comes out and it's just overpacked with stupid unneeded gimmicks like Terastallizing And raid dens everywhere. TLDR: Glazed is still hands down my favorite rom hack because it knows what it wants to be a good ol' fashioned pokemon game that's still chock full of content. If someone want a truly unique one of a kind pokemon experience I'd recommend the fan game Reborn.
You can re-invent the wheel without overwhelming the player, Odyssey is a good example. It's just that many ROM-hack creators don't know how to do that. I don't like radical red and the oversaturation of enhancement hacks either
Honestly I loved radical red. Loved the massive content. loved the unique region Pokemon. Even loved how hard it was. One of the best Pokemon games that really makes you think. Each battle felt like a real online battle My dream is that one day a game will be just like radical red in art style and execution but will allow you to travel to every region, collect badges, do their elite 4s. Same deal. Level caps. Maybe even a concept where each new region requires you to retire your old Pokemon. Until a special event. Like a frontier battle. Or a multi region competition. Etc. For example. When you beat Kanto you start over with one Pokemon in johto. You don’t lose them. You just store them so they can’t be used during main story of each region. Would be a huge project and a lot to ask of but man… that would be a legendary game.
I think that one that definitely deserves a spot is infinite fusion. Sure, you can make the argument that it’s just Kanto + Johto but with fusions, but you cannot deny the impact that it had on not just the rom hack community, but the Pokémon community as well. Take as an example TH-camrs known for Pokémon but also many other games like PointCrow, Alpharad and others, none of them are within the rom hack community and yet they made videos on this game. The amount of custom fusions as well shows how big the project is. The sheer level of customisation and the absurd amount of content makes it so that every experience of the game is unique, and the story, although a bit lame imo, is still original and fun. Overall, if I were to make this list, infinite fusion would be my number one.
Surprised that the Team Rocket edition rom hack didn't at least get an honorable mention. I knew it wouldn't be in the top but it's certainly a very unique take on Pokemon games.
@@miasimp9044 honestly I've been enjoying the dialogue. The only thing I'm not a big fan of is how on occasion you really need to grind If you want to make red your b*tch xD
Honestly, story hacks are a dying medium, we need to make more. I find difficulty hacks painfully fucking boring I dont feel like playing fire red or emerald for the 1000000th time, and i know im good at pokemon i dont need a Kaizo trophy to tell me that. A good, or even just existing story has kept me playing a rom hack way more than any other feature. Honestly, i wish i could make a rom Hack using unbound as a base so i could use it as a platform to write something substantial. (Not to say the writing of unbound is bad, just underwhelming.)
One I really like but I don't see people talking about it much is "Pokemon Adventure Red". It is basically a rom with the story from the pokemon manga So the story is good, it has good sprites, an interesting region and mechanics as well (new mechanics that would never happen in the game, but in the manga/anime it makes sense. Like receiving an special eevee that you can change what eeveelution he is anytime you want). You also have a good character customization
Pokemon Rocket edition is the best storywise tho its not completely finished and could use some enhancement, just for the story it should be number one, it takes many old (and crazy) fan theories and makes a complete logical and engaging story. Basically years prior there was a war betwen jhoto and kanto and jhoto won, Lance is a dictator and rocket team while still a criminal organization is more so a rebellion against this dictatorship, the game is so well made that blends this narrative into reds journey but u experience it from a rocket perspective while u try to free kanto while enduring the stigma of been perceive as the bad rocket guy due to propaganda, how awesome is that?
wrt Gaia... I think there's room for people liking large deviations from the "standard" Pokemon game, but also people liking games that feel like a "standard" Pokemon game but are very well made. think like how Dragon Quest 11 isn't reinventing the wheel but it's still damn good on the other hand, I think Radical Red is absolutely deserving because it's on the other end of the spectrum. I don't even think you have to Nuzlocke it, I hate Nuzlocking, but I do love grabbing the first like 1-3 Pokemon in every route that I find and just running with them.
my favorite one? Crystal clear for me. gym scaling of what Gen 9 should have been easily. Can have stadium 2 fun and interaction, and import to ds titles. others thought. Fusions is fun but PC only holds it back. Gaia was pretty cool as a side game and easing into roms. same with Unbound. Prism is fun even if a bit dated. I'm old AF so gen 2 is good enough. Rad red is nice for when you are ready to sweat, even easy on RR, is more than a fun challenge. i agree to disagree it dosen't deserve love but i will definitely agree Emerald or HGSS would make it 110% GOAT. I love that the ds kit has been leaked in that tera leak. So god tier gen 4/5 hack renaissance will eventually come soon over the horizon.
I've never played any other hacks, but I'm sorta shocked to not see a mention of Crystal Clear. It's basically Unbound for gen 2 (minus the extra pokemon) and I've had tons of fun with it.
