Pokemon Unbound

Pokemon Unbound is the hack you show someone who thinks fan games are just recolored maps. Skeli built an entirely new region, Borrius, with its own towns, tundra and deserts, its own history and its own villains, and wrapped it in the kind of side content you would expect from an official release.

The story opens centuries after a war that ended in defeat for the Borrian army. A group called the Shadows — a far more violent take on the classic evil team — appears to be trying to free a dark power the old Borrian king once sealed away, and you get pulled into stopping them. It is noticeably darker than mainline Pokemon, without losing the sense of adventure.

Like Radical Red, Unbound runs on the Complete FireRed Upgrade engine, so battles use modern mechanics. The 2.1 update brought content inspired by Legends: Arceus, including moves, mechanics and the ability to catch Galarian and Hisuian Pokemon. The current build is 2.1.1.1, shipped alongside Unbound Battle Frontier 2.0.1, and it is a complete game from start to post-game.

What makes Unbound special is the volume of things to do: more than 80 missions, daily raids, mining, puzzles, character customization and a custom soundtrack of more than 180 tracks. You can spend as long on side content as on the main story.

• Original Borrius region with new towns, routes and a full original storyline
• Four difficulty modes, from Vanilla up to Insane
• Mission system with more than 80 side missions
• DexNav, daily raids, auto-run and unlimited bag space
• New HM system — no need to keep HM slaves in your party
• Gen 4-style overworld sprites, Gen 5-style menus and a day/night cycle
• Character customization and daily events
• Post-game Battle Frontier, mining and legendary hunts
• Custom soundtrack with more than 180 songs

Unbound lets you pick your challenge at the start, which is a big part of its appeal. Vanilla plays roughly like an official game and is ideal if you are here for the story. Difficult gives trainers better teams and is a good middle ground for experienced players. Expert and Insane are built for people who enjoy difficulty hacks — Insane in particular expects careful team building and is a popular Nuzlocke choice.

Because the region and story are new, many players do a relaxed Vanilla or Difficult run first to enjoy Borrius, then come back on Insane once they know the map.

• Take on missions as soon as they appear — many reward useful items and Pokemon early.
• Use the DexNav to find Pokemon with Hidden Abilities and better moves.
• Raids are a daily source of strong Pokemon and items; check back regularly.
• If a gym wall feels impossible on a higher difficulty, explore side areas first rather than grinding.
• Save the post-game Battle Frontier for a team you have properly trained — it is a real test.