Pokémon Odyssey II: Heroes Of Lemuria Is Officially In Development

Mashups have always been exciting. I remember the first time that I heard Collision Course by Jay-Z and Linkin Park and lost my mind. Remixes and reimaginings just please my brain in such a nice way, and it's the same when it comes to games too. It's why I'm such a fan of Pokémon Odyssey and, and why I'm feeling very excited that the sequel has been announced as being officially in development.

This Fire Red ROM hack throws the Pokémon formula out of the window. Italian developer PacoScarso has fused the Pokémon game you know and love with the world and gameplay of the Nintendo DS game Etrian Odyssey, bringing players on a narrative-driven adventure to the kingdom of Lemuria set around the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

The result - Pokémon Odyssey II: Heroes of Lemuria.

Instead of competing to win badges in Gyms and defeating the Elite Four, you'll face challenges, search for treasure, complete quests, and vie for a chance to meet the Overlord, a being that can make all of your wishes come true. It's a story that captivates you like a fantasy novel with carefully selected Pokémon thrown in for good measure.

Bear in mind that all this is from the description of the sequel; there are no video clips or demos yet, so PacoScarso has drawn us in with their creative writing alone. The plans for the sequel are ambitious, but if the first game is anything to go by, I have no doubt that he can pull it off. The story and explorative elements of the game make Pokémon Odyssey one of the more stand-out Fire Red ROM hacks, and with 8 subclasses to pick from like Pugilist, Sovereign, and Survivalist, it feels more like an RPG than ever before. Each subclass has different perks too that change your gameplay too, so pick wisely.

There's a new Pokémon type, Aether Type, with lots of other cool new features like nature changers, ability changers, soft level caps, and more side-quests than you can shake a Farfetch'd's leek at. PacoScarso has also made a brand new soundtrack to go with it too, so there's no chance you'll ever feel like you're playing Fire Red at all.

All of the 250 Pokémon you'll encounter are Eltrian forms too, so you'll see critters like Rowlett wearing a cool little Robin Hood hat. I know that's not the wildest feature I've mentioned so far, but you've got to admit, it's definitely the cutest.

PacoScarso doesn't currently know when the game will be complete, but if the shots of what we're seeing so far are anything to go by, it's going to be a cracking adventure that might feel more like Dragonyhm than Fire Red. The world of Lemuria feels more like you've stepped into a Zelda game too, which again... which, as you know, is high praise on both counts in my book. Keep checking back for more info, and follow PacoScorso on X to keep up to date with the project!