Im not too sure if it counts as a rom hack, but Pokemon Grand Colosseum is nice, ik it adds the fairy type, more shadow mons, and some newer mons like Paldean Tauros
Gaia is a major success because you play it and realise a hacker has done everything Nintendo should have done. It’s the ultimate mainline experience, superior to even recent mainline titles.
One thing I have always liked about Radical red though is how it updates parts of the story. It feels like a Johto-ish hack that came out whith all the gen 1 retcons in mind. Without also feeling too fangame-ey about it like Rocket Edition or something. (Although I don't hate that hack either)
It seems like trying to answer "what's the best Pokemon rom hack" is like trying to answer "what's the best automobile." Every rom inherehntly seems to cater to a certain audience. Some people want more difficulty, some people want new Pokemon, some people want old regions but with a new flair.
1. Unbreakable ties is not a ROM-hack 2. It's a great game, but it lacks a ton features, content, and in some cases polish, that make other games IMO better
I don't know about anyone else but I would love to see a Pokemon game that spans several Regon's while keeping those Regonal Pokemon in their respective areas while also allowing for the capture of legendary pokemon and as long as the requirements for certain pokemon captures are met you can find said legendary Pokemon via its 'event' tags. For instance take Dyoxis in every Pokemon Game you have to either cheat to get it or have just one chance during an event to get it before it is gone forever. I feel said event should come around at certain times to acquire said Pokemon should the said Pokemone be captured that event won't come around again.
Even with all the different fan games I played, I always return to Pokemon Fire Ash. It's not anything special; it just makes me relax and play the game the way I want to: go from region to region, fight the Elite Four, catch all Pokemon, and have fun.
Pokemon Unbound is my favorite Pokemon game period. Beats all the mainline games all the way back to the originals in my opinion. Though the first colosseum game was also amazing. And I do love several Crystal hacks as gen 2 brings back alot of happy feelings from my childhood. Well Blue does too but gen 1 was a mess.
Ashen Frost IS in Ayrei's best fangames ever video actually (in 3rd place) - it's just that this video is specifically about romhacks, not rpg maker fangames XD
I'm more famous with Pokemon fangames, but not with Pokemon romhacks, but now i'm interested of romhacks too after this video! How I can download romhacks and what diffrences a fangame and a romhack have? This video was good with a lot of awesome romhacks defienitily Hack 1 and 2 looks awesome as a big fan of gen 3 Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald maps, but with a romhack! Can't wait i'm so excited for your next Pokemon fangames video thank you for this good video Ayrei gotta catch them all Pokemon! 😍❤🔥
Radical Red has the best battles. Hands down, it's the best hack to replay with monotype teams, since each well-designed fight is at least a bit different each time. Cramming Kanto with 1000+ mons makes it theoretically claustrophobic, but that's a reasonable price to pay. The early-game DexNav and Infinite Repel ensures that the abundance of Pokemon isn't very noticeable.
The greatest Pokemon rom hack is definitely adventures red , but its dishonest towards other rom hacks cause its story was already writen by someone else, still its the greatest game.
The main thing that annoys me about Odyssey is that you're locked into only double battles. There should be a mode that allows for 1v1s with a hint of double battles.
Re: Pokemon Gaia People liking Pokemon games wanting their Pokemon games to play like better versions of the core Pokemon gameplay loop and narrative structure without fundamentally changing them should not be shocking. Not trying to be combative, but personally Gaia is my favorite hack. I don't mind additional features, and QoL, which Gaia doesn't lack. My main qualm with lots of romhacks are story based. I do not mind a change to the Pokemon story formula, even a fundamental ones, but when I want a pokemon story I want it to hold to the general tone of the world. I hate edgy Pokemon stories, firstly, I've yet to find a single one I thought was well written, secondly, I don't play Pokemon games to explore the depths of human depravity, the gameplay loop just isn't built for that type of narrative. Anyways, I appreciate the inclusion of Gaia on the list, even if you don't personally love it.
Where are Rejuvenation, Glazed, Saffron, Scorched Silver and BW3:Genesis compared to the ones mentioned in the video? I got all of these on my list and can't really decide what to cut, as I dont have time to play all
I fully believe that soon, Pokémon Pisces could take the crown. (And also maybe it’s my bias but I would happily fight for Fools Gold to have its place on the list it literally has 400+ well-balanced custom Pokémon forms, a password system to keep things unique, tons of replayability and three full regions)
radical red deserves a mention on this list, its incredibly well made and fun but i suck at pokemon and the amount of difficulty hacks it spawn that arent as good is just annoying. not every fucking hack needs to be a difficulty hack. the same goes for draynos ds hacks. id love a qol hack for all the ds games that isnt more difficult than vanilla, for that shot of nostalgia without remembering all the little things that sucked.
