Pokémon Bronze (Female Version) is one of those obscure GBC ROM hacks that somehow nails the classic Pokémon vibe while doing its own thing. You start off in a familiar way—picking your starter (I went with the fire-type fox, no regrets) and setting off into a region packed with weird little twists. The sprites have this rough, nostalgic charm, and some of the new Pokémon designs are surprisingly solid for a fan game.

What got me hooked was how it tweaks the usual formula—trainers hit harder, wild encounters feel less predictable, and there’s this one gym leader who absolutely wrecked me until I grinded up a water-type. The "female version" just means you play as a girl protagonist, but it’s cool they bothered to adjust dialogue and small details for it. If you’ve burned through too many official Pokémon games and want something janky but full of heart, this one’s worth digging up.