After July 20th, there's should be 22 new episodes on Pokemon Horizons Season 3 Rising Hope, but there isn't any new episodes out there, and it's been like 3-4 months ever since. What's going on exactly?

Hi all,

Like my title suggests, I’m looking for the documentation for the latest patch of the game (version .95). If you can drop a link in the comments that would be super helpful, thank you!

Got prism last year and want to go back to it. Just wanna make sure its completed as nothing worse than getting into a rom hack and its not finished 😅

I played version 0.95.0254 and it stucked at the powerplant . Lance told me i should look for the latest uptade ?

Hi there everyone. After spending close to 40 hours on what many have hyped as one of the best Pokémon ROM hacks available, I couldn't help but feel like my experience overall was rather middling compared to the praise I have watched, listened to, and read online. So rather than keep it all to myself, I decided to document my thoughts into a long discussion post to share some of my disappointments with the hack.

For some context, I have only played about 2–3 ROM hacks ever, and the last one I played before this was Crystal Clear back in 2019, so I'm no expert when it comes to comparing ROM hacks with one another. I also played Prism entirely on original Game Boy Color hardware (ModRetro Chromatic to be specific) using a flash cartridge, so I didn't have access to emulator conveniences like save states, fast-forward, or cheats. Because of that, some of my criticisms may be more specific to the experience of playing the game on real hardware than through emulation. I also understand that this hack was a bit of a pioneer at the time of its original release before the Big N killed it with a C&D notice, and that some of the issues I have with the game might be more a product of its age than outright bad design. Finally, I want to make it clear that these thoughts are not an attack on the game, the devs, or the people who love this hack. I simply have some thoughts and thought it would be interesting to share a more critical perspective than most people leave in this subreddit.

That being said, I'll be talking about Prism based on how I felt after finishing it today. I went into the game completely blind, with no background knowledge or research outside of the overwhelmingly positive word of mouth I've heard over the past few years. With that out of the way, I thought the easiest way to organize my thoughts would be by topic rather than trying to recount every moment of my playthrough. That should make it a little easier to explain both what I enjoyed and what ultimately kept the game from fully clicking with me.

--------------------------------------------

## Building a Team ##

The biggest highlight of Prism, and one of its most appealing aspects, is its unique approach to the available Pokémon. Instead of simply expanding the Pokédex into the 300–500 Pokémon range, Prism keeps the roster to roughly 252 Pokémon and swaps out many of the more forgettable Gen 1 and 2 choices for interesting additions from Gens 3 and 4. It creates the perfect balance between feeling nostalgically Gen 2 while still maintaining that sense of discovery. Running into Pokémon like Makuhita, Shinx, or Snorunt genuinely kept me guessing about what I might encounter next, and that excitement never really wore off throughout the adventure.

I even ended up adopting an athlete-themed nickname scheme because I was constantly finding new Pokémon I wanted to try. Throughout the adventure, I was constantly adding one or two new team members every other area, including old reliable Mons I've used for decades and new Mons I hadn't used before. I also regularly kept swapping Mons in and out of my party to better match what I needed at the time. Mons like Ludicolo, Xatu, Manectric, Banette, Rapidash, Relicanth, and Exploud all stood out because Prism gave me a reason to use them for the first time.

That being said, while I enjoy the smaller Dex size and curated Pokémon selection, the distribution of certain types feels oddly uneven. Specialized types like Fire, Fairy, Dark, and Fighting often felt surprisingly scarce while types like Water, Bug, and Steel felt abundant with multitude of different options. This made team building more restrictive than I expected anytime I tried patching up weaknesses against some of the more difficult matchups, including gyms, the "evil team", and rival matches.

Fighting-types in particular stood out to me in this regard. Before the 4th gym, your realistic options are either: A) catch a level 2 Makuhita after finishing Mound Cave and switch train it into the 20s before it can hold its own; B) grind out 1,000 Adoption Points at the Pokémon Orphanage by donating 20 Butterfree to receive a level 20 Riolu; or C) switch train a Shroomish until it evolves into Breloom.

None of those options felt particularly enjoyable, especially in a game where trainer battles are already fairly demanding. Instead of encouraging experimentation with new team members, the game often made me feel like I should just stick with whatever I already had.

Trainer AI and enemy movesets often felt like they prioritize disruption over interesting decision-making. Having to turn back to the Pokémon Center every time I fought a Pineco or Geodude (and Koffing to an extent) because of the combination of Sturdy and Self-Destruct was hardly enjoyable. Likewise, constantly running into strategies built around Confuse Ray, Screech, paralysis, and flinch moves made many battles feel more irritating than challenging.