For me, the best romhacks are the Legacy series of hacks by SmithPlays Pokemon and his team. A lot of romhacks lose sight of what I personally think makes for a good pokemon game. It's not about jam packing as many pokemon in your game as you can, it's not about giving your game a "mature" storyline, it's not about making the hardest Pokemon game you can. The vanilla games are already good. Legacy just tries to iron them out a bit, smooth the edges, while staying true to the intent of those games, and I think they're fantastic.
I think Pokemon Team Rocket Edition should be atleast top 5, is a game that in my opinion is without a doubt one of the best developed to a storyline/mechanics lvl
unbound is still my most favorite and ive been replaying it for a year now, you said that the story isnt good and i a bit agree but thats just talking about the main story right? because unbound actually have lots of side quests with side story.
Every month I make a video about the best Pokemon ROM-hacks and Fan Games released in those last 30 days. So make sure you subscribe to keep up with all of them!
doing this every month is a cool idea!
You disliking the graphics of prism as your major point, looks a bit like, you are to young to see the jump from gen 1 to gen 2. I played gen 1 till 4 but gen 2 will always be my favorite.
I can 100% understand the love Gaia still gets. Pokemon games recently have been moving further and further away from the original formula (and, arguably, quality) of the first few generations, so I think it's natural that many people would look for a game that feels like another Pokemon game in the same vein as the originals. Not everyone is looking for a completely unique experience from romhacks, and I think that's just as valid as the people who want to see something new.
me too played it was a nice story and was very low stress in my opinion
I always look for new story, etc. I dislike most hacks that just make small changes and leave the entire story the same. I don't see a point in playing those
@@Man0War_Loki I get what you mean, it's kind of why I haven't played inclement emerald because it is just a more competitive emerald.
Thank you! Ayrei was genuinely trippin' when he said he disagreed
Honestly,I Like Rom Hack's With New Stories and Region,with Mega Evolutions Ofc... I Just Love That Mechanic❤❤
I like games like Gaia and Unbound because it’s the classic Pokemon formula, I enjoy that formula, it’s fun and unique to Pokemon. I don’t think Romhacks need to differ from the formula to be good, sometimes it’s nice to just have a classic styled Pokemon game but with a new region and more recent Pokemon
yeah wth was bro on about with that part where he says that hacks need to evolve the formula?
@@pastapastel910 Agreed. And really the issue is that the people diving the deepest into a huge number of romhacks have honestly probably just played "too much" Pokemon. It's understandable why they value "fresh" ideas over other things, but it's easy to fall into the trap of "overvaluing" it compared to someone who has mostly played the main series games, maybe one or two romhacks, and is looking for something familiar to scratch a specific itch.
@AnimaLepton That's a good point but I think people like that never had the right mindset in the first place. Rom Hacking was just an outlet for people to make new ideas. Not better ideas but new ideas. I've always had this mindset, and I've been playing Rom Hacks since 2013. It's this mindset that leads to shit shows. It speaks volumes when I can honestly say I enjoyed Pokémon Saiph in comparison to some other games released during it's time and even some of the games now. Like that one Unbound like game where the main character has white hair and the game makes you needlessly backtrack Think it had a blood fountain? That game just wore me out. But Saiph's buggy as hell still kept me through because it was an honest attempt that wasn't trying to break the mold. And we got Sors, Saiph 2, and Sors 2 because of that hard work.
@@pastapastel910Literally, probably one of the worst takes I've ever heard
Pokemon Odyssey is my favorite right now. I love the artstyle, theme, and worldspace mechanics. Thanks for showing it previously.
is it playable in android??
I want to know too
@@jordanwhite731 it is but too much sweat the creator posted on how to play it in mobile
@@hangyodoni3 ofc it is. Just put it on a GBA emulator like MyGBA
Does the game have battle items and hard battles🤔
Crazy that Pokemon Odyssey is probably bringing more attention to its inspiration series, Etrian Odyssey, than rereleasing the first 3 games on modern consoles did. Can't wait to give it a play soon!
Atlus should pay us 😤
The funniest thing is that the discord server of our game (i am one of the devs of PO) has two times the members of the Etrian Odyssey's Discord server.
Thank you for all the support you're providing us, it means something!
@@CybeleVG what’s funny is that Metaphor: Refantazio is also doing more work than the actual Etrian Odyssey games lmao
Your takes are absolutely wild. "I dont like this Pokémon hack because its too much like Pokémon." My guy, that's the reason we play hacks.
That's the reason you and many other people play hacks. But a lot of us, myself included, desire a different experience than what gamefreak has given us for the last almost 30 years.
Everyone has different desires and opinions
@@ayrei1503 There's more IPs out there than just Pokemon. If you want something different, pick something else.
