Pokemon ROM hacks with increased difficulty have steadily been gaining popularity among the community, providing players with challenges to overcome. The changes implemented by difficulty ROM hacks for Pokemon range from simply making the enemy AI smarter to editing movesets, abilities, stats, EV/IVs, and natures of individual Pokemon.
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Players on the hunt for the next challenge have a ton of options available to them, with new ROM hacks being released every week. Over the years, however, some have proven to be the hardest Pokemon ROM hacks ever made.
Pokemon Run and Bun
Emerald Difficulty Polished to Perfection
- Game: Pokemon Emerald
- Created By: Dekzeh
Pokemon Run and Bun shines as a prime example of what every difficulty ROM hack should attempt to be: challenging yet fair. Run and Bun contains some of the most difficult battles among all ROM hacks, but due to the masterful way the game has been balanced, it doesn’t feel unjustly difficult, just extremely challenging.
Every single battle in the entire game has been gone over with a fine-tooth comb to be as fair as possible, ensuring a consistent difficulty curve throughout. Run and Bun also provides a ton of quality-of-life features to ensure the focus remains on the meat and bones of the experience, and that grinding takes as little time as possible. The result is a perfectly balanced blend that’s a joy to play for veterans looking for a game to sink hundreds of hours into.
Pokemon Emerald
- Released
- May 1, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Pokemon Obsidian Emerald
VGC-Style Double Battle Gauntlet
- Game: Pokemon Emerald
- Created By: Skolgrahd and Speaker
Pokemon Obsidian Emerald is an extremely underrated difficulty ROM hack that attempts to do something unique: turn every Pokemon battle into a VGC-style double battle. There are no single battles in the entire game, and every fight is a double battle from the moment players step out of the Professor’s office.
The result is a game that’s unlike any other ROM hack on the market, one that has a difficulty curve that can catch players by surprise. Since so few of them are familiar with the intricacies and strategies that go into the double battle format, it forces a constant reevaluation of tactics, even for seasoned veterans.
Pokemon Emerald Kaizo
Painfully Unfair By Design
- Game: Pokemon Emerald
- Created By: SinisterHoodedFigure
Pokemon Emerald Kaizo is a notoriously difficult ROM hack made entirely for the subset of fans who enjoy torturing themselves with unfair challenges. Community consensus is that Emerald Kaizo is nearly impossible to play casually, to say nothing of attempting to Nuzlocke it.
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Pokemon trainers in Emerald Kaizo are not simply strong; they’re absurd. Almost everyone in the game has a gimmick or a strategy that needs to be answered. Sometimes, players have the perfect counter already in their team, but more often, extensive pre-planning is required to come out ahead.
Pokemon Radical Red
The Gateway to Hardcore ROM Hacks
- Game: Pokemon FireRed
- Created By: Soupacell
Pokemon Radical Red is considered one of the very first difficulty ROM hacks that popularized the format to the wider Pokemon fanbase, inviting players who hadn’t been aware of this subniche to participate. Defeating trainers in Radical Red is not simply a matter of having Pokemon knowledge, but actually sitting down and studying trainer movesets to concoct a battle plan before even facing off against them in-game.
While Radical Red is no longer considered the hardest Pokemon ROM hack ever made, it still counts itself among the top contenders. Players looking to challenge themselves with a difficult ROM hack should consider having this game on their radar.
Pokemon FireRed
- Released
- September 7, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Pokemon Unbound
Insane Mode Is No Joke
- Game: Pokemon FireRed
- Created By: Skeli
Pokemon Unbound is considered by many to be among the best Pokemon ROM hacks ever made. The hack offers dozens of quality-of-life upgrades, updated graphics, a quest system, mini-games, and post-game events, all set in a completely new region called Borrius.
Pokemon Unbound also features four difficulty modes, with Insane being the hardest. Those looking for a challenge will find Insane difficulty in Pokemon Unbound as punishing as some of the hardest Pokemon ROM hacks out there. The depth of knowledge required to come out ahead is nothing to scoff at, and certain encounters are straight up unfair, as some select trainers have access to teams that are nearly impossible to defeat without the perfect counter strategy.
Pokemon Garbage Green
The Ultimate LeafGreen Trashlocke
- Game: Pokemon LeafGreen
- Created By: PokemonChallenges (PChal)
Pokemon Garbage Green is a difficulty ROM hack designed explicitly to be played as a trashlocke, a type of Nuzlocke challenge where players are only allowed to obtain Pokemon considered “trash” by the wider community. To make sure players are only able to obtain Pokemon with terrible stats and movesets, the ROM hack’s encounter table has been edited so that all available options in the wild fit the criteria.
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To further raise the stakes, Pokemon that get better after they evolve either have their evolution delayed to the super late-game, or prevented from evolving altogether, making the transitional phase permanent. The difficulty in Pokemon Garbage Green doesn’t come from the trainers players have to battle, but from the weakness of their own party members.
Pokemon LeafGreen
- Released
- January 29, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Pokemon Inclement Emerald
Competitive Battles Against Smart AI
- Game: Pokemon Emerald
- Created By: Buffel Saft
Pokemon Inclement Emerald is a feature-rich difficulty ROM hack with Pokemon from Gen 1-7, excluding certain legendaries. The ROM hack utilizes Gen 8’s experience share system, making training a full team of competitive Pokemon a breeze.
To increase the difficulty, Inclement Emerald introduces smarter combat AI and a forced level cap that prevents the player from overleveling. Trainers get access to better, higher-level Pokemon, complete with custom movesets designed to cover their weaknesses and augment their strengths.
Pokemon Blaze Black/Volt White
Extensive Edits For a Balanced Experience
- Game: Pokemon Black and White
- Created By: Drayano
Pokemon Blaze Black and Volt White are both ROM hacks by Drayano featuring 649 catchable Pokemon spread out across the game. It’s a difficulty ROM hack where opposing trainers have custom teams, better AI, and an overall increased difficulty across the board.
In addition, the hacks also edit stats, typings, and abilities for a large number of Pokemon, mostly with the intention of making weak ones stronger, but also nerfing some overpowered ‘mons to be more balanced.
Pokemon Black and White
- Released
- March 6, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Pokemon Blaze Black 2/Volt White 2 Redux
Challenge Mode For Experts
- Game: Pokemon Black and White 2
- Created By: Drayano and AphexCubed
Pokemon Blaze Black 2 Redux and Volt White 2 Redux are spiritual successors to BB2/VW2, which were also Drayano ROM hacks. These hacks feature two difficulty modes: Challenge mode, meant for veterans in the space, and Easy mode, for more casual players. To reduce the tedium, aids like Audino farming and leveling trainers have been added to the game, allowing players to power level their underleveled party members in minutes instead of hours.
Difficulty-wise, Challenge mode is a brutally demanding experience that requires having in-depth knowledge of Pokemon movesets, typical competitive strategies, and the most optimal means of countering them with whatever tools are on hand.
Pokémon Black 2
- Released
- October 7, 2012
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Pokemon Renegade Platinum
Sinnoh’s Most Balanced ROM Hack
- Game: Pokemon Platinum
- Created By: Drayano
Pokemon Renegade Platinum is a difficulty ROM hack by the legendary creator Drayano considered by many to be one of the most balanced ROM hacks of its type. The difficulty curve is punishing, yet fair, rewarding careful planning and strategic thinking without requiring players to constantly consult spreadsheets for the most optimal path forward.
Despite that, however, Pokemon Renegade Platinum serves as a test of skill and patience. Those who underestimate opponents or underprepare for encounters quickly find themselves on the ugly end of a whiteout screen.
Pokémon Platinum
- Released
- March 22, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
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