Dinoe's Blog

Anime Relations: Pokemon

Updated 5 januari 2025

Pokemon: you either love it or haven't learned to love it.

I've only played generation 4 and 5, but that was enough for me to love it. During the playthrough of Black and White 2, I found out that I really loved sand, unlike a certain jedi..



Not long after that, I've been getting into competitive Pokemon battling for fun. The site 'Pokemon Showdown' is a great tool to learn about battling, strategies, tiers and other such things.

I wanted to use my new knowledge during a new playthough of Pokemon. Not just any playthrough: one that was filled with love by fellow Pokemon fans who make a game together. So I've played multiple Pokemon fangames, and my experience with each of them in a SUMMARY. I'll be reviewing the following Pokemon Fangames in the order that I played them. Firstly though; you must know that there are two types of fangames:
Romhacks. A new game is created by using an already existing Pokemon game, such as Pokemon Firered. The area's you'll be exploring are either exactly the same or slightly different. The focus of this games is on gameplay.
Fangames. These games has been made from scratch. Expect entire new regions to explore, new characters, story, etc.


1. Pokemon Insurgence (a must play for any Pokemon fan with alot of content - fangame)
2. Pokemon Clover (dead memes, dark jokes and a challenging journey - romhack)
3. Pokemon Sage (demo with great looking fakemon - fangame)
4. Pokemon Solar light and Lunar dark (standard experience, only with fakemon - fangame)
5. Pokemon Emperean (absolutely NOT for beginners - fangame)
6. Pokemon Spork (absolutely for beginners - fangame)
7. Pokemon Uranium (good for casual players - fangame)
8. Pokemon Radical Red (ONLY fun for competitive pokemon players - romhack)
9. Pokemon Altered (peak regional designs - romhack)
10. Pokemon Unbound (similar to Insurgence with extended difficulty minus new fakemon - fangame)
11. Pokemon Xenoverse (feels like the continuation of generation 5 in a new coat - fangame)
12. Pokemon Void (grinding won't save you from tough battles here - fangame)
13. Pokemon Charged Red (standard experience, but with pokemon fusions - romhack)
14. Pokemon Infinity (long (post)game followed by another postgame; much to explore - fangame)
15. Pokemon Opalo (very long game with plenty of pokemon to encounter - fangame)
16. Pokemon Reborn (incredible difficult with battles in different terrains, hard puzzles and a massive map to explore - fangame)
17. Pokemon Infinity Fusion (A must-play for people that like or want to experience a game with pokemon fusions - romhack)
18. Pokemon Flux... to be continued - fangame
19. Pokemon Myth... to be continued - fangame
20. PokeRogue (new spin on Pokemon, for those that enjoy games with Rogue-like themes - fangame)
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Pokemon Insurgence
Rating: 9.1/10.
Difficulty: Easy, normal or hard (you can choose your difficulty).
Replay value: Very high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-7

This game is the wet dream of every Pokemon fan. The game contains Pokemon from generation 1-6, and has delta Pokemon as regional forms. You can compare these with Alolan forms (but this game was released first, so Alolan forms could've been based on delta pokemon). Not for every Pokemon obviously, but for quite some of them.
It doesn't stop there, because it also has new mega-evolutions for both the original and delta pokemon. Not to mention a very good story, a difficulty setting (easy, normal, hard), secret base to train and/or EV-train your team, cool new characters and multiple mods to play the game (egglock, nuzlocke, etc). I've played the game like... 4 or 5 times now, since the replay value is very good.
Now I will list 4 pokemon in the game that I really liked. It could contain some spoilers for if you want to play the game blind, so I'll put them under a spoiler button.

These are just some of the awesome Pokemon your can find in Pokemon Insurgence.

Summary:
A must-play fangame for Pokemon fans with an interesting story, new regional forms and mega-evolutions, a choosable difficulty and simply alot of fun.

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Pokemon Clover
Rating: 10/10.
Difficulty: Hard/very hard.
Replay value: Normal.
Contains only fakemon

Pokemon Clover uses a modified region and graphics of generation 3. Apart from that, the game is totally different. The game is anything but child-friendly, and thus has some offensive and dark humour. It is also full of (dead) memes, which you might remember if you're old enough and/or have spend some time on the internet. The same can be seen with the fakemon designs, because there are ONLY FAKEMON in this game. Some are downright offensive, but others are well thought-out, and look amazing.

