I Played Four Pokemon Demakes. Here's What I Learned.
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- Опубліковано 4 чер 2024
- Thanks for watching! Demakes are a super fascinating segment of the Pokemon romhacking community, and deserve some more attention. What good demakes have you played?
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00:00 introduction
01:29 Pokémon Unova Red
04:22 Pokémon Emerald EX
06:23 Pokémon Ancient Ruby
08:02 Pokémon Sword and Shield GBA
09:00 Analysis and Summary
As a romhack creator, I think you're missing one of the key points of why people make hacks for the GBA games.
It's not so much about nostalgia, the main reason we use the GBA games as a base is a technical one.
If you want to make a game with a new region, you're doing it on a Gameboy/GBA. Adding new tilesets is easy. Adding a new terrain map to Gen 5 is buggy and difficult, and doing it on a 3DS/Switch title is downright impossible.
The older games are easier to disassemble, which means there's more tools and more knowledge in the community.
And thanks to projects like the Emerald Expansion, if I want mechanics like Mega Evolution and Z Moves, it's paradoxically easier to do that in Emerald than it is in the games they came from.
thanks for adding this! I'd suspected early on that something about the GBA games made them easier to hack based on sheer numbers (vast majority are on GBA in my experience), but didn't want to address it without knowing for sure whether that was a big reason for it - having said that, this video is mostly focused on the appeals to audiences, even if the technical reasons are huge for developers (and I certainly don't discount the value of being a developer and wanting to make something fun using romhacking)
Adding new maps isn't that bad now with DS games.
I think rail systems are still a bit tricky, but the maps themselves are just tedious to get right if you want to make a very special visual effect.
@@charnalk5572compared to the tooling at hand for gen 3 games, working on the DS feels like the stone age. It's absolutely miserable.
@@charnalk5572not to mention some devices can't run ds games
Even in the Pokemon DS rom hacking community, people opt to make gen 4 hacks that look like gen 5, than actually make gen 5 hacks.
That said the hacking scene has drastically improved in the last couple of years, incredible tools like PDSMS, DSPRE, CTRmap, Swiss Army Knife, and PokEditor just to name a few have done so much to make DS rom hacking much smoother.
(Now if only we could move on from midi2sseq we could fully escape the rom hacking stone age)
I really wanna see someone just put Pokemon Violet on a Gameboy, simplified routes, sprites and such, its sick.
in the process of making this video, i did see that some people had hinted that they wanted to do something, but did not see anything concrete yet - I too think that would be sick as hell (but also such a daunting task)
I know there's a guy working on a game boy color version, but I have no idea how much it's getting worked on.
Wouldn’t be hard with Pokémon violet having similar graphics to gameboy games
Would be nice to see a version of the game that isn't laughably broken for sure
considering someone made a sword and shield I'm sure the others will come one day. Y'know if nintendurr dont do what they do best and cease and desist people.
I think another reason why there are a lot of demakes out there is that it's a good way to cut your teeth on making a more complex romhack. All the creative work is already done, you just have to figure out how to execute it. Before jumping into making a project like Gaia or Unbound, it's good to know what you can actually achieve on the technical side
this is something I refrained from discussing in this video, but had a lot to say about: developers have a whole host of other reasons for making demakes that are equally interesting and valid, and totally different from the reasons for playing them
I remember stumbling upon Unova Red right before an 11 hour flight, so I played it and had a blast with it. Super cool to see someone cover this Demake and I didn't even know there was a challenge mode.
thanks! Unova Red was my favourite of these romhacks for sure, it's a surprising amount of fun for how little it changes
Slaking in Pokémon ancient ruby: 💪🏻
Shedinja in Pokémon ancient ruby: 💀
you've got no idea how sad I was when I caught that slakoth, was getting hyped to use it, and then the game ended at Petalburg forest
Oh my. There will also be Meditite / Medicham being lackluster while Regigigas is overpowered.
