As I’ve gotten older, it feels like the Pokémon main games have gotten worse. I grew up playing the beloved games with friends and greatly enjoyed the team-building. Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow captured a generation, with great successors like Gold and Silver changing up the formula. For me, the last installment I thought was the best and genuinely excellent was Generation V, Pokémon Black & White. I adored the meaningful and compelling story, the excellent rival, the great graphics, and the completely new roster of Pokémon to capture.

Since then, I’ve felt each generation has gotten lazier with its storytelling, or so deeply rooted in the formula that it’s become dull and lifeless. After the forgettable outings of Scarlet & Violet, I’m considering avoiding purchasing a future mainline Pokémon game at all.

Despite my gripes with the later generations, the team-building aspect of the games remains my favorite part of the formula. So, I’ve turned my attention to another outlet: Pokémon fan games. I’ve only played a couple so far in two very different genres, but they’re fresh and original. They’re creative, and filled with the love that GameFreak seems to lack in the latest generations.

Disclaimer: these fan games do not earn money for their developers. These are purely fan-made creations made for fans to enjoy!

Pokémon Uranium: a story grounded in family and meaningful world-building

Pokémon Uranium is a fan game that adheres to the classic Pokémon formula of fighting Gym Leaders and a rival team. Where it differs, though, is through the inclusion of an original, interesting story, a new Pokémon type, and more.

As you might be able to guess by the title, Pokémon Uranium introduces a new Pokémon type, Nuclear, and weaves them into the story. Nuclear plant explosions contaminate the surrounding regions, resulting in Nuclear Pokémon that add new effectiveness and weaknesses to the mix. In addition, the story is compelling, focusing on a grounded story of family and reunion. You won’t be saving the world from an astronomical threat, but that’s not to say the stakes aren’t high or compelling.

The characters throughout the game have interesting arcs and motivations. Your rival, Theo, starts out as a typical bombastic kid focused on being the best, but grows and matures into an important ally later on. The parents of both the player character and rivals play more significant roles in the story and worldbuilding. I love the idea of Rangers helping to keep the peace, and that your character starts out wanting to be one as well. It’s small details like this that make the world feel rich and alive.

The game features original character designs, town locations, music compositions, and, most importantly, many new and original Pokémon created specifically for Pokémon Uranium. Many of these Pokémon have interesting typing or specific evolution requirements, adding to the rich variety and options players have available.

Pokémon Uranium is a tough game, unlike mainline entries. Its difficulty spikes are not always perfectly balanced, but I prefer having a challenge versus simply coasting along and one-shotting everything. The ending of the game is also creative, using unique ideas and set pieces to make it memorable and on par with the epic scale and grandiose of Black and White‘s finale.

I have huge respect to the developers of Pokémon Uranium for creating a game that has challenging gameplay and a relatable, grounded story to make players invested. The game was released several years ago, but finds new fans and players to this day. It’s a testament to the quality of the story and gameplay mechanics that Pokémon Uranium is celebrated as one of the best fan games out there.

PokéRogue: a challenging and rewarding battle gauntlet to the top

PokéRogue is a new rogue-like reimagining of Pokémon that takes out the exploration entirely in favor of battle gauntlets. You can build your team with Pokémon across all nine generations; the sheer variety from having access to all 1,025 Pokémon in the franchise is huge. You battle through ten floors per unique biome, ranging from ice caves to volcanoes. There are 200 battles you must win before you reach the ending. There are ways to speed it up as you complete more runs, such as increasing the battle settings.

There’s an Egg Gacha system where you can spend the tickets earned from beating Gym Leaders and unlocking achievements to hatch more Pokémon. You can either increase your odds of getting a Legendary Pokémon (which is updated regularly), Shiny Pokémon, or Pokémon with unique moves.

It’s the egg mechanics that make the game’s customization extremely rich and diversified. In PokéRogue, Pokémon learn exclusive moves and Abilities they would not normally have access to. It makes some Pokémon that would traditionally be considered suboptimal much more viable. As a result, I’ve had the opportunity to experiment with Pokémon I would normally never use to build unique and interesting teams, and it’s been so enjoyable to explore.

PokéRogue is chockfull of rich gameplay options are incredibly detailed and thought out. It incorporates gimmicks from later generations like Mega Evolutions, Dynamaxing, Terrastilization, and DNA Splicing to keep each run fresh and distinct. The game blends original music compositions and tracks pulled from across the Pokémon franchise, including Mystery Dungeon, Black & White, Red & Blue, Diamond & Pearl, and more. It feels like a celebration of the series.

The story is relatively barebones, but that’s not to say what’s there is bad. I’d argue I was far more invested in what little was there, as opposed to be the bombastic and unrealistic stories in mainline games. It leans into its status as a roguelike and the inherent gameplay loop to create a story that feels purposeful, despite the sparse dialogue and limited storytelling.

Featuring original character designs by @pkmn_realidea, your rival is either Finn or Ivy, depending on your selected gender. Your rival isn’t a goody-two shoes, or “rival” only by name. They start out friendly enough but become increasingly passive aggressive as you progress. Then, at one point, they are silent and stop talking altogether. By the end, they become a harbinger of destiny pushing you onward to break the loop. It may not be groundbreaking, but the arc is intentional and meaningful.

If I have one criticism, it’s that runs take far too long to complete. Even if you speed up combat and bring a legendary Pokémon to carry your team, a run in PokéRogue can take anywhere from 3.5-4 hours long — and that’s if you win. It’s extremely disheartening and frustrating when a run fails at the end after spending hours building up your team.

You can argue that’s part of what makes the game’s legitimate challenge so rewarding to overcome, which I can’t deny. There’s no better feeling than clawing your way to the end of a run and beating it against all odds. It’s ultimately what keeps me coming back.

Catching the Ultimate Point

The sad reality is that the current state of the Pokémon franchise, despite my qualms with it, is successful with most players. Even changes to the formula, such as emphasizing catching Pokémon over battling in Pokémon GO! and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, were equally major hits.

But as an old-school fan, the direction the Pokémon series has been headed feels like one of corporate obligation, not joy. It’s part of why these fan games have spoken to me so much. Now, I find myself enjoying them even more than the mainline games. Pokémon Uranium and PokéRogue are vibrant and have great attention to detail that myself and many other fans of these games love.

Do I expect all Pokémon games to be like these? No, but I certainly know what I prefer. For me, the justified popularity of these Pokémon fan games is a strong indicator of what players want and enjoy. Pokémon Uranium and PokéRogue highlight what Pokémon games can be and are reminders of the series’ roots. At the same time, they refine and evolve the formula, making them superior in every way. It’s why I’ve been so excited to dive into these fan games and rediscover my joy for monster battlers, and I can’t wait to find more.

Featured image: PokéRogue (logo design by @Gonstar_)

The Boss Rush Podcast: The Flagship Podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network

The Boss Rush Podcast – The Boss Rush Podcast is the flagship podcast of Boss Rush Media and the Boss Rush Network. Each week, Corey, Stephanie, LeRon, and their friends from around the internet come together with other creators, developers, and industry veterans to talk about games they’ve been playing, discuss video game and entertainment based topics, and answer questions solicited on social media and the community Discord. New episodes of the Boss Rush Podcast release every Monday morning on YouTube and all major podcast applications like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Patreon supporters gain one week early access. Listen on your favorite podcast application or watch on YouTube!
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