Pokémon Throwback is one of those GBA ROM hacks that nails the classic Pokémon vibe while adding just enough new stuff to keep it interesting. You start in a familiar-looking region, but the trainers have tougher teams, and some of the wild Pokémon are swapped out for cooler or rarer ones. I remember grinding against a bunch of Geodudes early on, only to stumble into a cave and find a Larvitar—totally threw me off.

The sprites and music are pure nostalgia, but the difficulty curve actually makes you think about type matchups instead of just bulldozing through with your starter. And yeah, you can still get stuck in those endless trainer battles if you’re not careful. It’s the kind of hack that feels like the games we remember, just with fewer easy wins.