Similar to Unova Red, you can also try Pokemon Kalos Crystal, which adds all gen 5 and 6 pokemon into Pokemon Crystal
that sounds like a lot of fun - I personally didn't like x and y, so using the pokemon in a different context sounds great
One of my personal favorites is actually both a demake and a threequel. Pokemon Black & White 3 Genesis is narratively a third addition to the story of B&W and B2W2, however it's in the style of Gold Silver Crystal. It's a real shame it's not more popular, since I've had a lot of fun with it.
I did look into this while making the video, but decided against covering it because it appeared to add a lot of newer content (even if it did look really cool, and Azure Keys is a great dev)
@@tortoisecity I'm playing it right now and it is truly amazing. It's definitely more of a demake than the first two in the video are (which are essentially a Dex replacer and an enhancement/expansion mod). Like Ancient Ruby, BW3G achieves the same familiar feel from the original games-from the region itself, the characters, the music, the focus on gen 5 Pokemon. Aside from the fact that the game is played in GBC, the story and gameplay felt like a natural successor to BW2 in the way BW2 was for BW, with nothing too outlandish. It's rather unique for this game to achieve such a faithful reimagining of an existing game in an older base without the feeling as though you're simply playing a downgraded port of a game you experienced multiple times.
that sounds awesome - I may have to give it a try sometime, since I had such positive experiences with other azure projects
Ancient Ruby is genius. As a huge fan of Pokemon Crystal and its pixelated and expressive art style, I'm stoked for this demake. I wish GF could implement this idea in the future and I'm sure most Pokefan who played since gen 1 would love it due to nostalgia. Would love gen 4-9 in gen 2 style 🤌🏻
yeah I'd love to see that
One of my personal favorites is Patched Crystal, which brings in the physical special split, enables Celebi, and adds a "link cable" item to evolve the trade to evolve pokemon. Not sure what its categorization is but its my personal go ti
that sounds pretty cool! might have to run it
I'm incredibly excited for the coming era of DS hacks that we'll have in the next couple years. The reason the GBA games are so often used is because the source code has been uploaded AND streamlined for incredibly convenient use. I believe the Emerald Expansion was finished in early 2021.
Pokemon Platinum's source code is available, and it's on the verge of being streamlined- I give it another year before it's ready. Once it's ready, we'll see so many DS hacks with all kinds of new mechanics, Pokemon, and much more.
Great video, btw! Lots of great commentary and a very unique perspective.
thanks! and yeah it'll be very exciting to get DS based romhacks on a broad scale, there is a lot of potential for platinum and HGSS hacks and the like
demaking for nostalgia (drake's no)
demaking solving performance issues (drake's yes)
lmao
As a player, nostalgia definitely plays a huge role for me. I grew up on gen1, 2, and 3. I just like the 2D pixel art style over the 3D style. So I get really excited about demakes. I wish they got a little more love.
me too - I'm personally not very interested in romhacks that are more vehicles for people's own characters, story and other bits and pieces (nothing against them, just not my thing) but demakes are a real treat
I wonder if anybody's made romhacks that just merge versions of the same gen..
Like, combining Gold Silver and Crystal, puttin' all them version exclusives together.
I'm not sure, but it's an interesting idea!
I think that can be very easily made with a Pokémon ROM Randomizer. Give it a look, you can pretty much fine tune a game to cater to your specific needs.
Yes, if all you are looking for is the ability to complete an entire region on a single game file, there are many enhanced versions of Emerald, Crystal/Gold, Platinum, etc. It's one of the simpler forms of rom hacks
Personally I prefer the simpler ones that provide QoL changes and also add some variability to the games, like unova red
Pokémon Ultravioleta is just FireRed with the ability to catch all gen 1-3 Pokémon. I believe they are in their respective places, being Sevii Islands or their original Kanti route
I was really excited when i saw the thumbnail, i thought for a second some demade the entire unova region in red which is what ive always wanted to try
that would be really cool!
