Pokémon: Weisse Edition is one of those fan-made DS hacks that actually feels polished—like stumbling onto a lost official game. You start in a fresh region with familiar mechanics, but the Pokémon roster and story twists keep it from feeling like a rehash. First thing I noticed? The wild encounters are juiced up—way more variety early on, so you’re not stuck grinding Pidgeys for hours.

Gym leaders hit harder here, too. I went in with my usual water-type starter strategy and got wrecked by the first gym’s electric types. Had to actually think about team balance instead of brute-forcing it. And the new evolutions? Some wild designs—like a ghost/steel-type Porygon variant that carried me through half the game.

It’s got that classic Pokémon charm, but with enough surprises to make it feel new. Just don’t expect the postgame to hold your hand.