A town center and fountain in Pokemon Burning ScalesGame Freak/Benitex
By
James Lynch
Published Mar 1, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.
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Game Freak might still be releasing new Pokémon games with relatively impressive regularity (there are certainly other developers out there that could take note), but in the gap between major arrivals, it's nice to have something else to do in the franchise that we might not have experienced before.
That's where ROM hacks come into play, adapting older games in the series (often beyond recognition) to create entirely new projects that really do show just how much potential Pokémon has as a franchise.
Which you'll prefer likely comes down to how different you want it to be from the original game that it's based on and which Generations you prefer, but there's a little something out there for everyone, including one that draws upon more than a little bit of the ever reliable Zelda.
Pokémon Meets Zelda In Burning Scales
An arena in Burning ScalesGame Freak/Benitex
Pokémon Burning Scales is a fan-made RPG created using Pokémon Essentials and RPG Maker that brings a heavy narrative focus to the series, with games like Skyrim, Zelda, Baldur's Gate III, and The Witcher III serving as inspiration (according to the developer).
Whilst that means it isn't technically a ROM hack, it has all the hallmarks of one, providing a game that's rooted in the ethos of the earlier games, but with the quality-of-life features and mechanics that modern players expect.
The fan game features a relatively small open world that goes for density over wide spaces for players to explore, with a bunch of side quests and NPCs that really make everything come to life.
Whilst there are plenty of different individual stories to explore, there is a main narrative, in which you will play as Nathan, an, "experienced trainer who is assisting Professors Oak and Juniper in their investigation of an unknown form of Pokémon." It's a compelling premise, and one which opens up significantly as you work through the tale.
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Join the newsletter for curated coverage of Pokémon fan projects, ROM hacks, and 30th-anniversary coverage. By subscribing you'll get in-depth features, standout fan-game recommendations, and guided picks to discover community creations. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.All told, the main quest runs for an impressive 5+ hours, with another 10+ hours of questing to be done alongside it. Additionally, it includes Pokémon up to Gen VIII, as well as level scaling, difficulty settings and a whole lot more.
Pokémon's 30th Anniversary Is Upon Us
Pokemon 30 anniversary logo featuring pikachu
Outside of that, it's an exciting time to be a Pokémon fan more generally, with the 30th Anniversary celebrations now upon us. Make sure to keep an eye on everything that Game Freak and Nintendo put out in the coming months, because there are plenty more surprises and announcements on the way for long-time supporters of the franchise.
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Pokémon
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-Y7 Animation Adventure Anime Fantasy Release Date 1997 - 2023 Network TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC Directors Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Egami, Makoto Sokuza, Bjarne Heuser, Naoki Murata, Kenichi Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano Writers Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku Franchise(s) PokemonCast
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Rica Matsumoto
Satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
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Subscribe for exclusive looks at Pokémon fan games
Join the newsletter for curated coverage of Pokémon fan projects, ROM hacks, and 30th-anniversary coverage. By subscribing you'll get in-depth features, standout fan-game recommendations, and guided picks to discover community creations. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. Trending Now
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