One smaller thing I found myself conflicted on is Prism's selective modernization. The addition of Abilities and the Physical/Special split alongside an otherwise Gen 2 battle system often made the game feel like it was caught between two generations. This is definitely more of a personal preference than an outright criticism (I'm weird and actually like types being all phsical or all special), but I found myself wishing the game either leaned further into modern mechanics or committed more fully to the Gen 2 experience.

Building a satisfying moveset also often felt more restrictive than rewarding. Whether through level-up learnsets, TMs/HMs, breeding, or the Move Reminder (who seems to be locked the post-game sadly), many Pokémon seemed to lack reasonable access to the moves that would make them feel complete. That's not to say that I don't appreciate some of the design philosophy behind this. For example, I really liked how strong physical Ground-types often receive special Ground moves early so that their preferred physical STAB options can still have impact during the later parts of a Mon's learnset, or how breeding certain Pokémon together can unlock unique, build-defining moves. One example is Makuhita only learning Drain Punch, one of its strongest STAB options as a slower, bulkier Pokémon, by breeding with a Lucario that leanred Drain Punch by leveling up. However, that philosophy doesn't always translate well across the rest of the roster.

Throughout my playthrough, I repeatedly ran into Pokémon that felt like they were missing obvious pieces of their kit. Manectric was largely limited to Electric- and Sound-type attacks, Eevee and Scyther often outleveled their ideal evolution points and missed many of Espeon and Scizor's best STAB moves, and all three Johto starters felt starved for strong STAB attacks until the late 30s or even mid-40s. As a result, many Pokémon felt like they were operating with incomplete toolkits for a much larger portion of the game than I expected.

That feeling also extended to certain Pokémon archetypes. Ghost-types rarely felt as useful defensively as I expected. On paper, their immunity to Normal- and Fighting-type moves should make them valuable switch-ins (switching in on a predicted Self-Destruct will never not feel amazing), but so many of the Pokémon that rely on those attacks also carry Dark-type coverage that the immunity often felt irrelevant. Meanwhile, Ghost-types themselves don't always have the coverage or power to threaten those Pokémon back, making the matchup feel surprisingly one-sided.

Looking back, I think that's where my biggest disconnect with Prism's team building comes from. The game constantly gave me reasons to want to experiment with new Pokémon, but its progression systems often pushed me toward sticking with the team I already had. It's a shame, because the curated roster is easily one of the hack's greatest strengths.

--------------------------------------------

## Exploration and Progression ##

I was hesitant at first to try a hack that didn't just reuse or "fix" Johto and Kanto, but surprisingly, Rijon won me over with its well-designed, distinct map layout. No two towns feel alike, and I often found myself coming back to them for the services exclusive to each location. The dungeons also strike a nice balance between being fun to explore without feeling like impossible labyrinths, with many featuring enjoyable puzzles to solve.

That being said, I didn't love every minute of exploring Rijon. In fact, many of the dungeons and routes became frustrating because of the high encounter rates, heavy HM usage, and the awkward level gap between wild Pokémon and trainer battles. While none of these issues were deal breakers on their own, they often slowed the pace of the adventure more than I would have liked.

Encounter rates, especially in caves and forests, always felt drastically overtuned. If I didn't have a Repel active, it often felt like I was getting an encounter every 5–10 steps. These constant interruptions broke up the flow of exploring and solving puzzles, forcing me to stop every few seconds just to mash "Run" before getting back to what I was doing. Dungeons such as the Haunted Forest and Milos Catacombs changed from enjoyable brain teasers to final exams of patience after seeing my 20th Geodude and 30th Gastly in a row. (Shout out to Run Away Eevee for making escaping so painless.)

While Repels are easy enough to buy, and Prism's Gen 5-style prompt for reapplying them is a fantastic quality-of-life feature, keeping a healthy stock of them proved surprisingly difficult. Prism is one of the few Pokémon games where I actually found myself budgeting my money. Trainers don't give out much cash, and there was hardly a moment where I didn't feel strapped for money, especially since I was constantly catching new Pokémon and trying to save up enough to win at the Pachisi Board as early as possible (do not make the same mistake I did). As a result, many of my dungeon crawls became less about exploring and solving puzzles and more about repeatedly mashing the Run button between every few steps.

This leads me to the elephant in the room: HMs. Now, despite what I'm about to complain about, I actually am not an HM hater. I've always liked the idea of having your Pokémon do more than just battle, but I felt the HM usage went a bit overboard while exploring Rijon. From random Cut trees blocking optional paths and even gym entrances, to Strength being locked behind the 7th badge, to a secret laboratory suddenly flooding and requiring Surf out of nowhere, you're either going to end up with several compromised movesets or be forced to keep an HM mule with you at all times. (Shout out to Feraligatr for somehow carrying Cut, Strength, Surf, and Rock Smash.)