The game itself is also challenging, with an elite 4 and champion that will woop your butt if you're not prepared. The gyms, evil team and rival battles are also very challenging. You know that when you KO a pokemon, the opponent can send out their next one while you can switch inbetween battles? Yeah... the opponents can do that to. So if one of your pokemon faint... you might end up getting swept. Feels amazing though. Some battles were even so tough that I couldn't win them with my current team. Ohh yeah; and the AI in the game is smart; they can predict your moves and switch out to another pokemon to counter yours. The amount of healing items you can use per battle is limited & you can't use revives in battle. So the idea of 'winning by just reviving your pokemon' won't work. Some people will give up playing this game normally and will cheat. If you used cheats and have beaten the champion, you'll be arrested and your save file will be removed. So... don't cheat... because the post-game is also bloody look and fantastic.

I'll be listing pokemon again to give you a general idea of the game. I wanted to list 4, but there are just too many great fakemon.... so, 5 it is this time.




Summary:
Alright, so if you like somewhat dark humour, cool/weird fakemon, dead memes and a somewhat challenging game; this game would be perfect for you.

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Pokemon Sage
Rating: 7/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Very low
Contains only fakemon

Pokemon Sage is a demo at the time of writing this. The setting of the game is in the Urobos region in Latin America. There are ONLY FAKEMON in this game, and each design looks great. The artstyle of the overal game looks amazing too. There are only 3 gyms out at the moment, which is truly a shame.

Once again I'm using a sand squad for the playthrough. This time I'll be listing two pokemon; the middle stage of one of the starters, and a very 'cool' pokemon that you can obtain early in the game.



Summary:
The game is good, but far from finished. Therefore it is good to play when you have a little bit of spare time. The fakemons look amazing in the game. The demo is somewhat of a running joke in the fangame community since people think that it will never be finished. Well, atleast it was somewhat promising in that case.

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Pokemon Solar light and Lunar dark
Rating: 8,3/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains only fakemon

This game will feel familiar to the people that have played Black and White. It follows the standard Pokemon tropes but with ONLY FAKEMON. This game also has mega evolutions which will spice up the gameplay. The fakemon art in this game isn't as great as other games (imo, afcourse), and the overall game isn't very challenging. But the game just drags you in.

I've played this game two times; once with a sand squad and once with a rain squad. The rain squad wasn't bad, but the dragon I had there could only evolve much later in the game. I'll list 4 pokemon that I liked again under a spoiler button.



Summary:
If you want to enjoy a Pokemon experience that follows the standard tropes with all new fakemon (like Pokemon Black and White), this game would be right there for you to enjoy.

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Pokemon Emperean
Rating: 6,1/10.
Difficulty: Very hard/extremely hard.
Replay value: Low.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-7

Fakemon? check.
Normal pokemon? check.
Mega evolutions? check.
New types? check.
Enemies that will destroy your entire team? ehhhm, check.
Running out of money because you spend everything on healing items and now you can't buy any pokeballs to catch new pokemon/fakemon? shit..., check.

This beginning of this game is not all that bad. There are new types besides the existing pokemon/fakemon. One of them is the Light type. There are also new regional (Omuran) forms of existing pokemon. Ohh yeah, and there are actual BOSSFIGHTS in the game. They'll sweep your entire bloody team when you're not ready. There are also pokemon fusions in the game, some new evolutions and stupidly difficult fights against cyborgs, fusion pokemon and alternated pokemon. The story of this game is also very dark, for those interested in that. With limited places to heal your team, this game isn't fun for everyone. The game doesn't have a good balance unlike the other pokemon fangames on this list. One example would be an item that NULLIFIES fire attacks. Putting that on Scizor/Ferrothorn is not balanced at all. The fusion/cyborg pokemon I mentioned earlier have around the 1000+ base stats... so yeah...

It was an interesting experience nonetheless.
I'll list 3 pokemon that I liked (or hated) under a spoiler button:



Summary:
If you want a VERY challenging game with new types, bossfights, fakemon and special items; this game would be for you. I had to literally cheese my way through the final boss... and I'm quite experienced in Pokemon.

