Pokemon Scorched Silver

Despite the name, Pokemon Scorched Silver is not a HeartGold or SoulSilver hack. It is a complete GBA game by Sloo, built on the pokeemerald expansion, that takes you back to Johto two decades after the events of Gold and Silver. Instead of retelling a story you already know, it writes a new one in a familiar place.

You start as a boy or girl from Cherrygrove City setting out to become a Pokemon Master. Along the way you run into Team Phoenix, a new organisation hunting the mythical Celebi for reasons that only become clear as the story unfolds. The structure is classic — eight badges and a League — but the trainers, events and post-game content are all original.

Thanks to the expansion engine, the mechanics feel modern: the physical/special split, the Fairy type, Pokemon up to Gen 8 and updated movepools. More than 750 species are available, which makes the Pokedex a serious long-term goal. The quality-of-life list is just as practical: you can run indoors, use field moves without teaching HMs, get a Black/White-style repel prompt when one runs out, and poisoned Pokemon survive with 1 HP outside battle.

Version 1.3, updated in August 2024, is the current complete release. Sloo describes the difficulty as moderate: gym leaders use items and set-up moves, but beating the trainers before each gym is usually enough preparation.

• Original story set in Johto 20 years after Gold and Silver
• New villain group, Team Phoenix, chasing Celebi
• More than 750 Pokemon obtainable
• Physical/special split, Fairy type, Gen 8 Pokemon and modern movepools
• Eight badges, a League and post-game content
• Run indoors and use HM moves without teaching them
• Black/White-style repel system and 1 HP poison survival
• Nature changer in Violet City and battle nurses in Pokemon Centers for easy levelling
• Johto music from HeartGold/SoulSilver
• RetroAchievements set available

Scorched Silver sits in the middle ground. Gym leaders carry held items and use set-up moves, so you cannot autopilot through Johto with one overlevelled Pokemon, but it never approaches the punishing design of difficulty hacks. Fighting every optional trainer on the way to a gym is the creator's own advice, and it usually keeps you on pace.

That makes it a strong pick for players who want a fresh Johto story with modern mechanics and a big Pokedex, and for people who loved the Gen 2 setting but have already replayed HeartGold and SoulSilver several times.

Completionists get plenty to chase after the credits as well. The post-game opens up more of the Pokedex, and a RetroAchievements set adds optional goals such as finishing gyms under a level cap, which turns a standard playthrough into a light challenge run.

• Use the battle nurses in Pokemon Centers to top up experience instead of grinding wild encounters.
• Visit the nature changer in Violet City once you have settled on your core team.
• Gym leaders have more Pokemon than in the originals — bring at least two answers to each gym's type.
• If you follow level-cap challenges, stop a few levels below the cap before the gym; leader teams give a lot of experience.
• Keep a Dex hunter mindset: some species are rare 1% encounters.