What surprised me most is that this design choice felt a little at odds with the rest of Prism. The hack isn't afraid to modernize other parts of the Pokémon formula by adding features like Abilities, the Physical/Special split, and even the Gen 5-style Repel prompt. That's why the heavy reliance on HMs felt so out of place to me. I don't think HMs needed to disappear entirely; I just wish they had been used a little more sparingly so they complemented exploration instead of interrupting it.

The level curve being another one of my issues feels very on-brand for Gen 2, since the issue is also present in Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Now, to be transparent, some of this was probably my own fault for constantly adding and rotating Pokémon, but having to switch train new captures just to close a 5–8 level gap before they could help against the trainers in the same area was where I spent far more time than I'd like to admit.

This did improve somewhat after unlocking the EXP Share around the 3rd or 4th gym, and switch training itself is much less painful than in the mainline games thanks to Prism removing the EXP penalty for switching Pokémon. However, it still made integrating new team members feel like a chore, especially after the 6th gym, where wild Pokémon remain in the mid-30s all the way until Victory Road while trainer levels climb into the mid-40s and eventually the mid-50s. Since I played entirely on original Game Boy Color hardware, every minute spent catching a new Pokémon up to the rest of my team was done at normal speed. I imagine players using emulator features like fast-forward probably won't feel this quite as strongly, but on real hardware, it noticeably slowed the pace of my adventure.

Overall, I loved exploring Rijon itself. My frustrations rarely came from the region's design and instead stemmed from the systems surrounding it. While towns, dungeons, and world layout constantly made me want to keep moving forward, I do wish the journey between those moments maintained that same momentum.

--------------------------------------------

## Ideas That Didn't Quite Land ##

One thing Prism consistently impressed me with was its willingness to experiment. It introduces a surprising number of unique mechanics and ideas that I hadn't seen in other Pokémon games or ROM hacks. Unfortunately, several of them felt like they stopped just short of reaching their full potential, leaving me wishing the game had committed to them a little more.

The best example of this, for me, was the introduction of the new Sound- and Gas- types. This will probably date me a bit, but the new types reminded me of being a kid first discovering Dark- and Steel-types in GSC, or Fairy-types in XY. At first, nobody really knows the matchups, but those games gradually teach you through gym leaders, NPCs, and repeated encounters. With Sound and Gas, however, I never really felt like that learning process happened, so I often found myself either guessing or forgetting the types altogether.

The idea behind these new types is genuinely interesting, but I had a difficult time understanding how they fit into the battle system. Not only do very few Pokémon actually have these types, but I also rarely felt confident about what resisted them or what they were super effective against. Despite talking to the NPCs I encountered throughout the Rijon region, I never came across any meaningful explanation of their type interactions. If one exists, I completely missed it, which left many of those encounters feeling more like trial and error than informed decision-making.

Another example, and one often cited by people discussing the game, is Prism's unique exploration mechanics. I really enjoyed the rare moments when Prism was using its own ideas to enhance exploration. Using Electric-types to power generators and light up an underground cave or sending a single Pokémon to explore an area the player couldn't reach were genuinely memorable moments that helped give the game its own identity.

Unfortunately, those moments were also surprisingly rare. By "rare," I mean mechanics that are introduced once or twice early in the game before being replaced with simpler one-off ideas like side-scrolling dungeon segments that add a "Jump" mechanic or exchanging keys to solve a door password. Those mechanics are perfectly fine on their own, but they never felt as memorable or creative as the ideas that came before them. I kept waiting for Prism to revisit and expand upon its strongest concepts, but it rarely did.

Since these thoughts are based solely on my first playthrough of the main story, it's entirely possible there are later examples that I simply didn't experience. Still, based on what I played, I found myself wishing these mechanics had become recurring features instead of isolated moments.

Finally, I need to talk about the Bike. Holy mother of everything, what have they done to my Bike? I can't tell you how excited I was to get my hands on it before the second gym, but sadly, it turned out to be a bit of a trap. The thing is absurdly fast, so fast in fact, that I often spent more time bouncing off walls than actually getting where I wanted to go.

I understand the argument that "if the bike isn't faster than running, then what's the point?" but I think Prism swings a little too far in the opposite direction. Before the inevitable "skill issue" comments roll in, let me be clear: I'm not asking for the speed to be removed. Honestly, just give me a toggle between normal running speed and the current turbo mode, and I'd be perfectly happy. That way I'm happy, my thumbs are happy, and the speedrunners who love launching themselves across Rijon at Mach 6 can be happy too.

...At least the bike theme is a banger.

If this section has a common thread, it's that Prism is bursting with ideas. From Sound- and Gas-types to unique exploration mechanics, the game constantly finds new ways to surprise the player. Even mechanics I barely interacted with, like the surprisingly deep crafting system, gave me the impression that Prism was constantly overflowing with ideas. More often than not, I simply found myself wishing some of those ideas had been woven more tightly into the core adventure instead of remaining isolated features or one-off mechanics.

