Pokémon Sunset Is An All-New 2D RPG You Can Play Now

Pokémon has evolved so many times over its existence; it’s staggering. Not to mention the droves of spinoffs that switched genres on us countless times; each Generation brings something different to the table, even if it’s a new gimmick.

The regional shifts are core to the series’ magic, whisking us away to a new zone with each mainline entry and introducing new characters to meet and drama to solve. If you’ve been wanting to go back to one of the first regions and see it through different eyes, you’re in luck. Thanks to a tip on Reddit, we have an idea of what Pokémon Sunset will entail and how to play it.

Live now in 1.0, you can find Pokémon Sunset Edition, which includes new “Sunset Forms” of existing Pokémon, based on a foundation of a version of LeafGreen, the first Generation remake:

“Pokémon Sunset is a fanhack based off of LeafGreen 1.1. It’s a ‘vanilla++’ binary hack made with Hex Maniac Advance. This is my personal homage to my favorite childhood game on the Game Boy Advance. The design philosophy of this hack is to improve difficulty, replayability, and Pokémon variety without changing the core system of what made the game fun as a kid.

Some Pokémon have been changed into new sunset forms… Keeping with the theme, there are more ghost and dark types overall. More about design changes can be found on the FAQ tab. This hack should be approachable to everyone in the Pokémon community that grew up playing Pokémon. It is harder, but it’s not a challenge hack.”

“Pokémon Sunset is a fanhack based off of LeafGreen 1.1. It’s a ‘vanilla++’ binary hack made with Hex Maniac Advance. This is my personal homage to my favorite childhood game on the Game Boy Advance. The design philosophy of this hack is to improve difficulty, replayability, and Pokémon variety without changing the core system of what made the game fun as a kid.

Some Pokémon have been changed into new sunset forms… Keeping with the theme, there are more ghost and dark types overall. More about design changes can be found on the FAQ tab. This hack should be approachable to everyone in the Pokémon community that grew up playing Pokémon. It is harder, but it’s not a challenge hack.”

To clarify, the creator has an in-depth FAQ explaining that the game is harder than the Vanilla edition of Pokémon LeafGreen, but it’s also “just enough to challenge you” on a casual playthrough, so you won’t sweep every gym in a single attempt. If you’re a Pokémon veteran, they note that you may have less trouble.

For quality-of-life, you start the game with running shoes, Poké Balls, and the Pokédex in hand, skipping the tutorial for catching creatures entirely. The start is sped up in general, getting you into the action faster. HMs are still required throughout the game (including Surf, Cut, Fly, and Strength).

“Lots of maps” have been updated to keep players on their toes, but the core layout of Kanto is the same to preserve the classic experience. However, more Legendaries are hidden on the Kanto map, and one “totally new” locale has been added. Amazing, “most” of Generations 1 and 2 are in, along with some Gen 3 characters like Seedot. “Some” classic Pokémon aren’t in, like Nidoran, Rattata, and Pidgey.

If you aren’t a fan of the concept, you can rejoice that there are no “Fakémon” in the game, though custom forms with new types and sprites are included to shake things up. There isn’t post-game content yet beyond the Elite Four, but the team has “plans to add some.”

For all classic Pokémon fans, especially if you’re into the fabulous Generation 1 era that started it all, there’s a lot to dig into here with Pokémon Sunset.