@@Devan... I look at romhacks the way i look at mods for modern games. Which is exactly what they are at it's core. Some people use mods that just enhance the game, other people use mods that change the game to make it a completely new and fresh experience. Both are valid forms of use. If someone used a mod for minecraft would you tell them to 'pick something else'? it's such a wild statement to say to someone.
@@Devan... what are IPs in this context? sorry to be annoying
@@meidson12 Intellectual Property
So glad im subscribed to this channel there have been so many amazing fangames i have played because of your channel thanks a lot!
I'm glad you're enjoying them!
Pokemon Elite redux was a solid game for anyone who wants a fresh experience with a lot of new features, by far one of the best combat focused hack roms ever made
Already complete ?
@@ed_mic kinda it has every pokemon up to gen 9 with a bunch of extra but and 2.5 is in beta atm but they don't plan to stop updating it any time soon best QoL in any romhack ever tho I can't go back to normal hacks after playing it my personal fav hack of all time
It should have "Emerald" in the title, because it's literally still the original Emerald adventure but with all of Elite Redux's features.
im shocked to hear you say pokemon unbound "falls flat" in the writing, when i just recently finished the story segment occuring at thundercap mountain and ithe story so far is PHENOMENAL. i LOVE it.
I’m playing this game for the first time and it’s changed my life ❤️
@@JinzoTonichow does a game change your life?
@@tryingtofindlife189sho Because you are a random on the internet, I’m going to take your question as you coming across as snide rather than actually being curious.
A life changing thing can be subtle as simple as this game being the best Pokemon game I have played, changed my life because of the enjoyment I have had playing it.
I hope you find some life changing moments big or small 🤘🏻
@@tryingtofindlife189 by letting it I guess 🤣
The bar is in hell 💔
I've just started getting into Pokémon fan-games and romhacks, and I really appreciate the analysis you put into your lists. Thanks for the great content!
Is there any trustable creators?
Theres a reason why the mainline game utilized that formula for so long. Its a solid foundation for a pokemon game and general works well. People generally enjoy the formula, the majority problem with it has been its overuse.
Fan games that reinvent the wheel can be and are often quite interesting and overall good, however I do believe there is a place for the original formula. For every Emerald Rogue, its nice to have something like Gaia that looks at the original formula and says "I'm gonna do that, and do it extremely well."
Joined to keep an eye on vanguard development, was pleasantly surprised to receive a bunch of new ideas for fangames and romhacks to play! Keep up the good work!
16:15 I think your channel is becoming the solution to this problem! If incentive structures for ROM Hack developers weren't so dire, we would see more creative ROM Hacks. A vocal segement of the fandom is appalled by developers taking donations for their work, therefore appealing to the tastes of popular streamers (and their large audiences) in exchange for notoriety is a much safer incentive to chase.
Creating a platform to directly shout-out hard work is the best way to counter this trend, and I really appreciate your efforts here.
Just trying to do my best to give creative projects the attention they deserve!
It's crazy how i realized why Unbound never got me playing it fully.
I've been playing nothing but unbound for the past week lol
Why? It's literally the best pokemon ROM hack ever created. Once you play it, you'll be spoiled and it will make it hard to play other hacks
Same here.. i finished 2nd gym and just stopped
after playing pokemon unbound I cant play other rom hacks cause of newgame+
I got like 50hrs of playtime in pokemon unbound.
Honorable mensions: Pokémon Sors and Saiph2 which are very underrated
Emerald Rogue doesen't hold a candle to other romhacks artistically, but if I just want good battling with a ridiculously large pool of pokemon (and more freedom than Pokerogue, as excellent as that game is) I've found it cant be beat.
It cuts out all the fat and gets right to what makes the games fun and makes it fresh each time. It ruins all the other games honestly, it's an evolution of the formula unless you actually care about the story. Infinite Fusion with kurays mod (to display typing) is the only other thing that can compete imo. Though that's a fan game not a hack.
Emerald Rogue, Clover and Unbound are all you need, theres also Infinite Fusion. With those 4 there is every kind of experience you could want from a pokemon game. Infinite fusion gives you the fantasy fusion mons, Emerald Rogue is the fantasy gameplay, Clover is a silly fever dream with good balancing and features, Unbound is the classic format elevated and expanded.
And then you add on the more specific and silly gameplays, like FireRed Rocket
I didn't like clover because it's quite racist, like straight up racism instead of jokes.
Only white people like this game
for rom hack i'm really putting hope on team lumi, especially re:illuminated since with how the data breach last year it give really big hope on bdsp mod advancement
as for rpgxp,really hope pokemon atlas
and for fangame gamma emerald is worth to waiting for, hopefully the project wont stop midway
I like games similar to mainline pokemon because you can only replay the mainline games so much. If pokemon company didnt go to full 3d and make a lot of changes I dont like I would never really play many romhacks to begin with and would probably still just be playing official titles.
