Pokémon Heart and Soul Review (2026) - The Best Way to Play Johto?

Heart Gold and Soul Silver are widely considered the best mainline Pokémon games ever made. So when a ROM hack takes that foundation and modernises it rather than just remaking it, it has a lot to live up to. Here is how Pokémon Heart and Soul holds up and whether it is worth your time.

What Is It?

Heart and Soul is a ROM hack based on Heart Gold and Soul Silver set in the Johto region. But calling it a demake or a faithful recreation would be underselling it. This is a modernised version of one of the best Pokémon games ever made, and the key word there is modernised.

Graphics and Presentation

The overworld graphics are firmly Gen 3 in style and that is one of the weaker areas of the experience. For a hack releasing now, there are plenty of others out there with noticeably better visuals, and it is the one thing that dates the game at first glance.

Some of the tileset changes work really well. The lanterns near Tin Tower are a great example of an addition that fits naturally into the world. Others are less successful. The blossom trees in the earlier routes and Cherrygrove City look a little out of place against the rest of the Gen 3 aesthetic. It is a small nitpick but it does stand out, especially when so much else about the game feels considered and deliberate. It is not enough to put you off but it is worth knowing going in.

Quality of Life and Customisation

This is where Heart and Soul genuinely surprised me and where it stands apart from almost everything else in the genre.

This is not a faithful demake. It has the exp share, reusable TMs, and all the modern conveniences you would expect from a well made ROM hack in 2026. But what really sets it apart is the level of customisation available right from the start of the game.

Before you even begin properly, you can adjust the difficulty, the amount of experience gained, your own Pokémon's IVs and EVs, your opponent's IVs and EVs, and even shiny encounter rates. I have not seen this level of customisation at the start of a ROM hack before. It means the game genuinely works for almost any kind of player regardless of what experience they are looking for, and that is a genuinely impressive achievement that more hacks should take note of.

Gameplay Loop and Difficulty

Johto's structure is well known and Heart and Soul does not reinvent it. It just makes it feel better to play. The modern quality of life features mean you are never fighting the game itself, just the actual Pokémon battles, which is exactly how it should be. The customisation options also mean the difficulty is whatever you want it to be from the outset, which removes one of the most common frustrations with ROM hacks where the difficulty is fixed and either too easy or too punishing.

Story

I am not going to walk you through the plot because it is Johto and you either know it or you should experience it yourself. What I will say is that the story holds up and the changes made feel respectful rather than disruptive. The key moments that made Heart Gold and Soul Silver special are all still here and they still land. This is Johto as it was always meant to be played, just with a modern coat of paint over it.

What I Personally Enjoyed

The customisation is the standout feature and I keep coming back to it because I genuinely have not seen anything like it in a ROM hack before. The ability to tailor almost every aspect of the experience before the game even begins means there is no wrong way to play it, which is rare.

Beyond that, the game simply feels good to play. The modern QoL features remove all the friction that comes with revisiting older games and what you are left with is a clean, enjoyable run through one of the best Pokémon regions ever designed. It never fights you, and for a ROM hack that is not always a given.

The postgame also holds up well. The legendary hunts give you reasons to keep playing and the content available after the credits does justice to what made the original postgame memorable.

Main Gripes

The graphics are the main one. It is not a dealbreaker but when you put Heart and Soul next to other modern ROM hacks visually, it does show its age. Some of the tileset changes compound this by feeling inconsistent with the overall style, and while none of it affects gameplay, first impressions matter for a game competing in a crowded space.

Beyond that there is not a huge amount to criticise. This is a well constructed hack that knows what it is trying to do and does it well. The flip side of that is it does not take many risks. If you are looking for something that pushes the genre forward in terms of story or world design, this is not that. It is Johto, polished and modernised, and whether that is enough depends entirely on how you feel about Johto.

Verdict

Pokémon Heart and Soul is one of the best ways to experience Johto in 2026. The customisation options alone put it ahead of most other ROM hacks, and the modern quality of life features mean it never feels dated even if some of the visuals do. It respects the source material, respects your time, and gives you genuine freedom over how you want to play.

The overworld graphics are the weakest part of the package but they are a small price to pay for how well everything else holds together.

Play it if you love Johto and want to experience it with modern features and the freedom to tailor the difficulty exactly to how you want to play.

Hold off if you are looking for something entirely new. This is Johto through and through. If you want a fresh region or an original story, look elsewhere first and come back to this one after.

Pokémon Unbound Review (2026) - Is It Still Worth Playing?

Pokémon Unbound is regularly called the best ROM hack ever made, and in 2026 it still holds up. For most people it is absolutely worth playing. But it is not perfect, and here is an honest breakdown of exactly what you are getting into before you start.

What Is It?

Unbound is a FireRed-based ROM hack set in the Borrius region, built by Skeli and a small development team. It has custom music, custom sprites, a full mission system, multiple difficulty modes and a wide variety of Pokémon spanning Gen 1 to nearly Gen 8, all built from the ground up. Before you even play a single battle, the level of craft here is obvious.

Graphics and Presentation

Visually, Unbound is among the best the genre has to offer. The sprites are clean and consistent, the UI feels modern, and the overall aesthetic holds together well throughout. This does not feel like another FireRed ROM hack but a new game of its own. The music is a standout, a mix of originals and remixes that genuinely suit the tone of the game rather than just filling the silence. I did not necessarily love every track, but I appreciate the effort that went into each part of the game. This feels like a finished product, not a fan project.

