Pokemon Emerald Kaizo

Pokemon Emerald Kaizo is SinisterHoodedFigure's take on how hard Hoenn can get. Inspired by FireRed Omega and Pokemon Stadium, it keeps Emerald's story and map but turns almost every important battle into an exam. The creator's own description sums it up: the game is completely unforgiving to misclicks, misplays and other mistakes.

What sets it apart from many difficulty hacks is how the challenge is shaped. Instead of peaking early and flattening out, the difficulty keeps climbing all the way to the end. Gym Leaders each bring six high-quality Pokemon, items cannot be used in battle at all, and the Pokemon League is fought at level 100.

Despite that, the hack is designed so that you do not need excessive grinding. The level curve jumps hard in the second half of the game, but trainer levels are set so that a well-built team can keep up. Movepools for most Pokemon were altered to make more species viable, and evolution quirks were fixed: evolution stones are sold in Fallarbor Town, Slowking and Huntail evolve with a Water Stone, and Espeon and Umbreon use the Sun and Moon Stones.

The current version is 2.0, released in March 2020. It stays strictly Gen 3 — all 386 Pokemon can be caught without trading, but you have to beat the game to unlock access to all of them.

• Difficulty that rises steadily until the very last battle
• Items cannot be used during battle
• Every Gym Leader uses six high-quality Pokemon
• Pokemon League and post-game bosses at level 100
• All 386 Pokemon obtainable without trading (full access after beating the game)
• Altered movepools for most Pokemon
• Evolution stones for sale in Fallarbor Town
• Trade evolutions replaced: Water Stone for Slowking and Huntail, Sun/Moon Stone for Espeon/Umbreon
• Event tickets for legendary Pokemon
• Hoenn starters available in Evergrande City

Knowing the level curve is half the battle. These are the boss levels in v2.0:

• Rival 1: 5 · Roxanne: 14-15 · Optional rival: 14-16
• Brawly: 16-17 · Rival: 19-21 · Wattson: 27-28
• Tabitha: 36-37 · Maxie: 38-39 · Flannery: 41-42 · Norman: 45
• Shelly: 49 · Rival: 50 · Winona: 54-55 · Matt: 56
• Last rival battle: 59-60 · Magma Admin: 64-65 · Maxie: 66 · Matt: 67
• Tate & Liza: 70 · Magma Admin: 70 · Maxie: 70-72 · Shelly: 73 · Archie: 75
• Final Gym Leader: 76-77 · Victory Road: ~75-78
• Pokemon League and post-game bosses: 100

Notice the jump after Winona and the massive gap between Victory Road and the League. Plan your team-building around those two spikes.

This is a hack for experienced players. Because you cannot heal or boost with items mid-battle, every switch and every move matters, and a single bad turn can end a run. The creator warns that a Nuzlocke of the Elite Four is close to impossible without knowing their rosters and getting lucky with counter-Pokemon — though they insist it can be done.

If you are new to hard hacks, start with something like Inclement Emerald or Radical Red's Normal mode first. If you want old-school Gen 3 battles at their most punishing, this is the reference point most other Kaizo hacks are measured against.

• Use held items aggressively — they are your only in-battle advantage.
• Study each Gym Leader's team before you challenge them; six strong Pokemon rarely leave room to improvise.
• Buy evolution stones in Fallarbor Town as soon as you can afford them.
• Build toward the level 100 League early; the jump from Victory Road is enormous.
• Pick up the Hoenn starters you skipped in Evergrande City.