Pokémon Valiant is the old-school Poké-RPG we've been waiting for

The world of Pokémon ROM hacking is flourishing currently, with lots of new community creators entering the space to create their own adventures based on old Pokémon games.

Pokémon Valiant is on such ROM hack, and it’s exciting fans who enjoy wandering off the path set by Game Freak and Nintendo, and into the weeds where wild new Pokémon exist.

Before we talk about this game, you should know what a ROM hack is.

A ROM hack is a fan-made project that takes the data from an original Pokémon game cartridge and modifies it, or hacks it, completely overhauling the programming inside.

These can then be played on emulators, so there are lots of rules and regulations around how to obtain a ROM hack legally.

Once you’ve navigated these, there’s a world of new Pokémon adventures to be played.

Pokémon Valiant is a project from a small team, which builds off of Pokémon Emerald, and follows a young trainer investigating the origins of Celebi’s powers.

Of course, you’ll start out by choosing your partner Pokémon and venture out into a new region called Lavan, before travelling to Hoenn to take on new challenges and beat gym leaders.

Unsurprisingly, there’s a nefarious organisation called Team Smash who wants to get their hands on Celebi to use its powers and take over the world.

The game is currently in beta, and features around 20–40 hours of casual play, with one Pokémon League to play through as part of the story.

So far, fans are enjoying the new adventure on familiar ground, and the trailer is showing newcomers a great deal about what’s in store.

As the beta expands, more and more players will be leaving feedback for the creative team, and the ROM hack will continue to develop, so it’s well worth jumping on now to see it grow.