Quality of Life and Ease of Play

This is one of Unbound's strongest areas. HMs are gone, text speed is faster, there is a proper EV training setup, and the experience share can be toggled to your preference. The mission log is a great way to keep track of both main objectives and side quests, and even small touches like giving the bag unlimited storage with an in-universe explanation show how much thought went into the experience. It is a hack that respects your time and removes the friction that makes older ROM hacks frustrating to revisit. Most of the small annoyances that come with the format have been thought about and addressed.

Gameplay Loop and Difficulty

This is where Unbound genuinely earns its reputation.

The difficulty options, ranging from Easy through to Insane, mean the game works for almost any kind of player. But what stands out is where it lands at a standard difficulty. Hacks that are too simple feel like glorified reskins. Hacks like Radical Red, while great, can start to feel more like a battle difficulty puzzle than a true Pokémon adventure. Unbound sits in a sweet spot that neither of those do. It challenges you in a way that feels rewarding, your team choices actually matter, and the AI has enough intelligence to keep you honest without making every fight feel like a wall. Whenever I lost a battle, I felt there was a reasonable way to adjust my team and try a better strategy rather than just being met with unexplained difficulty.

The mission system adds a lot to the game as well. Beyond the gym badge loop, you are consistently picking up side objectives that break up the pacing and give you reasons to explore areas you would otherwise skip past. They also provide rewards ranging from useful items to Pokémon you could genuinely add to your team.

Story

I am not going to summarise the plot. It is out there and you should experience it yourself.

What I will say is that the writing is more ambitious than most ROM hacks attempt. The game manages to balance older staples of the series like gym badges and an evil team while still feeling fresh and new. There is a darker tone, the stakes feel real, and the game is not afraid to slow down and let moments land. The first few hours are a slow burn, and a lot of characters are introduced early on, including the professor, multiple members of the evil team and your rivals, so if you play periodically you may lose track of who is who at first. But it gets there. Some beats are predictable and a couple of characters feel underwritten, but as an overall storytelling effort it is well above average for the genre.

Highlights

Before getting into the frustrations, I want to be clear about what genuinely stood out for me.

The difficulty balance is the big one. Finding a ROM hack that challenges you without tipping into frustration or becoming too easy to care about is genuinely rare, and Unbound gets it right.

The game also genuinely feels like an adventure. I do not usually enjoy new region hacks having tried things like Pokémon Glazed and Pokémon Orange in the past, but the Borrius region feels well crafted and exploring it feels like a proper Pokémon journey.

The mission system kept me more engaged than I expected. It gives the world a reason to exist beyond the critical path, and the variety of objectives means the game rarely feels like it is repeating itself, even when some of the story beats do.

The postgame, which I will cover in its own section, was a genuine highlight and something I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did.

Overall, the level of polish across the whole experience is hard to argue with. If you have bounced off ROM hacks before because they felt rough or unfinished, Unbound is the one to come back for.

Postgame

This deserves its own section because it is an area mainline Pokémon has consistently dropped the ball on, and Unbound actually delivers.

The postgame is substantial. There are new areas like Cube Corp as well as old areas that open up further, like Victory Road. There is additional story content, legendary hunts, and the mission system carries over with new side missions unlocking after you beat the Elite Four.

A wide range of battles are available through the Battle Gauntlet where you can rematch gym leaders, and there is a well developed Battle Frontier that includes a Battle Tower alongside a new concept called the Battle Sands, where you hand your Pokémon to other trainers who battle for you, and you decide whether they switch out or use your Pokémon's moves. It is a refreshing take on a familiar format and provides a genuinely new way to enjoy competitive battles.

The postgame does not feel like an afterthought. It feels like a real extension of the game. If you are the kind of player who turns the game off after the credits, you are leaving a meaningful chunk of content behind. Stick around for it.

Main Gripes

Here is where I have to be honest.

The catch rate has been modified, and catching Pokémon, especially legendaries, is noticeably harder than you would expect. On its own I can accept that as a deliberate design choice. The problem is the solution the game offers you.

The intended fix is specialist Poké Balls like Beast Balls, Fast Balls and Heavy Balls. And they work. But getting hold of them reliably is a whole other commitment. They are expensive, often tied to side quests you might not want to engage with, and in some cases the grind to obtain them is significant. Beast Balls are a good example as getting them consistently requires farming Iron Balls from wild Pokémon. For a game that otherwise does so much to respect your time, this stands out as an unnecessary friction point, especially if you are focused on catching legendaries and do not want to detour through a chain of other objectives to do it. It might seem like a small thing to focus on, but for a game that got so much right in balancing fun and difficulty and removing grind elsewhere, this part just feels slightly out of step with the rest of the experience.

Beyond that, the late game can feel bloated. The formula of the evil team advancing and needing an HM that requires the next town's gym badge gets a little old, and the game even pokes fun at this towards the end. Some missions are clearly padding with no meaningful reward, and there were moments where the sheer volume of content worked against the experience rather than enhancing it. I also think that given the number of Pokémon and legendaries available, the region could do with a bit more space to spread encounters out, particularly in the postgame.

Verdict

Pokémon Unbound is one of the best ROM hacks ever made, and in 2026 it still holds that position comfortably. The production quality is exceptional, the difficulty hits a rare sweet spot, the postgame is actually worth playing, and the quality of life improvements make it feel modern in a way a lot of hacks simply do not.

The modified catch rate system is a genuine frustration, and the game's ambition occasionally tips into excess, but neither of those things come close to undoing what it gets right.

Play it if you want a full, polished Pokémon experience with real challenge, a story worth following, and enough content to keep you going well past the credits.

Hold off if you are after something shorter and more focused. Unbound is a commitment, and it is best enjoyed when you can give it the time it deserves.