I write about Pokémon ROM hacks a lot here at Retro Dodo, and while I enjoy them all, it's the games that push the boundaries of the original formula and give me something wholly new that really get me excited. Take Zero Dungeon: Isle of Mystery, a new ROM hack from developer theprogrammedsunk. It's a 'traditional Roguelike in PMD' that uses Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky as its base game and brings a title that acts as a sort of 'gap closer' for fans of both the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Shiren The Wanderer games.
If you've never played a Shiren game before, they're titles with procedurally generated dungeons and monsters to battle as you make your way through mazes. This ROM hack essentially puts Pokémon Mystery Dungeon-style mechanics and the character of Beldum into a Shiren-esque game, with a great storyline that will have fantasy fans chomping at the bit.
In a world devoid of strife, one confident geographer sets out on the task of mapping the world. Beldum finally arrives in the Archaia Forest, but something is amiss here. Legends speak of a forest that snares visitors like prey, trapping them until they die or go insane. But those are all just silly rumours, right?
Beldum is kind of a weird choice for a geographer, but I suppose he does look a bit like a rock, and that's what Geography is kind of all about... ok, I'm on board now. Other Pokémon appear to cause Beldum trouble (enter the creepy Trevenant), but Beldum's a tough guy (literally, the guy could probably break through anything).
The game was created as part of a game jam, so it's not going to be the longest title you've ever played. Still, it has two modes - story and arcade - with four adventure logs for each mode. In arcade mode, players need to try and get a high score of 200,000 to win, which seems pretty dang high if you ask me!
There's no information as to whether this game has been made with AI, but as it's been created for a game jam, I highly doubt it will have (which is always music to my ears). Head to Hackdex to check it out in full; you'll need a legally acquired ROM of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky to patch this game onto, and then you're good to go!
