Introduction
Creating a top ten list might seem simple, but there are so many romhacks out there that it is really hard to bring it down to just 5. While PKMN Insurgence or PokeWilds are phenomenal games, they aren't technically romhacks. I'm going to stick to pure and simple romhacks for this list, as it makes it a bit easier to make!
Going from top to bottom, 1 being the best in my opinion, these are the Pokemon Romhacks I think that are the best!
5. Pokemon Orange
Based on the Orange Islands from the Anime, and there is even a patch to include the second movie as post game events. I played an early build of this that had not made it past I think the 6th gym, but since then I guess now it is all the way up to the champion and the post game event.
Definitely a fun time to be had, and experience a region that you hadn't before. Well made, lots of exploring, so check it out.
https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=387653
4. Basically anything by Drayano
In particular StormSilver.
Drayano is a pretty well known RomHacker in the community, as this person has made enhanced versions of most games out there. Some of the more well known ones are for the DS generation, and I came into knowing about them through Storm Silver (you can get Sacred Gold if that is your cup of tea too).
All 493 Pokémon are available, enhanced trainer rotations, better scaling, more events, all legendaries, and much much more. Just a much more filled experience with these already amazing games. This person does this for each of the games too, so pick your favorite, and find the enhanced version from Drayano!
Intermission:
Here is an awesome post I wrote about the concept of an open world Pokemon game! It was an idea I had before PokeWilds and Legends Arceus were released.
3. SuperGold (SPACEWORLD 97 Gold Version)
This is based off of the demo that was released or shown off at the 1997 SpaceWorld expo event. Back in the day of the second generation, the idea was that the second games were going to be the FINAL games. Giving it a sort of send off in a way, and so the region was essentially the entirety of Japan. Rather than just the Kansai area alone for example.
While being the entire country, many areas had to be scaled back. Some provinces that later became their own regions for games like Hoenn or Sinnoh, were basically scaled back to single towns or locations.
However the game features many different locales, tons of unreleased Pokemon (that were made by Nintendo, aren't just fan made), a unique story (similar to Gold/Silver but not fully), and honestly was really well made overall. I had one issue of pacing, where I got over leveled a bit. Although that really wasn't an issue. This game shows what the creators originally had planned for the series, and it is fascinating to playthrough!
https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=430526
2. GS Chronicles
Gold and Silver are often touted with being the games that introduced many of the mechanics we are used to. I.e. shinies or breeding, etc. Heart Gold and Soul Silver were remakes that took those games to a whole new level. Often seen as some of the BEST games in the series, for many reasons.
However they lack a lot of things, mega evolution, fairy type, and modern conveniences.
GSC basically takes the presentation of HGSS, and puts it into a gameboy advanced format. Meaning only one screen to deal with. Adds mega evos, items and moves are updated to Gen 8, Dynamax and Gigantamax are available, Day and Night cycle, Different Pokemon will appear depending on if it is day or night, Move Tutors in every Poke Center, and more!
Honestly this game would have made it to the #1 spot given just how jam packed full it is.
https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=340232
1. Crystal Clear
Although let's see what made it to the top spot after all! This is Crystal Clear by Shockslayer, which turns PKMN Crystal into an open world game. Literally, everything is available to you, even your choice of starter or region.
There are about 24 starters you can choose from, such as the basic 6, or Pikachu, but even Eevee and Ditto too.
You can choose to start in Johto or Kanto.
HM moves are no longer needed to reach certain towns, and while some routes are higher level; You can still traverse them, and make it to areas that would normally be "late" in the game.
All the gyms and trainers are scaled to you, and that means each gym has like 16 team sets. A lot of work was put into the game for this, and it shows. You can challenge any gym in any order you want, which is helpful if you are trying to take advantage of types. Do you save the grass gym with your fire starter for the end when it gets hard? Or do you do it right away to get it done quicker?
You can jump between regions to make your gym challenge even more mixed together.
Legendaries are found all over, and have unique plot points before you can reach them. I.e. Celebi and the forest.
I spent a lot of time with this game, and even tried streaming it before. It was one of the few games that I thought was worth streaming. If that counts for anything!
Bonus Links
Not sure why the preview isn't working for this first one, but this is PokeCommunity a pretty reputable site.
https://www.pokecommunity.com/forumdisplay.php?fn=rom-hacks-studio
-
-
I'm not a huge fan of this site, but I've come across it a lot. https://pokemonromhack.com/
&author=The%20Generalist%20Gamer&url=%40polyinnovator&avatarUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fpapyrus_images%2F9866180fa8f9ab35fa0b86a1299b8ea6.jpg&featuredImageUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fstorage.googleapis.com%2Fpapyrus_images%2F7dfbed9bc851a6a9537e1545c2b46c30.png&size=512)