Same. This is why my favorite hacks are enhancements to the mainline games like the Legacy Trilogy or Crystal Clear and Rocket Edition
I’m with team “Pokémon Gaia looks like a mainline game” as a compliment. Playing it feels as if gamefreak had made another game.
I would personally put Emerald Elite Redux up there. The amount of content in that game is insane
If i have to mention one hackrom that i consider one of the best, it would be Pokemon Team Rocket Edition by Dragonsden, the game is in spanish but it has soo many good things, the history, the overworld, the characters, the battles, i can say many more things, for me...one of the most memorable gba hackroms.
Nice video 😊
I'm sitting back patiently waiting for voyager, had a lot of fun when I first tried it and love how the pokedex works
Same with pokemon crown and voyager as well
"I'm not here to talk about why Radical Red deserves to be on this list, i'm here to talk about why it shouldn't be"
AYREI MY GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!
Definitely agree on Pokemon Prism, soooo much potential for this game. It'd be amazing to see a Generation 3 makeover, though I know that's asking so much. In the early days, that was such a huge want, the fact that you could travel to multiple regions and rebattle gym leaders, that's what made HGSS such amazing games.
Everyone should try Pokemon Reborn... Not perfect whatsoever, but insane experience if you want a challenge, a great post-game, a good story and creators thinking outside the box.
Oh god it's a nightmare fuel i still haven't finished it lol
@@Diablo007-i Understandable, I am not into competitive Pokemon but this game forced me into it. Desperating but rewarding. Also the shiny hunt is great and shinies are different colous too
absolutely fantastic game, despite being overly edgy at times. I easily sunk 150 hours into my first playthrough. 100% recommend for anyone looking for something unique and challenging
that was my first pokemon fan game and I never was a competitive player so you can guess how damn hard it was for me
I agree with Gaia, it's very well made and I had a lot of fun, but it's not exactly groundbreaking.
One of the best channels I've subscribed.Also hope you make a series of all these and more romhack reviews
my favourite romhack is the one that made emerald local multiplayer, with mutiple players running around the same world
Quetzal
Giratina Strikes Back is never mentioned, but it's really good. It's the only ROM hack I've ever finished.
I get what you're saying about Pokemon Gaia, because you seem to like ROM hacks for the gameplay - battles, cool visuals etc. However, many people just want to play the same game with a different story. It gets boring playing FireRed 100 times. But when you have a different story to follow, it can feel interesting without moving away from the original formula. If people were super interested in different game mechanics, they wouldn't be playing GBA roms in the first place.
Honestly 100% agree with u about the drought on roms ib been playing since 2013 and its so sad to see where we are now vs where we could have been
Pokémon Uranium will always hold the crown for me, so good Pokemon forced them to take it down.
It has the greatest Fakemon I’ve seen, the story was insanely good, the gyms and towns were incredible, front to back I love that game.
its not a rom hack, but it is absolutely my favorite pokemon fan creation as well. What an amazing game it is, many of its fakemon are up there with my favorite official pokemon. Cant wait for pokemon Flux
It's fan. Game not hack
I've really enjoyed Dark Violet and Scorched Silver so far. There are so many to try, I'm new to all this and it's almost overwhelming haha.
I'm feeling nostalgic about Pokémon games. I used to play them with my classmates during high school. Back in 2012, I didn’t have my own phone. Also, I played with Pokémon stickers. I would buy a pack of cards, and each card had a Pokémon on it. I needed to collect the matching stickers to paste on the cards. There were prizes for completing a Pokémon set, like finding a shiny square sticker or specific Pokémon like Golem and Vulpix. During my elementary days, the vendors would cut the stickers I completed, and I had to wait a week or a few days to claim my prize. I think that was back in 2008 the Pokemon cardboard I can still remember it.
I’m so glad someone else hate enhancement hacks
Radical Red is really fun when nuzlocking as you said, it helped me better my skills for nuzlockes like renegade platinum
Can't believe FireRed Rocket is not in here. The wicked of pokemon games and amazing with a significant change in game play and story intensity while giving you gen1 goosebumps with more modern graphics. Complete package
The last romhack i played was Light Platinum from years ago. We've come so far. These new romhacks looks great.
Have been waiting for this video here for many moons 🔥🔥
Its crazy to think that besides radical red from this list, none of those games even have custom battle backgrounds. Now maybe some people might feel distracted from it, but I personally have a high admiration for rom hackers to create those new wallpaper like backgrounds. It kinda brings the world more to life. Besides since I am a rom hacker myself, I can also tell how much creative work and time this consumes, which might also be the reason it never got to be a part of the mentioned projects unfortunatly.
