Pokemon Brown

Pokemon Brown is one of the oldest names in Pokemon ROM hacking. Adam "Koolboyman" Vierra first released it in January 2004 as a hack of Pokemon Red, and it was among the first to throw away Kanto entirely and replace it with an original region and story. That region, Rijon, later became the backbone of a whole shared universe that includes Koolboyman's Crystal-based follow-up, Pokemon Prism.

The version most people should play today is the 20th Anniversary Edition, launched on 7 September 2024 by RainbowDevs, the group that has looked after Koolboyman's projects since 2016. It keeps the Game Boy look and the Red engine but reworks almost everything else: maps are overhauled, the graphics are upgraded, new characters and story scenes are added, and the full regional Pokedex can be completed without leaving the game.

The roster grows to 231 Pokemon, more than any earlier release of Brown. Classic Gen 1 creatures sit alongside later-generation species, a handful of new evolutions and an original legendary. Brown also kept its own extra types — Wind, Wood, Sound, Gas and Abnormal — and the anniversary release finally gives them weight by retyping existing species: Suicune becomes Water/Wind, Gastly becomes Ghost/Gas and Jigglypuff becomes Sound/Fairy.

Under the hood, battles follow modern rules. There is a physical/special split, base stats and type matchups are realigned with mainline games and Prism, sleep lasts at most three turns, and the battle HUD shows each move's type, category, power, accuracy and PP. Modern Exp. Share, critical captures, shiny Pokemon and move tutors round it out.

The current release is v6.1.2, published on 25 December 2024 as a UPS patch for an English Pokemon Red ROM. RainbowDevs has mentioned an unreleased 6.2 update in testing, but 6.1.2 remains the latest public build.

• Original Rijon region in place of Kanto, rebuilt with overhauled maps for the anniversary release
• 231 obtainable Pokemon, including new evolutions and an original legendary
• Extra types (Wind, Wood, Sound, Gas, Abnormal) applied to many existing species
• Physical/special split, rebalanced base stats and type chart in line with Pokemon Prism
• Battle HUD that shows move type, category, power, accuracy and PP
• Choice of two main character styles on a new game
• Modern Exp. Share (100% EXP to every participant), critical captures and shiny Pokemon
• Move tutors, an in-game Move Dex and overworld Cut/Surf shortcuts on SELECT
• Gym Leader rematches with their true teams after the Elite Four
• Link support for trading and battling with other Pokemon Brown 2024 players

Pokemon Brown is not built as a punishing challenge hack. The early game is friendly, and quality-of-life additions like the Town Map in the Start menu, faster slot machines and a shortcut through the Jaeru City maze after the Elite Four remove a lot of old Game Boy friction.

The bite comes from the bosses. Gym Leaders, the Elite Four, the Champion and the Palette Patrol use Pokemon with perfect DVs, so an under-levelled team will feel it. After the credits, rematches against every Gym Leader's true team give experienced players something harder to chew on.

It suits anyone curious about ROM hacking history, fans of Pokemon Prism who want to see where Rijon began, and players who like the Gen 1 presentation but want a region they have never explored.

• Patch an English Pokemon Red ROM; the UPS patch is built for Red, not Blue or Yellow.
• Check the battle HUD before attacking — the extra types mean old Gen 1 matchups no longer hold.
• Use SELECT in the Start menu to switch PC boxes and SELECT on the overworld for Cut and Surf.
• Visit the Prism Museum in Moraga Town for clues to the seven Hidden Treasures.
• Brown 2024 only trades and battles with itself, so do not expect to move Pokemon to Red, Blue or older Brown releases yet.

Version 6.0 was the big anniversary overhaul. Version 6.1.1 (11 October 2024) fixed a bug where the new PC laptops could corrupt saves when changing boxes, and version 6.1.2 (25 December 2024) restored Pokedex completion by un-hiding a static encounter in Mt. Boulder, fixed a corrupted-battle edge case on Final Island and corrected several moveset errors.

6.1.2 also adds a stats screen before releasing a Pokemon from the PC, blocks Poke Balls against Pokemon that are mid-Fly or mid-Dig, raises rare encounters in the Power Plant and Botan City cave from 1% to 5%, and makes Tyrogue catchable on Route 54 before the post-game.