With well over 100 titles in thePokemonfranchise, fans have more than enough to keep their hands full, but die-hardPokemonfanatics may be searching for something outside the typical experience. Luckily, thePokemonseries has an underground contingent of players dedicated to putting out their own spin on thePokemongames. These fan games range from unfinished efforts that take a few hours to finish at most to sprawling adventures that, in the opinion of their fans, rival any of the mainlinePokemongames.
DespiteNintendo’s efforts to ban fan-madePokemongames, the community is still alive and well. While many titles have been shelved following legal action, even banned Pokemon fan games are still available for those willing to look hard enough.
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Pokemon Uranium
WhilePokemon Uraniumis officially dead, it’s still very much available in the fan-made communities. Once the poster boy for all fan-madePokemonefforts,Uraniumoffered up a strange blend ofPokemonmeetsFallout, with many of their homebrewedPokemonbeing based around nuclear radiation and mutations. At the time it was shut down by Nintendo,Uraniumboasted over 160Pokemonthat were either wholly new or riffs on tried-and-truePokemoncharacters.
Before it was hit with legal action,Pokemon Uraniumwas included in the Game Awardsback in 2016—a testament to its relative quality and overwhelming popularity. Today,Pokemon Uraniumstands out as an unusual adventure through thePokemonuniverse that is still worth checking out despite its lack of updates.
Pokemon Xenoverse
Arguably the most complete-feeling of all the fan-madePokemongames,Xenoverseis positively jam-packed with unique content. The most common complaint aboutXenoverseis its cartoonish overworld, but it more than makes up for it with the number of unique characters, dialogue, storylines, and homebrewedPokemonit implements.
The most intriguing element ofPokemon Xenoverseis its inclusion of ‘XPokemon,’ which are essentially evil versions of thebest-designedPokemonout there. Like shinyPokemonin the official games, XPokemonare extremely rare and coveted by players for their unique look and abilities. With over 40 of these XPokemonand countless missions to embark upon,Xenoversewill keep fans busy for a long time.
Pokemon Phoenix Rising
Pokemon Phoenix Risinghad a huge amount of promise when it first debuted, but has since been stuck in along development cycle. It boasts smooth interfaces, impeccable sprites, and an engaging storyline, but has suffered from a lack of meaningful updates for the last few years. When compared to otherPokemonfan games,Phoenix Risingfeels most like a mainline Pokemon game.
LikePokemon Xenoverse,Phoenix Risingintroduces a whole newtype ofPokemonknown as RelicPokemon, which are mythologicalPokemonthought to have been either long extinct or merely legend before they suddenly returned to the world. Sadly, with the lack of content updates,Phoenix Risingshould be played as is with no expectations for the future.
Pokemon Reborn
There are a few things thatfans should expect fromPokemon Reborn: it’s grim, it’s difficult, and it’s one of the lengthier fan-madePokemongames. This makes it an entirely different experience than the other fan-made efforts, but also distinguishes it as one of the best. It veers away from the happy-go-lucky tones of classic Pokemon titles and instead presents a world that is darkly realistic.
Pokemon Rebornis one of the oldest fan-made games out there, but has aged well in the light of continued development efforts. It should be left toPokemonplayers expecting a bit of a challenge, but is not nearly as difficult as it once was.
