Pokémon Expert Emerald is a souped-up version of the classic Hoenn adventure, but with way more bite. The first thing you'll notice? Wild Pokémon hit harder, gym leaders actually strategize, and that early-game Poochyena might just wreck your whole team if you're not careful. I went in thinking it'd be a nostalgia trip—ended up sweating through every trainer battle.

They didn't just crank up the difficulty though. There's new movesets, better AI, and some quality-of-life tweaks that make grinding less painful. Still, good luck beating Norman's Slaking without a solid plan—that thing wiped me three times before I caved and trained up a Ghost-type. The post-game's beefed up too, so don't expect to breeze through the Battle Frontier like in the original.

If you've played Emerald to death and want it to actually fight back, this romhack delivers. Just maybe keep a backup save before challenging Winona.