Pokémon Dragonstone 2 is one of those fan-made GBA hacks that actually feels polished—like someone took FireRed and gave it a fresh coat of paint with new story beats and a tougher difficulty curve. You start off in a familiar-but-different region, picking from redesigned starters (I went with the grass-type, no regrets), and right away you notice little tweaks—new sprites, tougher wild encounters, and NPCs that actually put up a fight.

The map’s expanded too, with hidden areas that aren’t just copy-pasted from the originals. First time I stumbled into an optional cave, I got wrecked by a trainer with a full team. Lesson learned: grind early. If you’ve played a ton of vanilla Pokémon and want something that doesn’t hold your hand, this one’s a solid pick.