Pokémon Shiny Gold: Zel's FireRed Hack That Dressed Up as Johto
Before Johto remakes became a routine ROM-hacking project, Pokémon Shiny Gold was one of the most admired attempts. Its author, Zel, built it on top of Pokémon FireRed, reworking graphics, music and maps so that the Game Boy Advance engine could stand in for the Game Boy Color's Gold and Silver. A 2009 review says it was made in 2006, and credits it with being named one of the best-looking hacks of 2007 by the PokéCommunity.
Zel's own notes were clear that it was never meant to be a strict remake. The adventure adds extra battles, new areas, remapped dungeons and more recurring characters, and some Hoenn Pokémon show up in places where they are otherwise hard to find.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokémon FireRed (Game Boy Advance), imitating Pokémon Gold and Silver
- Created by: Zel
- Released: begun in 2006 (per a 2009 review) and never finished
- Genre: Role-playing game
- What sets it apart: a Gold-style Johto with a darker, autumnal look and reworked story beats
What changes from Gold and Silver
- A new rival called Carlos appears.
- Some evolution methods are altered: Kadabra, for instance, evolves by level.
- The review found that the Pokégear and the daylight system were not in the beta, and that the soundtrack blends FireRed music with Gold and Silver tunes.
- Zel also made a harder variant, Shiny Gold X, in which opposing trainers and leaders are tougher.
An unfinished classic
Shiny Gold was never completed by its author. Beta 5 is the version most people know, and Zel had planned a Beta 6 that would continue all the way to Red. A community-fixed version of Beta 5 is described as adding the Kanto half. Be careful not to confuse it with Ultra Shiny Gold Sigma, a different FireRed project by another author.