I think the Pokémon Odyssey game they mentioned might have it though
I should play rom hacks again! The last time was since pandemic. Glad I found your channel. Subscribed for more amazing contents!
I think that Pokemon Adventures Red Chapter deserves a spot on this list.
I've always been waiting for a Secret of Mana Style Game, where instead of a sword you chose your pokemon and charging the attack will make it use different moves. That game would FINALLY get rid of encounters and turn based fighting.
I literally couldn't disagree more about hacks needing to change everything to the point of it looking unrecognizable.
The entire reason I want to play a hack or a fan game is to get more of what I like and to me simple will ALWAYS be better than trying to reinvent the wheel.
I'm tired of decomp because all they do with it is stuff every gimmick into one game(*cough*radical red*cough*) and I can't stand the rom hacks that demand smogon levels of play where the level cap will always just have the levels match you, the whole point of pokemon is leveling your pokemon up to be the strongest, which can't happen if literally everyone is always your highest mon's level or higher.
That's why I'm extraordinarily worried about Silkso... I mean Gaia because it's been like freaking 4 years since the creator announced version 4 which is going to be made on decomp. I played through Gaia and had tons of fun so it'll suck if V4 comes out and it's just overpacked with stupid unneeded gimmicks like Terastallizing And raid dens everywhere.
TLDR: Glazed is still hands down my favorite rom hack because it knows what it wants to be a good ol' fashioned pokemon game that's still chock full of content. If someone want a truly unique one of a kind pokemon experience I'd recommend the fan game Reborn.
You can re-invent the wheel without overwhelming the player, Odyssey is a good example. It's just that many ROM-hack creators don't know how to do that.
I don't like radical red and the oversaturation of enhancement hacks either
I suggest also try Pokemon crown, can't wait for it's completion
Honestly I loved radical red. Loved the massive content. loved the unique region Pokemon. Even loved how hard it was. One of the best Pokemon games that really makes you think. Each battle felt like a real online battle
My dream is that one day a game will be just like radical red in art style and execution but will allow you to travel to every region, collect badges, do their elite 4s.
Same deal. Level caps. Maybe even a concept where each new region requires you to retire your old Pokemon. Until a special event. Like a frontier battle. Or a multi region competition. Etc.
For example. When you beat Kanto you start over with one Pokemon in johto. You don’t lose them. You just store them so they can’t be used during main story of each region.
Would be a huge project and a lot to ask of but man… that would be a legendary game.
I think that one that definitely deserves a spot is infinite fusion. Sure, you can make the argument that it’s just Kanto + Johto but with fusions, but you cannot deny the impact that it had on not just the rom hack community, but the Pokémon community as well. Take as an example TH-camrs known for Pokémon but also many other games like PointCrow, Alpharad and others, none of them are within the rom hack community and yet they made videos on this game. The amount of custom fusions as well shows how big the project is. The sheer level of customisation and the absurd amount of content makes it so that every experience of the game is unique, and the story, although a bit lame imo, is still original and fun. Overall, if I were to make this list, infinite fusion would be my number one.
ah yes the game where you spend 90% of the time in the pc amazing gameplay
Infinite fusion is not a rom hack
Surprised that the Team Rocket edition rom hack didn't at least get an honorable mention. I knew it wouldn't be in the top but it's certainly a very unique take on Pokemon games.
Yes I agree
it's a unique take. But poorly executed imo, especially with the dialogue
@@miasimp9044 honestly I've been enjoying the dialogue. The only thing I'm not a big fan of is how on occasion you really need to grind If you want to make red your b*tch xD
Honestly, story hacks are a dying medium, we need to make more. I find difficulty hacks painfully fucking boring I dont feel like playing fire red or emerald for the 1000000th time, and i know im good at pokemon i dont need a Kaizo trophy to tell me that. A good, or even just existing story has kept me playing a rom hack way more than any other feature. Honestly, i wish i could make a rom Hack using unbound as a base so i could use it as a platform to write something substantial. (Not to say the writing of unbound is bad, just underwhelming.)
One I really like but I don't see people talking about it much is "Pokemon Adventure Red". It is basically a rom with the story from the pokemon manga
So the story is good, it has good sprites, an interesting region and mechanics as well (new mechanics that would never happen in the game, but in the manga/anime it makes sense. Like receiving an special eevee that you can change what eeveelution he is anytime you want). You also have a good character customization
Pokemon Rocket edition is the best storywise tho its not completely finished and could use some enhancement, just for the story it should be number one, it takes many old (and crazy) fan theories and makes a complete logical and engaging story. Basically years prior there was a war betwen jhoto and kanto and jhoto won, Lance is a dictator and rocket team while still a criminal organization is more so a rebellion against this dictatorship, the game is so well made that blends this narrative into reds journey but u experience it from a rocket perspective while u try to free kanto while enduring the stigma of been perceive as the bad rocket guy due to propaganda, how awesome is that?
wrt Gaia... I think there's room for people liking large deviations from the "standard" Pokemon game, but also people liking games that feel like a "standard" Pokemon game but are very well made. think like how Dragon Quest 11 isn't reinventing the wheel but it's still damn good
on the other hand, I think Radical Red is absolutely deserving because it's on the other end of the spectrum. I don't even think you have to Nuzlocke it, I hate Nuzlocking, but I do love grabbing the first like 1-3 Pokemon in every route that I find and just running with them.
my favorite one?
