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

BACKGROUND:

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

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

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

SETTING & STORY OVERVIEW:

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

FEATURES & QoL UPDATES:

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

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

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

Hey everyone!

I'm currently on a journey to replay all Pokémon generations through ROM hacks that keep the true essence of the original games, while adding quality-of-life (QoL) features and a moderate difficulty bump.

So far, I've played FireRed+, Refined Gold Overhaul, and Emerald Legacy, and now I'm looking for a similar experience for Pokémon Platinum.

I've heard a lot about Renegade Platinum, but the fact that it doesn't have a version keeping the original regional Pokédex is kind of a dealbreaker for me. Having a bunch of non-native Pokémon scattered across early routes ruins the regional identity and immersion for me.

Are there any ROM hacks or projects out there that fit these specific criteria?

• Original Regional Pokédex preserved (no random wild encounters from other generations cluttering the routes).
• Quality of Life (QoL) improvements & engine fixes (fixing that notoriously slow health/HP bar animation, removing annoying HM dependencies, etc.).
• Adjusted level curve to reduce tedious grinding.
• Moderately increased difficulty (better teams for gym leaders, rivals, and major trainers, smarter AI, appropriate level scaling—without being artificially grindy or unfair).
• Keeps the core vanilla feel and essence of the original game.

Does anyone have recommendations for ROM hacks that fit this "Vanilla+" style for Platinum?

Thanks in advance!

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

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

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

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

Timeline of Pokémon RBY Hacks

Following up on the Johto/GBC timeline, here's one for Red/Blue/Yellow hacks! If I missed your favorite, let me know.

Late 1990s: Edgy Hacks

• Most of the earliest hacks were edgy hacks that are now definitely unplayable. Cokemon/Fukemon/Bokemob. These occupy the chunk of time where people figured out how to edit small things like text but before later resources/discoveries/tools were available. 2000's Hacks
• Pokémon Brown (2004) by koolboyman, eventually Rainbow Devs: The first major RBY hack with a new region, remade in 2009. A 20th anniversary release came out in 2024 after 20 years of work. Beloved, maybe the most feature-packed hack on this list.
• Pokémon Knife (2007): Funny novelty hack.
• Pokémon TRE - Team Rocket Edition (2007) by pokeglitch (review): Completed hack with a new region but the same story, likely due to scripting limitations. Not particularly Team Rocket-inspired despite the name. There's a newer hack with the same name.

Early 2010's

• Pokémon Green English (2011): Considered the best English translation/port of Green.
• Pokémon Red/Blue - Gen. II Graphics and Music Patch (2013) by Danny-E 33: Became the base for many good-looking hacks going forward.
• Pokémon Indigo Edition (2013): sinisterhoodedfigure's first hack. New region but a reskin, with new gyms and routes. "Hard" version has a Lite counterpart.
• Pokémon Maize (2013) by shantytown: Felt like a defining RBY hack of the mid-2010s, alongside Grape.
• Pokémon Red++ (2014–) (skeetendo archive) - Extensive and beloved high quality red enhancement hack. Still being somewhat worked on to this day.

2014–2016: The Mid-2010s Classics

• Pokémon Grape (2014): Good hack with good visuals.
• Pokémon Blue Kaizo (2014)
• Pokémon Red: Battle Factory (2014) Just the battle factory in gen 1 engine. A unique hack with a clear idea. (Pchal video)
• Pokémon Yellow: Strike (2014): The first Yellow disassembly hack. Created in 2014 but consistently updated since.
• Thief Red (2015) by shantytown: You can't catch wild Pokémon, only trainers' — and no EXP gain.
• Pokémon Anniversary Red (2015): A Twitch Plays Pokémon hack.
• Evo Yellow (2016): A disassembly hack where all Pokémon can follow you, not just Pikachu. Expanded Pokédex with later-gen moves, types, and areas like Mt. Silver.
• Pokémon Yellow - Gen. II Graphics Patch (2016): A useful resource base for later Yellow hacks.

2017–2018: "Creepy" Hacks

• Pokémon Black (2017) (romhacking.net): Creepypasta hack.
• Plaguemon (2016–2017) by Hikikomori: Amazingly edgy dialogue (twin towers, etc.) — maybe the worst extremely-high-effort hack ever made. Built over what the creator called "a terribly painful and anguished year". Most high quality stupid hack I've seen.

Late 2010s–present enhancement hacks - Unova Red (2018) - Shin Pokémon Red, Blue and Green (2018) - PureRGB (2023) by Vortiene (video) - Kanto Expansion Pak (2024) - Righteous Red/Green (2024) - Yume (2025) (v1.0 thread)

Its own thing - Star Beasts: Asteroid Version (2025) (video): Very interesting cross between the original pokemon engine and quality pokemon knock off Shi Kong Xing Shou by Taiwanese game devs Vast Fame (Original game footage)

Looking to share something I've been working on for the past few days,

Introducing Pokemon Red (GAMEBOY) port to the GBA engine

The goal of this project is to implement the original Pokemon Red to the GBA in order to use -

1. The full GBA color system

2. More size in memory (the original game is only 1mb, meaning that we could technically have over 31mb for spare modding)

3. Be more accessible to modders / developers to work on an open source project

In the current state of writing, I have everything up to after the first battle with the Rival finished, but things like graphics, NPC placements, dialogue & more needs to still be worked on, this is very much in early alpha phase & I'm looking to see if anyone more experienced than me at Pokemon is able to give pointers / contribute

There is still tons of visual bugs / problems - my workflow will be to improve pallet town and move on to the next, like route 1 as this current stage of writing but if anyone is experienced in C & ASM, they are welcome to contribute to the project

the command to build is

make pokered_remaster.gba -j2

this project uses https://github.com/pret/pokered disassembly as a reference

the repository is open source and located here -
https://github.com/johnson-cooper/POKERED-REMASTERED

In light of the new gen 4 beta footage being released
I would love to show off my new rom hack of heart gold
Scrapped Silver
This idea of this man is mostly focused on beta Pokemon, scrapped ideas, and beta locations found in gen 2 and 4 with some gen 1 sprinkled in.

The game takes place in an alternate Johto where things are very similar yet drastically different from the original games.

Plans so far are two new towns
One on the lake of Rage
Another you’ll have to find for yourself.
Along your journey, you might find some extra challenges in the form of towers.
The map is mostly based off of the more obscure 1998 beta of Johto

Over 100 new beta Pokémon and beta forms for Pokémon already in the games.
Starter forms based off of their beta counterparts

Completely new trainer teams with better leveling curb
Using the hg engine (so repeal chaining, exp share, exp when Pokémon is caught, and maybe megas)
A lot of new sprites for characters
battle ui changes to match beta hgss
map ui changes
And more.
Maybe including you being able to skate around.

My main design philosophy around this game is to have it feel mostly official with high quality textures and sprites.
If you have any questions just pm or comment I would love community feedback, help, or just to spitball ideas.
I look forward to announcing and showing off more in the future!