Pokémon Dark Rising II is one of those fan-made ROM hacks that actually feels like a proper sequel—just way harder than the official games. You start off with some wild starter choices (Dragonite? Seriously?), and the difficulty spikes hit fast. Trainers have full teams early on, and gym leaders don’t mess around.

The story’s darker too, with a weird mix of original characters and familiar Pokémon lore. Some of the dialogue is a little rough, but hey, it’s got way more personality than your average GBA romhack. And the new Pokémon? Yeah, they threw in stuff from later gens, which keeps battles unpredictable.

Just be ready to grind. Like, a lot. This isn’t the kind of game where you can coast through with an overleveled starter. You’ll actually need a balanced team unless you enjoy getting wrecked by random trainers with perfect IVs.