There are plenty of ways to revisit the Johto region, but one new fan-made Pokemon release is giving the classic region a surprisingly modern AND retro makeover. Built as a faithful remake of Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, but also as a demake of HeartGold and SoulSilver, this new project has a distinct visual but undeniably hits the vibes of Johto. Even though Nintendo has teased revisiting Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver as recently as this year, this might be the best way to do so right now.
The Pokemon fan project is built on the pokeemerald-expansion engine and includes the Gen 1-3 Pokemon roster alongside later evolutions, with some exceptions. Pokemon can also follow players through the overworld, while background Pokemon appear in certain areas to make routes and towns feel more alive. A day-and-night cycle changes wild encounters and overworld palettes, and the HG/SS soundtrack returns alongside an optional GB Player that lets players switch back to classical Gen 2 music and sounds.
Pokemon Heart and Soul: The Remake/Demake of Johto
This project, fittingly titled Pokemon Heart and Soul, is now fully complete. In it, players can experience the entire Johto campaign, the complete HG/SS-style Kanto post-game, and 16 Gym Leader rematches, along with additional story content, side content, and mini-games. The project also includes features like the PokeGear, all 92 HGSS TMs, modern Nature Mints, two Safari Zones, the Battle Frontier, and much more.
New Questions Added!
GameRant Quiz
It also gives players a lot more control over how they want to experience Johto. Various mechanics can be tweaked or customized, including, but not limited to, Physical and Special split rules, Fairy Type, Gen 3 or Gen 7 learnsets, reusable TMs, and so forth. It also includes difficulty settings, letting players change level caps, EPX gains, party sizes, and other rules, and there’s also an official Nuzlocke mode built in. Depending on how tough someone wants the Nuzlocke to be:
- Easy, Normal, or Hard
- Rules like Dupes and Shiny Clauses
- Forced Nicknames
- Automatic Releases
- Pokemon Center Bans
- Evolution Limits
- Type Restrictions
- Increased Shop Prices
- Mirror Modes
In other words, it’s jam-packed with modern features that Pokemon games need. Beyond just core rulesets, it’s worth noting that roaming Pokemon return, namely Entei and Raikou. A Kanto roamer is also included alongside either Latios/Latias. Overall, it’s clear that this is more than another simple Pokemon fan remake, especially now that the project is fully playable from beginning to end. For anyone who still considers Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, or SoulSilver among the series’ best, this offers a pretty substantial new excuse to head back to Johto.
Unfortunately, it’s unknown when and if the mainline Pokemon games will revisit Johto. Reliable leaks suggest that Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald hit the Switch next, but after that, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company are likely to turn their eyes toward Pokemon Winds and Waves. A Pokemon MMO is reportedly in development, so that may be it. For now, fans will just need to be patient.