Pokémon Dreamland is a Gold hack that throws you into Johto with a bunch of wild twists—new Pokémon, redesigned maps, and some seriously tough trainers. At first, it feels familiar, but then you run into a Houndour before the first gym and realize this isn’t your usual playthrough.

The sprites are cleaner, routes have little surprises tucked away, and the level curve actually makes you think before charging into battles. I got wrecked by a random trainer with a fully evolved starter before Falkner, which… yeah, that set the tone. If you’ve burned through Gold a dozen times, this keeps it from feeling stale.

Just don’t expect a walk in the park—some of those gym rematches are brutal.