Another day, another awesome ROM hack from the Pokémon community. I sometimes can't believe that we're in a world where we get maybe one or two mainline Pokémon games every couple of years, but we get hundreds of 'retro-style' Pokémon games dropping every year that capture the essence of what it meant to be a Pokémon gamer in the years of the Game Boy Advance. We're talking Pokémon Emerald. We're talking Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. And of course, we're talking Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.
This is a semi-open world hack, which means you can explore each area of the new region of Veldan freely until it's time to face off against the champion. Yes, there's a brand new region to play through, and as I said in the title, you'll be able to capture Pokémon from all 9 generations when the full game is released.
According to the hack's creator, lethesis, players will be able to openly explore (semi-openly, we've just explained this, alright?) four huge areas of Veldan, looking for new assets and taking on both mainline and side quests in whatever order they so wish. In many ways, this is sounding like Breath of the Wild, with the local champion replacing the final battle against Calamity Ganon.
There are self-contained dungeons that you can play through if you choose to; they're optional, which I imagine is why lethesis says that the demo is 5-8 hours depending on how you play. The demo only has the first of the four areas available to play, but you'll be. able. to. get a full feel of the region of Veldan from it and plunge into. modern battle mechanics that will make the game feel new but familiar at the same time.
I love the fact that you can approach the quests in any order; having that choice in a game really makes me feel like I'm in control of the narrative more and allows me to immerse myself in the action to a much deeper level. There's also a reputation system, which you may have come across in other Pokémon hacks and fangames, in which a higher reputation opens up other areas for you to explore.
Head to Hackdex to patch Pokémon Synthesis onto your legally acquired ROM of Pokémon Emerald and dive into the region of Veldan!
