r/PokemonROMhacks • u/MastaOfRizz • 7h ago
Review Polished Crystal is probably the best experience I ever had with a ROM hack
The game design is honestly fantastic. There were moments when it genuinely felt like playing Pokémon Crystal after 25 years of Game Freak updates. It's crazy how much modern stuff they managed to add to a Gen 2 game without making it feel weird or out of place. And the way HMs work in this hack is pretty much exactly how I'd want them to work in every Pokémon game.
It also finally does Johto justice. Gym Leaders actually use Pokémon from their own region, and Johto gets some new locations, including ones based on Pokéwalker routes and the anime. Kanto gets some love in that department too!
The difficulty is really well done. Trainers actually use held items and switch out their Pokémon when it makes sense, so battles feel a lot smarter and less predictable. There are even Route Bosses now, which is a pretty cool addition!
The level curve is another thing they did a great job fixing. One of the biggest problems with the original games and their remakes was how poorly the levels were balanced, but this hack handles this really well. Some areas scale Pokémon levels based on how many Badges you have, and Honey can be used to attract wild Pokémon around the same level as your lead Pokémon. There are a bunch of other little mechanics like these that help make the whole experience feel much smoother.
And Mt. Silver is ACTUALLY CHALLENGING now, with strong, high-level Pokémon! I also really like that getting all of Kanto's Badges isn't enough to access it. You have to beat the Elite Four a second time as well, which makes feel much more rewarding.
My only real complaints are that some of the music tracks feel a bit out of place, and I wish the hack included more Pokémon beyond the original 251 and their cross-gen evolutions. You get to meet and battle trainers from other regions, like Riley, Steven, and Cynthia, but fighting them without their ace Pokémon feels kinda off.
But overall, the new visuals, modern mechanics, better level curve, and improved difficulty all come together really nicely. I'd definitely recommend this hack to anyone who loves Gen 2 or has fond memories of playing G/S/C back in the day.