Pokémon Septo Conquest is one of those weird, underrated GBA hacks that actually does something different. Instead of the usual gym crawl, you're thrown into this war-torn region where factions fight for control—and yeah, you pick a side early on. I went with the samurai clan because, well, swords and Pokémon sounded like a fun combo.

Battles feel faster here, and your team matters way more since you’re constantly up against themed squads (ever fought a full ninja team with speed-boosted Greninjas? Not fun). The map’s messy in a good way—no hand-holding, just a bunch of towns caught in the middle of a power struggle. You’ll recruit trainers to your faction, steal territory, and yeah, there’s still Pokémon to catch, but it’s not the main focus.

Fair warning: the difficulty spikes hard if you don’t plan ahead. My first run ended with a warlord’s Tyranitar wiping half my team in two turns. Still, it’s a fresh take if you’re tired of the usual formula.