Most weeks, I sit down with our editor-in-chief to chat about the latest and greatest news, anything we've spotted or something bizarre that we think we should cover, and by far this week, the craziest thing we've seen is this ROM hack based on Pokémon Fire Red that brings Steve and Minecraft mechanics into the Pokémon World, allowing you to build, craft, mine, and catch Pokémon.
It's a wierd collaboration that I never thought would work, but these videos and screenshots shown turn it into an incredibly unique game that hits many ages right in the nostalgia, even if it's still deep in "development". And yes, you guessed it: AI was used to assist in its development, more specifically Fable 5.5.
It was announced by the developer MozeTech on X just two days ago, and apparently it was so popular that it broke the server it was hosted on, so he had to change where it was hosted to support demand. It can be played in your browser at this moment in time, with Android and PC ports in the works.
Credit: MozeTech
This is based on Pokémon Fire Red, and you start off in Pallet Town, able to break down trees to turn into wood and assist with building things that you wished you could as a child, and of course you start as Steve, with nothing but a pickaxe and a face you want to slap. When you start venturing through the game, the standard Pokémon mechanics that you grew up with are the same, able to catch and organise your Pokedex, with trainers and gyms ready to complete, but you battle as Steve himself.
But, throughout the game you'll experience the best of Minecraft, such as being able to defeat the Ender Dragon, you can create Nether Portals, fire-type Pokemon will roam the Nether, you'll find Endermen, Ghasts and all types of dangerous enemies that you have faced in the original Minecraft game. The goal is to defeat the Ender Dragon as if it were the Elite Four; you then claim the egg and enter the Hall of Fame if you're strong enough.
There are even in-game achievements to complete, armour and weapons to craft as you would previously, and if you're really good, you can even catch the Ender Dragon and get it outside of the Pokeball to follow you around the game! Make sure to check it out for free in your browser today by visiting this link.