technically pokemon genesis does that, although I wouldn't call it a demake since it has its own entire storyline seperate from not only the original black and white but also their sequels
Unova red looks perfect for me, I’m not too fond of huge hacks but this is just a nice touch
I really enjoyed it for the fact that it made minimal changes, noticeable changes, but hardly anything drastic, made for a really fun red playthrough
While not a demake in the traditional sense, one romhack that I've been enjoying is Rangi42's Polished Crystal. It adds a LOT of stuff to the gen 2 engine. It adds abilities, natures, modern EVs/IVs, physical/special split, and the Fairy type. For QoL it adds reusable TMs and running shoes, it doubles the speed of surf, and the obstacles for cut and waterfall stay removed so you don't need to keep HM slaves with you. It also adds unique menu sprites for every Pokemon.
It's sort of a demake of HGSS since it adds Lyra and the cliff route west of Olivine City and a few minor things that were introduced in gen 4, but there are enough changes that it's not a direct adaptation. Sometimes characters from later gens will make an appearance and they might battle you.
It also rebalances types and stats of some Pokemon (e.g. Noctowl is now a ghost type, Butterfree is psychic, Bellossom is fairy) and moves (Cut is a base 60 steel type, Strength is Fighting) which is an interesting change that still trips me up sometimes. Overall it's a fun hack. I've put a lot of hours into it.
that sounds really cool, and I think demake by my own definition would be flexible enough to fit that game - might have to try it out myself sometime
The Pokemon ROM hacking community (specifically on Pokecommunity) was my first online community, and I remember back before HGSS were out, there were a huge amount of people making Johto remakes, some of which are still revered today. Nowadays there are similar hacks, but they are demakes of HGSS.
My first ever hack was a Platinum demake of Platinum called Shining Platinum which only made it to a very, very short demo, but I had a new plotline involving a special shiny Shinx that Team Galactic were after. I hadn't gotten as far as figuring out why they wanted it though.
that's awesome, I'm a really big fan of DIY communities who encourage everyone to try things out, simply for the pleasure of making something
You have a really nice way of narrating videos. Wholesome and informative. ☀️
thank you!
It would be interesting to make a SV demake into gen 1 if even remotely possible, if not gen 2 mechanics, or work up until it fits.
I mean I have ambitions to make entirely new games with the ip, but maybe I can start off with these and work up my programming and art skill to actually make them.
that'd be really interesting! SV is very different map wise than most games
Gen 3 has my fave aesthetic so I'm very glad there's so many hacks from that gen
i really like the aesthetic of RSE, and really dislike the aesthetic of frlg, so it's a neutral for me (love the RSE hacks though)
''my favourite garbordor.....'' lol
I found that way funnier than I should have
This Is Criminally Underrated.
thanks!
I enjoyed the essay breakdown of each
thanks!
BW3 Genesis is the best demake ive ever played . but it's technically a sequel demake so I guess is in a different category
i've heard very good things about it, and I am not surprised, azure is a great dev
Kanto expansion pack, could be count as demake? Here include new evolutions and regional forms, and cuted Pokemon too.
I can see that
Yes and no. It's pretty much the best possible version of the Red & Blue games but with added and cut content from later games and the alpha we didn't get. I say no because around 60% of the game is the same thing but it's the other 40% where it gets really good and that's after the first time you beat the Elite Four. There's Citrine City and the surronding areas, the Silph Gauntlet, EV Training and a Battle Tent.
Great video! If you ever played any gen 2 demakes or romhacks in general you might have heard my music arrangements in there somewhere! Personally I just love seeing how a song would sound like under the GameBoy's limitations. Ironically I haven't played a whole lot of demakes, I really have to change that someday ahah
that's awesome! putting different songs into older synth timbres and vice versa is something I often do just for fun (creates too much of a copyright headache for this channel, but there used to be a few around). Abandoned Ship is probably one of my favourites for chiptuning, the melody is so beautiful
If anyone was wanting an “Enhancement” type rom I would recommend Pokemon Emerald Crest and Radical Red! Both give Pokemon up to gen 9 so far and a TON of features
i've heard good things about radical red in the past!
really really good video man 🙏
thank you!