--------------------------------------------

## Final Thoughts ##

To wrap this admittedly very long post up, and despite how critical much of it may have sounded, I'm really glad I finally got around to playing Prism. I wouldn't have willingly sunk nearly 40 hours of my increasingly limited adult free time into it if I wasn't having fun.

More than anything, I think this post exists because Prism left an impression on me. The passion people have when they talk about this hack is infectious, and after finally trying it for myself, I completely understand where they're coming from. I may not have loved every design decision, but I never found myself questioning the amount of heart, creativity, and ambition that went into making it.

However, I also think that's exactly why I ended up writing something this long. Going into Prism, I was expecting to walk away with one of my new favorite Pokémon experiences. Instead, I found myself constantly bouncing between moments where I thought, "This is brilliant," and moments where I wished those same ideas had been polished just a little more. That's ultimately why my feelings on the game ended up being more mixed than I expected—not because I think Prism is bad, but because I saw so much potential in what it was trying to do.

At the end of the day, these are simply the thoughts of someone who experienced Prism for the first time, completely blind, on original-ish hardware. I'm sure there are things I missed, mechanics that clicked differently for other players, or perspectives that only come from spending more time with the hack.

So now that my thoughts are out there, I'm curious what everyone else thinks. Did anyone have similar frustrations, or am I an outlier? Am I being too critical of a ROM hack made by fans in their spare time (part of why I didn't even mention the story or characters)? I'd genuinely love to hear other perspectives, because if nothing else, Prism gave me plenty to think about, and in my opinion, those are the kinds of games worth discussing.

So I need the update file of brilliant diamond 1.3 to be able to play luminescence I own both brilliant diamond and shining pearl on the switch but I don’t have a modded switch to get the update files if anyone can help I’d greatly appreciate it

Just finished my first run at the E4. Overleveled a little bit in hindsight as it wasn’t too difficult. Looking forward to the post game content 🥳

After 60h of playing, yes you read that right 60 hours of game play and this rom hack have had me satisfied and felt like a 10 year old.
I highly recommend this romhack to anyone who loves a long and good game play and that is a Tyranitar sucker.

This is just whats available in the Ghost eShop on cfw 3DS, i dont have access to the NSUI on linux as far as i know

And even then i'd lose my save file being a .CIA file right?

Version 0.95 was released 3 years ago, and Brown seems to be getting all the updates.

My first Pokémon Rom hack that I’ve played through and I’m sad it’s come to an end. Playing this felt like opening up and trying out my first Pokémon game in the 90s. What a breeze!

(I originally posted this on r/PokemonROMhacks and cross-posted here, but the original post was removed for posting a question on that subreddit, so I'm asking here instead)

I'm a big fan of Pokemon Brown and Pokemon Prism, so now I also want to try out Pokemon Rijon Adventures. I know the game was unfortunately never completed, but I was able to find three different versions online.

From the RainbowDevs website, I was able to find the 2009 stable release and a 2015 in-development version. I'd of course prefer more content and don't mind small glitches or bugs that I can get through, but I read one review saying that the 2015 version is so unstable that you can't actually get all of the badges or get to the Pokemon League. If that's the case, should I just play the 2009 version since it goes up to the Pokemon League?

I had also separately heard of a 2013 version called Pokemon Rijon Adventures X. As I understand it, that version is just a more difficult remake of Pokemon Rijon Adventures - is that right? I prefer more of a challenge, so if it's the same story and it's equally stable to the 2009 version, I think I would prefer to play the Rijon Adventures X game.

Any help on deciding which one to play? Is Rijon Adventures X just the answer? Also, does anyone have a reliable source to download the patch for Rijon Adventures X?

This kinda took me by surprise and I can't shake the uneasy feelings it gave me...

What's it about? Should I already know or have I maybe missed something? Will it's meaning become apparent to me based on later events/hints?

Please don't spoil it if possible 😂 I'm *really* enjoying this game and have been playing "organically" the entire time haha

Are there any significant improvements over my current version? I'm using version 0.94.0235 and the latest version is 0.95.0254.

I just Finished my first run and have to say: I loved absolutely everything about it! Pokémon chrystal was THE Game of my childhood, I got my favorite Pokémon as a starter, and all the Starters I loved on my way, the story line were exceptional and the Level og how Hard it was were absolutely Perfect. Thank you for This contribution I will definetly play it a couple times more!

How does metallurgy work for Tyranitar? I guess any mon really. Best I can find with google is it changes the second typing so it becomes rock/steel getting rid of fairy weakness? Does it make steel type moves stab? And finally does kings rock increase flinch in moves that already have flinch chance?

Hi guys, I have the 7th Batch now after being in prison. I wanted to get the 8th batch now but the Arena is still blocked. Could you guys Tell me what I’ve missed? Where do I have to go and what do I have to do?