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Pokemon Spork
Rating: 8,5/10.
Difficulty: Very easy/easy.
Replay value: Normal.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-8


This game just gives off positive fibes all the way. As your starter you can choose any not fully evolved pokemon and pokemon that can't evolve (excluding legendaries, but including ultra beasts, see the banner photo). So you can start your game with your favorite pokemon evolution line, which is great. There are no fakemon or new mega-evolutions in the game. As for the plot... well, it is too much to simply explain here. The game even tries to give every character a personality. The game has 18 gyms, one of each type. Catching pokemon, including shinies, is also easy in the game. Some pokemon (yes, even legendary pokemon) just fly into your pc when you simply defeat them.

Are you tired of grinding up for important battles? Have no fear, because the pokemon breeder is here! They are at every gym, and they give a huge amount of exp points and even money. I reached the max amount of money at around 70% of my playthrough. Some pokemon have new shinies, and certain characters have nicknamed their pokemon. Those are some neat features that give the game even more joy. There is even a 'debug' mode, in which you can change many features in the game like pokemon typings, moves, stats, etc.

Summary:
Those that seek a 'gonna catch them all' game will have a great time with this game. The game just has a positive aura around it which will brighten up your mood. It is really recommended for newer Pokemon players.

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Pokemon Uranium
Rating: 8/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Normal.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-6, only a few


Pokemon Uranium is one of the most known fan-games on the internet. Nintendo has shut the project down, which left the creators unable to make changes to the game (https://www.polygon.com/2016/8/14/12472616/pokemon-uranium-taken-down-nintendo). The game mostly has fakemon, but there are also some original pokemon and mega evolutions. Some legendary pokemon are unobtainable, some battle sprites have an animation while others doesn't have that, and some insane grinding is needed sometimes. Do you dislike Zubats btw? Yes? That's good, because you'll like them after encountering this game's version of 'Zubat' in caves. Great fun.

The nuclear plants have changed the pokemon in the Tandor region, causing them to become part 'Nuclear type'. This typing is weak against everything except nuclear, and strong against everything except nuclear and steel. These fakemons and nuclear pokemon have good designs most of the time. The gameplay is very normal, unless you're facing those nuclear types. Having a dual types pokemon will always be a double weakness to that type... so you must pick your team carefully.

I'll be listing 4 pokemon again that I liked under the button below.


Summary:
If you like some cool designed pokemon and new types, this game will suit you. Despite the subject of radiation, the game itself isn't very dark.

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Pokemon Radical Red
Rating: 8,8/10.
Difficulty: The HARDEST pokemon Romhack of all time.
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-9


"Pokemon Radical red is the hardest pokemon fangame ever" is what one sees when searching information about this fangame. The game is not for people that are looking for a normal pokemon adventure. The AI in the game is quite smart, just like in Pokemon Clover. It is however a fair game

Apart from the difficulty, the game has alot of content. All the pokemon up to generation 8, (new) mega-evolutions, dynamax battles, NEW REGIONAL FORMS and updates (stat/movepool/typing/ability changes) to certain pokemon, like Luxray who is a electric/dark type in the game. All pokemon up to generation 8 can be caught in the game. There are many different pokemon to encounter during the day and night circe. There is also a dexnav, which makes looking for certain pokemon (and grinding exp/EV's) much easier. The more pokemon you defeat with the dexnav, the more chance you'll have to obtain a pokemon with good IV's, different starting mores and even a hidden ability.

This is the team I used to beat the game with:


However.. the game has been made even harder since then.

Summary:
Fun game for competitive pokemon players that have missed the gameplay of pokemon from previous generations.

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Pokemon Altered
Rating: 7,4/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-4, 7


A(nother) remake of Pokemon Firered in which there are alter pokemon available, hence the title. There are only regional variants of existing pokemon available in the game of multiple generations. Some of these look absolutely beautiful.

There are still some bugs in the game, so be sure to save your game often. Otherwise much of your progress will be lost. Outside of the changed pokemon, some of the region has also been changed a little bit. I've beaten the game with a sand-squad and it was.. a bit too easy. Or perhaps I was a bit overleveled.. hmm.

The time has arrived to list down 4 new regional pokemon again:


Summary:
Pokemon Firered but with regional designs.

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Pokemon Unbound
Rating: 8,9/10.
Difficulty: Easy, normal, hard or very hard (casual, difficult, expert, insane)
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-8


A fangame that lets you choose between Gible, Larvitar and Beldum as your starter. The story is also rather interesting. With added missions and other objectives, you'll be spending alot of time exploring the region. It reminds me alot of a modern version of Pokemon Insurgence.

I've played it on expert/hard difficulty with a sandstorm team. I had 14 pokemon ready to switch things up against opponents. And this, was needed.