Crystal clear for me.
gym scaling of what Gen 9 should have been easily.
Can have stadium 2 fun and interaction, and import to ds titles.
others thought.
Fusions is fun but PC only holds it back.
Gaia was pretty cool as a side game and easing into roms.
same with Unbound.
Prism is fun even if a bit dated.
I'm old AF so gen 2 is good enough.
Rad red is nice for when you are ready to sweat, even easy on RR, is more than a fun challenge.
i agree to disagree it dosen't deserve love but i will definitely agree Emerald or HGSS would make it 110% GOAT.
I love that the ds kit has been leaked in that tera leak.
So god tier gen 4/5 hack renaissance will eventually come soon over the horizon.
I've never played any other hacks, but I'm sorta shocked to not see a mention of Crystal Clear. It's basically Unbound for gen 2 (minus the extra pokemon) and I've had tons of fun with it.
Im not too sure if it counts as a rom hack, but Pokemon Grand Colosseum is nice, ik it adds the fairy type, more shadow mons, and some newer mons like Paldean Tauros
Radical red is the only rom hack that im still playing to this day from time to time since its release
Solid video as always!
Thank you
Coral is probably my most anticipated gen2 style rom hack, but overall Saffron is definitely sitting at #1 overall.
Every time these videos come up, my thoughts and love go to Pokemon Evoas. Absolutely loved the direction it was going in, but they got the axe.
Gaia is a major success because you play it and realise a hacker has done everything Nintendo should have done. It’s the ultimate mainline experience, superior to even recent mainline titles.
6:10 Bruh I enjoyed this one more than any other
Month later but i am goan say it, love these videos. I dont even know half of these exist
One thing I have always liked about Radical red though is how it updates parts of the story. It feels like a Johto-ish hack that came out whith all the gen 1 retcons in mind. Without also feeling too fangame-ey about it like Rocket Edition or something. (Although I don't hate that hack either)
It seems like trying to answer "what's the best Pokemon rom hack" is like trying to answer "what's the best automobile." Every rom inherehntly seems to cater to a certain audience.
Some people want more difficulty, some people want new Pokemon, some people want old regions but with a new flair.
The fact that i have 999 hours of gameplay on my pokemon unbound cause I started way back in 2022 means its a really awesome game
I feel like once unbreakable ties finishes it will immediately take the number one spot
1. Unbreakable ties is not a ROM-hack
2. It's a great game, but it lacks a ton features, content, and in some cases polish, that make other games IMO better
Pokemon Crystal Clear and Pokemon Gaia are the best ROM hacks I've ever played
Came here to express my love for Crystal Clear. More people need to know about that one
I don't know about anyone else but I would love to see a Pokemon game that spans several Regon's while keeping those Regonal Pokemon in their respective areas while also allowing for the capture of legendary pokemon and as long as the requirements for certain pokemon captures are met you can find said legendary Pokemon via its 'event' tags. For instance take Dyoxis in every Pokemon Game you have to either cheat to get it or have just one chance during an event to get it before it is gone forever. I feel said event should come around at certain times to acquire said Pokemon should the said Pokemone be captured that event won't come around again.
Pokemon Rocket Red was top tier. Highly recommend it!
I find it insane that he did not mention Pokemon clover.
I enjoy most of these, but I do really really enjoy Pokemon Emerald Seaglass. By far one of my favorite roms and its style is really appealing
Pokemon unbound is one of my favorite rom hacks ❤
Even with all the different fan games I played, I always return to Pokemon Fire Ash. It's not anything special; it just makes me relax and play the game the way I want to: go from region to region, fight the Elite Four, catch all Pokemon, and have fun.
Pokemon Unbound is my favorite Pokemon game period. Beats all the mainline games all the way back to the originals in my opinion. Though the first colosseum game was also amazing. And I do love several Crystal hacks as gen 2 brings back alot of happy feelings from my childhood. Well Blue does too but gen 1 was a mess.
I know it's not one of the best fangames ever, but i am LOVING Pokemon Ashen Frost right now
Ashen Frost IS in Ayrei's best fangames ever video actually (in 3rd place) - it's just that this video is specifically about romhacks, not rpg maker fangames XD
that's one of the most underrated fan games ever
You know bro is cooking when Pokemon unbound is number 5.