Lowkey hate how most gen 1 demakes do a spriting style of "just make it as bad as possible lmao". The DESIGNS of the gen 1 sprites are kookier than what they ended up solidifying into with the art and later games, but the sprite quality itself was, for the most part, pretty all right. They paid attention to things like shading, highlights, sensible dithering (not just randomly putting it wherever you feel like), etc.
agreed - I love how kooky the sprites are for unova red, but I'd never describe them as bad, they're creative and interesting interpretations of how unova mons might look imo
@@tortoisecity EDIT: Literally misread your comment lmao; disregard 😅
I absolutely need to play Ancient Ruby, Crystal and Sapphire were my first Pokemon games
if you find a completed version please lmk!
I've been trying to find a romhack from my childhood similar to Unova Red for like two years now but still can't find it. I know it wasn't Unova Red because it had up to either gen 6 or 7 pokemon (sorry I can't remember which) do you have any idea what that hack may be?
not sure sorry! if you find it let me know :)
@@tortoisecity Will do, it's funny cuz' I never actually played the game I just watched a few episodes of a let's play of it which is probably why I can't remember it.
I remember having a similar idea to Ancient Ruby where it'd be Emerald backported to Crystal's engine but with some new stuff (Expanded Hoenn dex including some Alolan forms and custom regional variants (Both veing referred to as "Tropical Forms") being the big thing, alongside story beats from ORAS), but I have no clue how to do ROM hacks, so as much as I'd LOVE to make it, that idea will probably remain as just an idea for a very long time. :P
(I will say tho, I personally wouldn't consider the first two "demakes," as they just make somewhat small adjustments to the original game (Tho I suppose you could argue EEX being a demake of ORAS, but I'm not 100% sure there))
I think given how minor the changes are for them, it'd be fair to interpret them as not meeting the demake mark, but I also think they're distinct from other kinds of romhacks that add new or original content (also your idea sounds very cool!)
i think another point to pokemon demakes is accessibility in general, little jimmy doesn't have the money for a modern console/game so having a newer game recreated and with easy access is great, i played pokemon rom hacks and demakes for years because i couldn't get the new games or emulate the DS games
yep, I think I mentioned pricing towards the end, but i wholly agree. I have a full time job and even i wince at paying for what pokemon games and DLC costs, can't imagine how it is for young kids without any cash
@@tortoisecity yeah it's hard, and if you did mention sorry then I think my brain mushed when I made the comment
Never heard of a demake (the name of such a game). But I really get the idea, live gen 3-4. So playing gen 6+ games in such style would be so nostalgic
yeah demakes are v good, especially if you don't super like the style that the games have gone in
We need a Scarlet and Violet Gen 2 demake and Sword and Shield.
that'd be really cool, can imagine it being pretty tough though
@@tortoisecityDragon Quest XI Echoes has a nes style demake option, but I wanna play on gbc with pkmn GSC Graphics!!!
What takes the place of Snorlax in Unovan Red?
thundurus and tornadus
Emerald Ex isn't a demake, it's an upgrade.... there is a very big difference....
Same with Unova Red.... it's basically just Red version but using Unova Pokemon.... so it's just a mod....
A De-Make is when they try to recreate a game on a lower console.... adding some elements from an newer game doesn't automatically make it a demake....
Ancient Ruby is a De-make.... it's a newer game created on an older system.... same with SwSh Gameboy....
Only half the games you mentioned are demakes.... the 1st 2 are just upgrades or mods to older games....
not automatically no, but I think most drawing too fine a line on it distracts from the point of this: why are demakes made, and what makes them fun?
Yup you described my interest for Pokémon rom hacks very well
glad to hear it!