Summary:
Modern version of Pokemon Insurgence with an extended difficulty spike -fakemon.

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Pokemon Xenoverse
Rating: 9.2/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-9


This game is graphic-wise unlike the other fangames on this list. It has the gen 5 moving animations and a brand-new overworld look. It even has a cool into anime-ish animation in the beginning. The game has fakemon, new regional variants (Xeno pokemon) and a brand-new sound type. Honestly, these Xenoverse pokemon are great. And the MUSIC actually slaps in the game.

The game takes your on a journey through different culture-inspired towns, like the wild west, Indians and Egypt. The pokemon fit each region well. Your team will get somewhat overlevel near the end compared to the trainers, but this is balanced out by the fight against the legendary mon. There are some tough fights in the game, but it is not too difficult throughout the game. It it perfect for casual players that loved generation 5 of Pokemon. The loading of certain aspects of the game, like the trainer animations, was a bit slow. You can fix that by playing the offline version in your game data. The starter of your choice also has an important part to play in the game, so keep them at your side.

Listing only 4 regional/fakemon was tough, but here they are:


Summary:
A must-play for fans of generation 5 and moving sprites.

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Pokemon Void
Rating: 7,6/10.
Difficulty: Hard.
Replay value: Low.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-6


This fangame has an unique mechanic; wild and trainer pokemon scale with the highest pokemon in your team. This makes even fighting/running from wild pokemon alot tougher. Combine this with a low amount of pokedollars for repels, and yeah; you'll get a Bear Grylls experience.

Both regular and fakemon have moving sprites, which is nice. There is a new void type which infects pokemon, similar to the nuclear type from Pokemon Uranium. Puzzles are also in the game. Very clever and fun ones. Overall the whole fibe and setting will make for an unique experience.


3 fakemon is what I'll show.


Summary:
Tough and unique game that won't let griding save you.

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Pokemon Charged Red
Rating: 7/10.
Difficulty: Normal.
Replay value: Low/normal.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-4


Remake of Pokemon Firered that has fusions of multiple generation of official pokemon. Some clever fusions have been made that actually work... most of the time.

The ghost types fusions especially looked amazing, so I used a mono ghost squad to become the champ. A move tutor is in every pokecenter, which helps you with your moveset optimalisation.


Time for 4 fusions that caught my eye.



Summary:
Pokemon Firered but with Pokemon fusions.

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Pokemon Infinity
Rating: 9.5/10.
Difficulty: Normal, (very)hard in postgame due to high leveled opponents.
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-6


Simply fantastic is this game. The story is straightforward... until.. 'it' happens. Gameplay wise, it has fakemon, new regional (Egho) variants, new evolutions and more. If you are an Eevee fan; you'll enjoy this game alot

There are ingame day/night cycles that change both the NPC's and pokemon you'll encounter. Static pokemon are also in the game, some will even sprint at you for battles. Do keep in mind to SAVE OFTEN. There is a small chance that the game will freeze. Now, the postgame... is massive. Truly massive. The level cap is 150 & path to the final, final boss is tough. Forget the Elite Four and champion btw; you're taking on other important ingame characters and Elite Four/gymleaders/champions from gen 1-6 randomly! It feels like the World tournament of generation 5, only more epic.


Choosing 4 new mons was tough again, but here goes:


Summary:
Fantastic fangame for those with much time on their hands.

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Pokemon Opalo
Rating: 9.7/10.
Difficulty: Normal/hard
Replay value: Normal/high.
Contains pokemon from generation 1-8

The original game is Spanish, so some text might still be Spanish. Despite that, the game is truly fantastic. The story of the game is great, same goes for the characters you encounter. The game itself is based in the United States. The whole fibe just fits it well, from the area designs to the cowboys and natives. I had a real tough time to not change my team often, since the amount of pokemon you encounter during a playthrough just make you want to swap out teammembers. Did I mention that the game is long? It has 16 gyms for each type and actually has 2 regions in one! Alot of time can be spend in this game.

The starter pokemon you can choose are all fakemon. Furthermore the game has regional (Cefira) variants, along with new evolutions of those variants. Along with that, the game has 'dynamax' pokemon, but not really. Those have been turned into mega evolutions. Training specific stats of your Pokemon is also easy, as EV trainers are in the game, and IV candies are a thing. If you don't know what are... ehhhm, yeah, I won't go into detail on those.