It's actually his number one😂
@Jaydio4887 and I realised bro is not cooking at all 😂
@@Akshay-ji9ntdisagree
Thank you. The only rom hack I played is ultra Violet. ^^ that’s good to know there’s other rom hack
I'm more famous with Pokemon fangames, but not with Pokemon romhacks, but now i'm interested of romhacks too after this video! How I can download romhacks and what diffrences a fangame and a romhack have? This video was good with a lot of awesome romhacks defienitily Hack 1 and 2 looks awesome as a big fan of gen 3 Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald maps, but with a romhack! Can't wait i'm so excited for your next Pokemon fangames video thank you for this good video Ayrei gotta catch them all Pokemon! 😍❤🔥
Radical Red has the best battles. Hands down, it's the best hack to replay with monotype teams, since each well-designed fight is at least a bit different each time. Cramming Kanto with 1000+ mons makes it theoretically claustrophobic, but that's a reasonable price to pay. The early-game DexNav and Infinite Repel ensures that the abundance of Pokemon isn't very noticeable.
emerald rogue is literally GOATED
The greatest Pokemon rom hack is definitely adventures red , but its dishonest towards other rom hacks cause its story was already writen by someone else, still its the greatest game.
If you want a rom hack to play right now, you can’t go wrong with Pokemon R.O.W.E. 2.0
The main thing that annoys me about Odyssey is that you're locked into only double battles. There should be a mode that allows for 1v1s with a hint of double battles.
If you have a great sense of humor and want a challenge Pokemon Clover is a top 3 for me with Prism and Unbound!
Honarable mention:- POKEMON ADVENTURES RED ;)
Try Emerald Seaglass, the artwork is gonna revitalize your pkmn experience.
I've played it, it's pretty good
Just got into it, it’s my favorite by far.
I cant believe SORS and SAIPH 2 isnt in this list
what game is that the 0:24
Pokemon neverlands
No game shows up when I search that@@servantofgod1724
Just saw Voyager and it is looking good 👀
Re: Pokemon Gaia
People liking Pokemon games wanting their Pokemon games to play like better versions of the core Pokemon gameplay loop and narrative structure without fundamentally changing them should not be shocking. Not trying to be combative, but personally Gaia is my favorite hack. I don't mind additional features, and QoL, which Gaia doesn't lack. My main qualm with lots of romhacks are story based. I do not mind a change to the Pokemon story formula, even a fundamental ones, but when I want a pokemon story I want it to hold to the general tone of the world. I hate edgy Pokemon stories, firstly, I've yet to find a single one I thought was well written, secondly, I don't play Pokemon games to explore the depths of human depravity, the gameplay loop just isn't built for that type of narrative.
Anyways, I appreciate the inclusion of Gaia on the list, even if you don't personally love it.
Where are Rejuvenation, Glazed, Saffron, Scorched Silver and BW3:Genesis compared to the ones mentioned in the video? I got all of these on my list and can't really decide what to cut, as I dont have time to play all
leaving out Glazed from a top rom hack conversation is just crazy to me.
I fully believe that soon, Pokémon Pisces could take the crown.
(And also maybe it’s my bias but I would happily fight for Fools Gold to have its place on the list it literally has 400+ well-balanced custom Pokémon forms, a password system to keep things unique, tons of replayability and three full regions)
Nice
radical red deserves a mention on this list, its incredibly well made and fun but i suck at pokemon and the amount of difficulty hacks it spawn that arent as good is just annoying. not every fucking hack needs to be a difficulty hack. the same goes for draynos ds hacks. id love a qol hack for all the ds games that isnt more difficult than vanilla, for that shot of nostalgia without remembering all the little things that sucked.
Do any of these have mega evolution?
Radical reds enhanced metagame is really cool
For me, the best romhacks are the Legacy series of hacks by SmithPlays Pokemon and his team. A lot of romhacks lose sight of what I personally think makes for a good pokemon game. It's not about jam packing as many pokemon in your game as you can, it's not about giving your game a "mature" storyline, it's not about making the hardest Pokemon game you can.
The vanilla games are already good. Legacy just tries to iron them out a bit, smooth the edges, while staying true to the intent of those games, and I think they're fantastic.
I think Pokemon Team Rocket Edition should be atleast top 5, is a game that in my opinion is without a doubt one of the best developed to a storyline/mechanics lvl
0:34 what pokémon game IS this?
It is called Pokemon Darkfire. It is currently in development with a beta version available. Hope this helps!
unbound is still my most favorite and ive been replaying it for a year now, you said that the story isnt good and i a bit agree but thats just talking about the main story right? because unbound actually have lots of side quests with side story.