FireRed hack: Pokémon Elysium (GBA)

[BlackKaiser]

Pokémon Elysium​

DOWNLOAD FOLDER (Complete. Last version: 2.0.0 - 27-January-2024)
Download Part A
Download Part B
Base game: Fire Red 1.0 (Recommended patcher: upset 0.4).

Summary​

This is a game about the adventure of a 16-year-old girl from the peaceful island of Crysta. She's on a journey to become a Pokémon Champion, aiming to secure one of the 8 spots in the finals set on the mysterious Elysium island. However, unbeknownst to her, an ancient dark presence, setting in motion a plan more than 100 years in the making, will endanger not only her and her friends but the entire world.

About​

It is a story/lore-focused Fire Red hack for casual players, developed years ago (although content was added until very recently) that I decided to release it despite originally not planning to. It is a lengthy one, especially if you explore everything and follow the various side quests, and it is divided into two parts, A and B. To play it, you'll need to patch two files and use save states to continue your saved game from Part A to B (instructions can be found in the readme file that accompanies the download). Story-wise, the game consists of a prologue, four chapters and a small epilogue. Regarding its difficulty, it's harder than the Pokémon games, but most players will not find any difficulty in finishing it. It was first released on reddit and you can read the post here.

Features:​

• A mix of Pokémon, moves and types up until Pokémon X and Y. Gen I, II and III mostly but there's a decent number of Pokémon from the next generations like Hippopotas, Garchomp, Rhyperion or Galvantula (Check the online excel file for the full list of obtainable Pokémon)
• Fairy Type-Pokémon & Moves (replacing old ones)
• Physical-Special Split
• A very few story-only related fakemon and fakemoves
• Some (permanent) Mega Evolutions
• Several Regions to explore.
• Side quests that reward you with rare Pokémon, moves or special items.

Things to know - Bugs

Spoiler:

What to do:
Use save states to save your progress rather than the game's built-in save feature. This way you can pass your progress to Part B. I.e in Visual Boy Advance, SHIFT+F1 saves an instance to a .sgm file.
Save in many and different slots
Switch Battle Style to SET for more challenge.

What to not do:
Try to complete the Pokedex. You can't catch every pokemon, the focus of this Rom Hack is the story. You can ignore the Pokedex Completely
Do not release Pokémon that were given to you for obvious story reasons, as this could potentially lead to the game being softlocked. Release only the Pokémon you've personally caught using a Pokéball.

Known Issues/Bugs:
Sometimes there's a minor graphical glitch in the reflections (it doesn't impact the gameplay).
At a certain point in the game, you will softlock if you release an obtainable Lapras before obtaining HM Surf.
In very, very rare occasions, the player's sprite (may) suddenly messes up. This can be quickly fixed by entering or exiting a building or cave or using FLY. This has been fixed but there's still a very small chance you may encounter that bug.
Please be aware that there might be spelling or language errors in the game, as English is not the creator's native language!

Patching to Part B
When prompted by the game, you will need to patch Part B onto a clean ROM and use your most recent save file (saving state) to continue the story. Depending on your emulator, you may need to rename or relocate a file to a different folder.
In terms of the storyline, you must transition to the new ROM after boarding the ship known as S.S. CHALLENGER. This should occur after you have obtained all 8 badges and participated in the initial rounds of the championship at Battle Colosseum.

Instructions of how to play PART B in Android Emulators (Using MyBoy as example):

1. While playing PART A: When the game prompts you with the message "SAVE NOW", go and create a new Save State from the Menu -> Save - > Slot 1.
2. (Optional) Link your Android with a PC (unless you can rename/copy files from your phone).
3. Navigate to the folder where MyBoy stores the save files. The path should look like this: Phone\Android\data\com.fastemulator.gba\files\save.
4. (IMPORTANT) Assuming your game is named PokemonElysiumA.gba. Take a copy of PokemonElysiumA ST1 file and PokemonElysiumA.st1 PNG file. to an external folder of your PC to make sure you have a backup of them.
5. Download and patch PART B to a completely new ROM and add it to your MyBoy. Make sure it doesn't overwrite your first one. (save it with a different name).
6. If your patched rom is now called PokemonElysiumB.gba, rename the two files of step 4 to PokemonElysiumB ST1 and PokemonElysiumB.st1 PNG and place them to the same save folder (\Android\data\com.fastemulator.gba\files\save)
7. Boot the 2nd ROM, go to the menu and LOAD the first state. You should see your hero inside the ship.

Instructions of how to play PART B in iOS Emulators by user u/Grazerous

I have been able to patch it in iOS, following this: I launched the 2nd part and made a quick save state. I then, copied the save file from part A to the save state folder on part B (where I have this quick save state) and renamed the save file from part A giving it the name of the quick save from part B, which are some letters and numbers.