Last time I played the sword and shield demake it was unbelievably buggy. Is it fixed now?
can't say it wasn't really buggy when I played it, so maybe not sadly
years ago i saw a collage of pokemon b2/w2 but with the the g/s/c look. i really wanted to play it.
I think I came across something similar while I was looking around for this video, but can't remember for sure - sounds super cool though
I'm currently working on a Fire Red rom hack just to change all trade evolutions to level up or with an item. Moveset changes, so many Pokemon from that gen learn so few and shitty moves so I wanted to change that. And to make all of the gen 1 and 2 Pokemon more accessible, I'm kinda ignoring gen 3 Pokemon. I've added Fairy type and some fairy moves and just a few new moves like Aqua Jet. Just to make my own experience a bit more fun whenever I'm bored.
I love this kind of stuff; you see something you think you can improve and make it happen purely for your own enjoyment, good on you!
Its crazy how much better new pokemon look in demake versions imo. I played the sword and shield remake and it was so much more enjoyable.
I really love the gen five pokemon sprites in unova red, they're so quirky
Wait so out of all these you’ve shown, how many of them are completed?
Unova Red is, Emerald EX is, can't say for sure about SWSH GBA since I didn't finish it but it appears to be, Ancient Ruby definitely not
What if make Kanto black? Making region sprites of unova, but Pokedex is kanto pokemon(scissor, rhyperior, sylveon, anihilape and etc. could be get. 151 is too low number for unova region).
also sounds good
I'd love to find some 3DS demakes of the Switch games, but it's quite harder than GBA so maybe it's not possible. I'd love to try if anyone knows about any though.
that would be cool - I really like ORAS so I'd be very interested in games of that style with switch game content
Ancient ruby looks actually badass
I was super disappointed to find it was not finished, because I was really excited to play it, but alas, other good stuff out there to play
I think that your final three points: 1) Nostalgia; 2) Hungry Audience; and 3) Variety are all good. However, it is also lacking in the sense that it is a creative challenge for the passionate people creating demakes. I further disagree that people are only interested in specific generations and that the older games had minimal storylines.
I didn't did into the creative side of demakes in this video on purpose, because I think that's a separate topic in and of itself, and I completely agree! there are about as many reasons why people would enjoy making demakes as much as those playing them (not mutually exclusive groups), though more people are likely to be playing them than making them
I like the idea of porting all the newer games into Gen V.
I'm told disassembly for DS games is advancing a pace, so maybe in a couple years we could see it!
I would actually love to have a gbc demake of gen 5 6 7 8 and 9 games. Its just way more comfortable to play casually
yeah that'd be fantastic
For gen 5, definitely search for Black and White 3 Genesis! It's a quality demake of what a threequel to the BW games might have looked like, on a Crystal base
my first pokemon game was X but my favorite is the originals, idk why or how but, that's just me. Personally im rom hacking a version of blue and adding some of my favorite pokemon not in gen 1. I, for some reason, enjoy the mechanics and weirdness of the first games and have only ended up wanting to play them way more than the new ones every time i go back.
gen one has it's own unique charm, and is honestly worlds apart from other gens in some ways, so I can definitely understand the appeal
If you liked Unova Ruby, they actually made a sequel, Kalos Crystal.
I should look into that
Yo where can i find emerald EX?
buncha different sites, seems to pop up quickly on google (won't link here)
I would love a rom hack with all the mons and moves but with gen 1's mechanics. I think it would be an interesting experience.
yeah that'd be crazy, gen one's mechanics are certainly unique
Isn't there a rom hack that pokemon devolve, instead of evolving? What's the name of the romhack?
I've not heard of that one, but keep me posted if you find out!
I’d love an X and Y GBA demake so much
I feel like I saw one when looking around for this video, but can't say for sure
I would play the demakes if I could, but I don't know where to find them.
I found all of these just by googling around
I know it's hard, but I'd love a demake like Ancient Ruby it being Pokemon gen1 to gen3, with the three regions, in gen2 style. Maybe an open world would be enough.
yeah that would be awesome
good vid!
thanks!
