Pokémon Unbound: Skeli's Years-Long Journey Into Borrius
Few fan games of the FireRed era grew as large as Pokémon Unbound. Its creator, Skeli, started work in 2016, declared the main game complete on 2 December 2020, and followed it with a big 2.0 update on 19 December 2021. It is built on the Pokémon FireRed base with a custom engine, the Complete FireRed Upgrade (CFRU), that Skeli also wrote and that lifts the old GBA code toward later-generation battle rules.
The setting is Borrius, an original region shaped by a war that ended with an uneasy peace. The story is darker and more complicated than the usual Pokémon fare, with two rival villainous groups, the Shadows and the Light of Ruin.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokémon FireRed (Game Boy Advance), with the CFRU engine
- Created by: Skeli
- Released: main game completed December 2020; version 2.0 in December 2021
- Genre: Role-playing, creature collecting
- What sets it apart: a new region and a modernised battle system with Pokémon from Generations I to VII
What makes it worth playing
- Battle mechanics from later generations, including Mega Evolution and Dynamax.
- Difficulty options from Easy to Insane, plus a mission list with over 80 entries.
- Quality-of-life changes: running, the DexNav, plenty of bag space and a reworked HM system so you do not need a designated HM carrier.
- A custom soundtrack of more than 180 tracks and Gen 4-style overworld sprites, with a day and night cycle.
- A post-game with battle facilities, raids and nearly every legendary Pokémon up to Gen 8.
Reception
The Retro Dodo reviewer called it ambitious and worth your time, and suggested it could be one of the best GBA hacks, while noting that its tone sometimes leans edgier than a mainline Pokémon game would.