Pokémon Quartz: The Spanish-Born Ruby Hack With a Pokédex of Its Own
Long before huge decomp projects, there was Pokémon Quartz. It was made by a PokéCommunity member known as Baro on top of Pokémon Ruby. A fan retrospective says work began in 2004 and wrapped up in 2006, which makes it one of the earliest completed Game Boy Advance hacks. It is also remembered as the first hack to replace the whole Pokédex with fan-made creatures, the "fakemon" that have since become a staple of the scene.
The game moves the action to Corna, a region whose layout is almost identical to Hoenn's, with a few extra areas. You play a trainer who has left Saffron City to help Professor Baro study the strange new Pokémon living there. Our product description adds the heroes Ran and Joseph and a secret organisation that wants to awaken the legendary Kaosune.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokémon Ruby (Game Boy Advance)
- Created by: Baro
- Released: completed in 2006
- Genre: Role-playing game
- What sets it apart: an entire roster of original Pokémon in a new region
Why people still talk about it
- The hack was written in Spanish originally, and the English text is a rough translation, so early English copies are known for spelling and grammar slips that improve as the game goes on.
- It includes strong language and adult themes that no official Pokémon game would allow.
- Unlicensed bootleg cartridges of it circulated for years, and a forum post from 2010 still notes pirated copies for sale online.
- Its reputation grew largely through a long-running Let's Play by a Something Awful user known as Zorak.
- Its legacy lives on in later fan versions, including Pokémon Quartz DX and Pokémon Ultra Quartz.