5 Pokémon ROM Hacks That Do Justice To Johto

The Pokémon series has many games, but fans often create their own versions of the franchise’s expression through ROM hacks that adjust existing titles. Modifications to older Pokémon games have created brand-new experiences, forging everything from new Pokémon, custom regions, and almost anything you could think of. The Johto region is subject to many different ROM hacks, with some being the best fan projects you can find.

The Johto games of Pokémon encompass the 2nd and 4th Generations of the series, with Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal originally and their highly praised HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes for the Nintendo DS. Johto is a source of nostalgia for many fans, with a truly iconic postgame too. Being able to travel to multiple regions in Johto games has always been a huge highlight, which some ROM hacks reflect.

Pokémon Prism

New Types And A Faithful Recreation

Based on Pokémon Crystal, Pokémon Prism is a ROM hack that takes place in an entirely custom region called Naljo. After your character is trapped in this region due to a landslide, your partnership with a wayward Larvitar starts a long journey to fix a corrupted land. Learning about the idealistic nature of Naljo itself makes for a grand adventure, and one much larger than the original Johto games with over 250 Pokémon to capture.

Unique currency in Pokémon Prism called Gold Coins create interesting collectibles to spend on powerful unlocks that make the region worth exploring, similar to how hidden Legendary Pokémon and the Trainer Red battle atop Mt. Silver made Johto a great region to travel around.

Training Pokémon in Pokémon Prism is far different than the normal games, as they add the Gas and Sound types as new elements. These affinities have unique interactions with pre-existing types from throughout the Pokémon games, including the newer Fairy-type, which is also included in this Johto adjacent ROM hack. Having access to all these types creates new rock-paper-scissors interactions in battle, making some Pokémon from the original Johto region stronger than ever.

For die-hard Johto fans, this game actually recreates the Gen 2 region in its entirety, even expanding it for the postgame. Once you travel throughout the Naljo region, you can return to the larger Rijon setting from Pokémon Prism‘s predecessor, a ROM hack called Pokémon Brown. Rijon has both Kanto and Johto to explore once again, and even includes the Tunod region from the ROM Pokémon Glazed, which also pays homage to Johto’s highlights.

Pokémon Crystal Clear

Pick Whatever Start You Want To Craft Your Own Adventure

Starting regions in Pokemon Crystal Clear

The combination of the Johto and Kanto regions is part of what makes the Gen 2 games so impactful, a fact that Pokémon Crystal Clear understands fully. Much like Pokémon Prism, this ROM hack uses Pokémon Crystal as a base, refining it into a more modern Pokémon experience. For instance, you can customize your Trainer to your preference, reflecting the style choices seen in games far beyond Gold, Silver, Crystal, or the HeartGold and SoulSilver titles were able to do.

One of the biggest draws of Pokémon Crystal Clear is how it lets players choose what region they wish to start in. Your adventure could begin in Kanto, with Johto becoming the postgame with extra challenges, or vice versa. Re-challenging Gym leaders is easy with this ROM hack, adding longevity to a Generation that is already packed with lots of content. Furthermore, you can pick 24 different starter Pokémon to begin your journey, opening the door for plenty of diverse teams.

Pokémon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma

Emulating Remakes In A Whole New Way

Similar to legendary ROM hacks like Pokémon Unbound, Pokémon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma is a fully updated Pokémon project, hosting almost 800+ Pokémon across all Generations. However, it’s the visuals of this game that are the most impressive, as they fully recreate the art style of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen rather than adopting the original Gold, Silver, or Crystal aesthetics from the GameBoy Color like many ROM hacks often do.

Unlike other ROM hacks on this list, Pokémon Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma was made completely using Pokémon FireRed as a base. This recreation of Johto cuts out a lot of the fluff too, such as no trade evolutions in basic gameplay.

Seeing Mega Evolutions in the Gen 3 art style is wonderful, especially as you see the often forgotten Pokémon protagonist Kris from Pokémon Crystal in updated visuals. In many ways, this ROM hack represents an alternate past where Pokémon Gold and Silver were remade alongside Pokémon Red and Blue when Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released for the GameBoy Advance.

Additional quality-of-life choices, such as remastered music from the Johto region, faithfully transports players back to that specfic era of Pokémon. Not every Pokémon fan was happy with how Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver adopted much of its gameplay and art direction from Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, so this ROM hack serves players who want to see Johto remade in the traditional 2D pixel art of the series’ nostalgic roots.

Pokémon Polished Crystal

Refined Johto Experience That Adds New Difficulty Challenges For Veterans

Pokémon Polished Crystal is exactly what its title suggests — a version of Pokémon Crystal that completely refines it to modern standards. Nearly every Pokémon made throughout the series is in this game, at least up until Gen 9. This includes Pokémon evolutions for Johto creatures, such as Dudunsparce, adding a huge amount of variety to the ROM hack’s Pokédex.

Much like the game it’s based on, players can travel to Johto and Kanto in this ROM hack, but there is more to each region than ever before. Pokémon Polished Crystal adds several new areas to both Johto and Kanto, alongside a collection of new quests and stories involving fan-favorite characters. Even if you know Pokémon Crystal from top to bottom, there’s going to be something new here you may not have expected.

Furthermore, this ROM hack has an alternate Nuzlocke mode automatically built into it, allowing players to do challenge runs without any restrictions. Acting as a toggle you can turn on or off any time, the Nuzlocke setting provides a suitable challenge for fans who understand Pokémon incredibly well. Thankfully, this mode never reaches the competitive brutality of other ROM hacks like Pokémon Radical Red, striking a nice balance that reflects Johto’s unique obstacles well.

Pokémon Heart & Soul

Ultimate Homage To Every Version Of Johto

Although somewhat in progress as of this time of writing, Pokémon Heart & Soul may be the ROM hack that praises Johto the most, building a new experience that does the region justice. Built off a deconstruction of Pokémon Emerald, this ROM hack is another GBA title that combines aspects of Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver together into one complete package. Aspects of both the Gen 2 and Gen 4 games are blended together carefully to make something special.

Another great Johto ROM hack not mentioned on this list is Pokémon Rose Gold, a DS game that acts as a prequel bridge between Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen with HeartGold and SoulSilver.

A wealth of customizable settings allow you to fine tune Pokémon Heart & Soul‘s experience to your liking, giving players far more freedom than even mainline Pokémon games. As an open source game, this ROM hack is also fully available for other ROM hack creators, intended to serve as a base for other Johto projects in the future. Featuring Pokémon from Gens 1–3, this game is as refined a version of Johto as you’ll ever see.

Other small details also help this ROM hack thrive, such as Pokémon following your Trainer, background Pokémon in the overworld to flush out the region, day/night cycles for a dynamic atmosphere, and varied enemy teams for unique battle encounters. Recent updates even include Randomizer and Nuzlocke options too. As far as ROM hacks are concerned, this one holds the greatest respect to Johto, serving as an unofficial Pokémon game that embraces the traditional feel of the series.