I don't think GF will make another pixel game because their main audience doesn't care about it as much as their older audience does. At least we got these demakes to fill the demand!
yeah easy to forget that most people playing these games and a decent chunk of sales are still in fact kids
there's also an argument to be made about the newer pokemon games being less about CATCHING them all, and more about multiplayer interactions, be it trading, or pvp. and, in some cases like white and black, or even D/S/P, the online component is all but defunct. even more modern games like the x and y's friend safari is borderline, if not completely, unusable.
and it hurts to go back, and just see that massive part of the game, that was clearly designed to be used, devoid of any interaction, because the servers no longer exist to give it the usability those games were planned to have.
yeah it's quite sad seeing how empty some parts of older online functions are now
demakes are for people who use emulators (like me) on our cheap phones lol
I bought My Boy! as a paid app years ago and it has been an immensely good purchase
bro as an aussie, your kiwi accent makes the word “decade” sound like something else 😂
yeah nah yeah nah this may just be me saying words badly as per usual
Nintendo has yet to see the power of demakes and romhacks and start investing in that business instead of shutting it down. These are just what indie games are to triple A titles: games to play between the new releases. Heck, Nintendo's bigger releases are also just like that to Sony and Microsoft's bigger releases.
a great point, and honestly some of the more elaborate hacks and projects have more to them than most pokemon side games
I played Emerald EX. It was advertised as an enhancement hack, people talk about it like it's an enhancement hack, and I found it by looking for enhancement hacks. What is this even demaking?
I think about it a bit glass half full/empty in that case, whether some is an enhancement hack or a demake is bit superfluous in my view. I included in this video because it takes elements of newer games including pokemon and mechanics and ports them to an older game, but I can also see the case for it being an enhancement rather than a mostly minimal demake
I am currently enjoying Pokemon Emerald Crest and Pokemon Unbound - both are great.
I've heard good things about both!
Are you Bub Games’s brother?
I've not heard of bub games
Imagine sv in a gen 5 style demake😳🤯
Somehow this is my first time hearing about demakes and im flabber gasted lol so sick
demakes are really fun - I encourage you to give them a try if it's something that interests you!
We need a Pokemon maker game similar to the mario maker game.
that would be really sick - I know people used to make not super good pokemon fan projects using RPGmaker (no shade to those people, RPGmaker just didn't really capture what pokemon is about)
Yeah
Is this you Bubgames?
idk who that is, but sure
What do you mean "Giga Drain now has 80 BP"? Giga Drain didn't exist!
fair point, that could be very confusing, I didn't mean to imply giga drain exists in gen one, but rather that it has a reasonable power and PP number as opposed to earlier gens
Gen 1 was best so closest they can get to that
I like Demakes and ROM Hacks because the newer games suck, and the demakes have more heart and passion put into them than any of the Pokemon Switch titles. There's also official Pokemon games, like HeartGold and SoulSilver, which are close to perfection, but missing those little touches to make them perfect, like infinite TM use, higher NPC and wild Pokemon levels, more Pokemon variety on certain routes, difficulty raising or lowering, and other quality-of-life improvements. A perfect HeartGold ROM hack would make it a perfect Pokemon game, but I also just like the idea of using gen 4 or 5 Pokemon in gen 1 Kanto.
demakes are a heck of a lot of fun, and the simplest ones sometimes work the best tbh (quality of life changes go quite far)
you sound like bubgames wtf
others have said this, idk who that is but
SWORD AND SHIELD BEST GEN!
not my favourite but glad you like it!
great video. I love your conclusion. ROMs will always give me a new, fresh way to experience something wholesome and nostaglaic. I wish that Nintendo would incentivise these mods instead of threatening law suits, and choosing to lazy make a business model based on purchasing their production mineral from extremely unethical sources.
thanks! and yeah it would be great if nintendo was at least less litigious about it. Legal action has a very tangible chilling effect on ambitious fan projects from talented developers.