Why do the regional variants of this game slap to hard... welp, here are 4 I'd like to show:





Summary:
Great game with a solid storyline and a big world to spend hours of time in.


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Pokemon Reborn
Rating: 9.3/10.
Difficulty: Hard/very hard
Replay value: Low
Contains pokemon from generation 1-7

How do I even begin to describe this fangame... well, I could present it as the 'Dragon Ball Z' of pokemon fangames. Many have heard of it, but getting into it will be tough for the majority of people. The initial setting is edgy, moody, and gloomy as you start in 'Reborn City'. An unique take on the pokemon experience. Some fangames have tried a 'dark' take, but this one feels done right.

Alot of characters are involved in the story, as you and your newfound homies will have to take down team Meteor. I hope that you're a masochist.. because the gameplay is rough. Level caps, terrible pokemon to catch & use in the beginning, smart AI to battle, but above all; new terrains. These will spicy up the experience to over 9000. Not too brag, but I know my way around the pokemon games. EV/IV training, breeding, teambuilding, etc. But even I had a very difficult time in certain terrains. This gimmick is well thought-out and keeps each encounter & area interesting.

Did I mention that the game is long? Well... it is long, and massive. The sheer scale of the map is like GTA San Andreas compared to GTA Vice city. There are 18 gyms in the game & quite a bit of double battles. Also; the chance to obtain a shiny pokemon is increased. AND the shinies have been redesigned for EVERY POKEMON! Fantastic stuff.


When it came to teambuilding, I wanted to use a bulky trick-room team. It helped alot against teams with fast, strong attackers. I'll just post some detailed stuff here about my initial and primary team, along with backup Pokemon for certain battles/terrains.


Summary:
Incredible difficult with battles in different terrains, hard puzzles and a massive map to explore



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Pokemon Infinite Fusion
Rating: 10/10.
Difficulty: Normal, with a higher difficulty available at a rerun
Replay value: high.

Does the idea of combining 2 pokemon you like just to see how it'll look, excite you? Well... this game has that. Slowly but surely; every single fusion of any 2 pokemon will be a reality with CUSTOM SPRITES. This is the biggest pokemon fangame project we've ever witnessed on the internet.

This is THE pokemon fangame for you if you like fusions. The game itself can be difficult or easy, depending on how you build your team. Many options, such as randomizers, encounter rates, etc. are also available. The story itself is a rom-hack, with some minor tweeks. But who cares; we're in there for the fusions. But, triple battles are also in the game & can be turned on in your settings. Same goes for double battles.

There is only 1 downside regarding the game; the sprites take up a lot of space & might cause problems for slower pc's.


This time I'll just showcase some pictures of the pure insanity this game has to offer


Summary:
A must-play for people that like or want to experience a game with pokemon fusions.
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Poke Rogue
Rating: 9.5/10.
Difficulty: normal-hard
Replay value: high
Contains pokemon from generation 1-9

What if a pokemon game had no walking? no story? But only 200 'floors' to beat to finish a run? Very similar to a dungeon crawling game. If your entire team faints; your run is lost. But along the way, you gain perks by trying to make your way up. Tokens (candies) to unlock a passive ability of the used mon, to buy eggs for better natures/IV's or special moves, and even cost reduction. For a run; you can start with ANY pokemon that you've caught.

Outside of that, it is very traditional. There are 6 gyms, elite four members, a champion, rival and an evil team. In classic mode there are some neat events sprinkled in. Trading with Delibirds for better items, learning your pokemon to dance (yes, really), fighting a huge pile of trash (G-max garbodor) or random training encounters. This game has it all.

Luck is a key factor. After each battle, you gain some item options. Better luck increases the chance of better items. And luck scales with shiny pokemon; each pokemon has 3 tiers of shinies! So finally an use for shiny pokemon.

You start the game by picking your squad. You have 10 points at max to spend for Pokemon. The more mons you unlock, the more choices. And using them can decrease their cost. Make your way through all 200 floors and you've won the run.

Besides Classic mode, there is endless mode. This is... endless. No gyms, only battles. And they will get more difficult each time, with every 50 floors a hard fight & every 250 a very hard fight. Challenge mode is similar to classic, but with restrictions. Only use mons from gen 2, only 1 type of pokemon allowed, inverse mode, etc. For the completion is this mandatory to beat all the challenges.







Summary:
Excellent new experience for Pokemon Players with too much time on their hands.

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Anime Relations: Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover