Pokémon Dark Diamond is one of those NDS ROM hacks that actually nails the "darker Pokémon" vibe without going full edgelord. You start in the usual way—picking your starter, battling your rival—but pretty quick, things get weird. The routes feel more dangerous, trainers actually put up a fight, and some of the Pokémon sprites got a creepy makeover (that Haunter redesign? Chef’s kiss).

It’s still classic Pokémon at heart—grinding levels, hunting for TMs—but the story’s got this mystery hanging over it, like something’s seriously off with the region. The gym leaders hit harder than you’d expect, too. I wiped twice to the third one before I caved and actually trained a balanced team instead of just brute-forcing it with my overleveled starter.

If you’ve played the original Diamond to death, this feels familiar but fresh. Just don’t go in expecting a cakewalk.