Pokémon Jade is one of those obscure GBC ROM hacks that somehow nails the classic Pokémon feel while adding its own weird little twists. You start off in a familiar way—picking your starter, battling early trainers—but then things get interesting with custom sprites, new areas, and even some fakemon mixed in. The difficulty’s a bit higher than the official games, so don’t expect to breeze through with just your starter.

I remember getting stuck in the second gym for way too long because my team wasn’t balanced right. The sprite work’s actually pretty solid for a fan game, though some of the new Pokémon designs are… let’s just say an acquired taste. If you’ve burned through the mainline games and want something that feels nostalgic but fresh, this one’s worth digging up.