As we talk about the best Pokemon Nintendo DS ROM hacks of all time, you can get ready to play old Pokemon games in a whole new way.
Yes, it’s Pokemon, but not like you know it. There are new ways to play, trainers, stats, and stories to learn about.
The retro gaming community never stops making new and exciting versions of our favorite games. They make sequels, prequels, and add-ons faster than Game Freak and The Pokemon Company ever could.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at these ROM hacks of all your favorite Nintendo DS Pokemon games that you can download for free!
1. Pokemon Phoenix Rising
Pokemon Pheonix Rising is the first game on our list of the best Pokemon Nintendo DS ROM hacks. It may also be the most well-known. This fan-made game is based on The Pokemon Essentials and takes place in the brand-new area of Hawthorne.
If anything, this game feels more like a classic role-playing game than the first two. It’s hard to believe how much thought and time went into making this hack feel like a whole new game, and it looks great on the Nintendo DS!
I also can’t forget about Mega Evolutions and Relic Forms. There are so many great beasts to choose from, like Relic Tentacruel and Mega Arcane.
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2. Pokemon Omega Paradox
Join Cynthia and Drake and go back to the world of Unova to fight against teams of Team Rocket and Team Plasma’s old minions.
Also, Team Aqua has come back together in the area and is making trouble with… the Masked Man.
The Omega-Evolve in this game is one of the coolest evolutions ever.
Choose a Pokemon to start with, fight all of your enemies, and do whatever it takes to stop the Masked Man.
This ROM hack is one that you should definitely add to your downloads folder. It has new gym leaders, new rivals, an interesting story, and over 40 new Pokemon to meet.
3. Sacred Gold Pokemon
The third on our list of the best Pokemon Nintendo DS ROM hacks of all time is Sacred Gold.
Here at Retro Dodo, we’ve talked about a few of Drayano’s best Pokemon ROM hacks. Sacred Gold feels a lot like the other games, including some of the ones on this list.
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This HeartGold/SoulSilver ROM adds more to two games and builds on Drayano’s previous hacks for Gold and Silver, which they admit lacked a little in the plot. It makes all Pokemon available (almost 500), changes move and makes the game harder to beat.
Also, since all Pokemon are in this game, you don’t have to trade with another ROM hack to finish your Pokedex. Result!
4. Pokemon Moon Silver
Sometimes, fans and developers are inspired by other ROMs to make their own. That’s exactly what happened with Quan Giang’s Pokemon Moon Silver.
After finishing another of Drayono’s HeartGold/SoulSilver ROM Hacks, Number 8 in this list (don’t scroll ahead), Quan Giang tried making their own adventure.
This ROM could be thought of as an extra for Sacred Gold and Storm Silver. It makes them better by adding new fairy-type Pokemon and updating their attacks.
We like this hack a lot because not only does it show intuition, but it also shows how someone learned as they went, thought big, and ended up with a good game.
Some might say that the people of Quan Giang are smart by nature.
5. Pokémon Bloody Platinum
For those who enjoy the spooky season, Pokemon Bloody Platinum offers a fresh take on the Sinnoh Region (Pokemon Diamond/Pearl).
It’s true that the plot is mostly the same as in the first game, but the improvements are all the result of new options that players can select.
To begin with, a new mechanic means that you can only catch particular Pokemon at certain times, depending on the time your DS is set to.
If you want to catch all 143 Pokemon in Gen V, you’ll have to play at all hours of the day.
All the trainers have brand new Pokemon, and there’s a tough new opponent to face.
This game manages to seem fresh while still evoking fond memories of the original Pokemon games from your youth and getting you in the mood for some intense battles.
6. Pokemon Dark Diamond
The sixth-best Pokemon Nintendo DS hack on this list is Pokemon Dark Diamond.
Spiky and Markitus95 worked together to make this change to Pokemon Diamond. Starting in the small town of Twinleaf Town, players look for mysterious Red Gyrados and get into all kinds of trouble along the way.
This ROM has a lot of new features that will make both old Pokemon fans and new gamers happy. It has all 493 Pokemon, new NPCs, a new enemy faction, and the option to play as one of two main characters.
7. Pokemon Silver Yellow
Pokemon Silver Yellow is a mix of a few other Pokemon games and ROM hacks.
It’s mostly based on the old ROM hack Silver Blue, but it also feels a lot like Pokemon Yellow.
In this new hack, the original Pokemon from Kanto have been redesigned, and you can go to a new part of God’s Garden.
Take advantage of Mega Charizard as a member of your team and go out to catch Mew, Suicine, Regirock, and a lot of other classic legendary Pokemon.
Not just Charizard, but all of the original starter Pokemon from the first games can Mega-Evolve, giving your team even more fighting power.
8. Pokemon Blaze Black 2
Pokemon Blaze Black moves up to number 8 on our list of the best Pokemon Nintendo DS ROM hacks.
Do you remember when we talked about Drayano’s ROM hacks? So, here’s another example of how great their work is.
Blaze Black was a hack of Pokemon Black and White made by Drayano. Still there…?
In this hack, you can catch and train a whopping 649 Pokemon. All of the trainers from the original game have had their fighting teams switched around and mixed up. This gives people who have played the classic DS game a whole new challenge.
Blaze Black 2 is also very different in appearance from Volt White 2. So, even though Drayano has given us a way to fill our Pokedexes without downloading both hacks, it’s still best to play through them both to get the full experience.
9. Pokemon Storm Silver
Storm Silver is the ROM hack that goes with Sacred Gold.
Since I’ve already talked about SG, you probably know what this hack is about and how it works. It’s harder, all Pokemon can be caught, and the story has been updated to fill in all the gaps that Drayano’s Gold and Silver hacks left.
This new ROM hack, with its scripted events and badass gameplay, could have been made by GameFreak themselves.
Plus, these games look amazing on the DS; it’s a real treat to look at them.
10. Pokemon Volt White
The next game on our list of the best Pokemon Nintendo DS ROM hacks is Pokemon Volt White.
I guess we should have called this piece “The best Drayano Pokemon ROM hacks.” perhaps next time.
Again, players can collect all 649 Pokemon, and the game is harder than before. Trainers that have been changed a lot are a big part of how the game has changed, and many of The Pokemon have been made better.
We’re talking about giving all of the pocket creatures better stats and moves, as well as giving them new personas and looks to spice things up a bit.
Don’t worry if it all sounds a little confusing; the download comes with a ton of useful guides and documents that you can dig into.