Credits:

Diegoisawesome for their XSE Scripting Tutorial
Haven1433 for HexManiacAdvance (godlike tool)
Alistair for various Tilesets
LU-HO's for the Advanced Map
HackMew for XSE and Advanced Trainer
Rangi for TileMap Studio
Silver314 for YAPE
Kurapika for G3T
D-Trogh for Nameless Tile Map Editor
Link12552 for Nameless Sprite Editor
karatekid552 for Pokemon Gen.3 Hacking Suite
The Contributors of Gen VI and V: DS-Style 64x64 Pokemon Sprite Resource on Pokecommunity
MrDollSteak's Sugimori Palettes: The DS-style 64x64 Pokémon Sprite Resource
thedarkdragon11's DS-style Gen VII and Beyond Pokémon Sprite Repository in 64x64
Doesn'tKnowHowToPlay for PSS
Kimonas for OWM
Unknown poster's guide here on Pokecommunity for helping me create custom moves (didn't found the post/poster, will update)
u/Grazerous and Jex for playtesting and instructions about how to patch Part B on iOS.
My cousin and my brother for playtesting
(In case I missed anyone, please let me know !)

 

[Pyxal]

Looks awesome! :D

 

[PokeTosu]

hey! I downloaded the game a few days ago and managed to finish Part A, I have the 44VBA emulator and I've tried to follow the steps to play Part B but I just can't seem to get it. I read the iOS notes and they aren't working for me, I tried to patch it but it won't match a fire red rom, I really love the game and would like to finish it! If you can help, I would be grateful

 

[Danidark97]

interesting project?
There will be a part C? Or is that all?

 

[BlackKaiser]

interesting project?
There will be a part C? Or is that all?

No, the game is completed. 😀

hey! I downloaded the game a few days ago and managed to finish Part A, I have the 44VBA emulator and I've tried to follow the steps to play Part B but I just can't seem to get it. I read the iOS notes and they aren't working for me, I tried to patch it but it won't match a fire red rom, I really love the game and would like to finish it! If you can help, I would be grateful

You have to patch to a Fire Red v1.0 base game. Upset patcher 100% works. I am aware that other patchers work too, even with the checksum failing for some reason. Download the version from this post and try it out. See if the game boots without any issue.

Now, for progressing to Part B the general idea is to create a Save state at the end of Part A (when the game requests the player to do with a message "SAVE NOW"), rename it and load it to Part B. About the renaming part, you have to know the folder where your emulator saves your game. If you don't know how to rename it to, boot Part B and quickly make a save state and see its name. Then rename your actual save state to that. Feel free to ask away if you face any problem. 😊

 

[denniswillison]

This is a great adventure game. I really recommend it

 

[johnnyslokes]

Game sucks from the very beginning. You're forced to use Cyndaquil and you don't get to catch any pokemon. It wouldn't even matter if you got to choose your starter anyways because it's the same boring grass, water, fire starters that every game has. If you look at the town map, theres a lot of empty space in the middle of the map, meaning there's not enough towns or places to go. And you have to patch 2 diiferent files in order to play the whole game.

 

[jiangzhengwenjzw]

The game looks good. But may I know the reason why you choose to separate it into two ROMs?

 

[R0guePhant0m]

May I ask why it's 2 different parts?

 

[BlackKaiser]

The game looks good. But may I know the reason why you choose to separate it into two ROMs?

May I ask why it's 2 different parts?

It's been a while but I remember that back when I was doing the development, separating into two parts was the only way I could increase the number of overworld sprites and tilesets through re-using them and tell the story I would like to. I don't remember finding a guide about how could I increase the number of these things, or perhaps I wasn't able to do it. I am sure there are many and more efficient solutions for that now. Plus, the original plan was to make the game only for friends and relatives so in my mind it wouldn't really matter if it looked as an imperfect solution.

 

[Grizzlyfluffybutt]

I have retroarch on my android and have completed section A, then proceeded to Download B. How do I then download my saved state from A to rom B to continue the story

 

[BlackKaiser]

I have retroarch on my android and have completed section A, then proceeded to Download B. How do I then download my saved state from A to rom B to continue the story

Hello!

The main idea is to rename the save-state file so it can be loaded by the second part. I am not familiar with retroarch (I see it's not available for the newer android versions) but every emulator stores the save files inside a certain folder, usually somewhere in \Android\data. You have to find your save state file and rename it so it can be loaded by the second part. Usually it's the name of the game with the file format in the end.
If you don't know what to rename the file to, a good idea would be to simply boot part B, save a state right at the beginning and see that file's name. Rename your original save-state file to that name, then start Part B and load it.

 

[Grizzlyfluffybutt]

Do I delete part a and rename part b to part a save file name..... because if I I try change it....it just says that file already exists so what do I do?

 

[BlackKaiser]

Do I delete part a and rename part b to part a save file name..... because if I I try change it....it just says that file already exists so what do I do?

Just to be sure, are these emulator saves or game saves? Did you save using the in-game menu save (the option below your character's name) or by using the emulator save states (usually by selecting a slot in most emulators)? Did you save when the game prompted "SAVE NOW"? If yes, then deleting the Part B's srm file and renaming Elysium Part A(v1.1.0).srm to Elysium - Part B(v1.2.0).srm should work. (A pinch of salt there since I am not familiar with retroarch).

 

[Grizzlyfluffybutt]

Yes I made sure ....I can do that but just to be certain....I Delete part B save file and Rename part A save file?

 

[BlackKaiser]

Yes I made sure ....I can do that but just to be certain....I Delete part B save file and Rename part A save file?

If it's like the save states of all the other emulators I am aware of, then yes, renaming it should work. As I said, I am not familiar with retroarch emulator, so if I were you I'd just keep a copy of all these files in a folder somewhere else just to be safe.

 

[albinoperro]

https://imgur.com/a/LSufBDz I made a coveru art if anyone is interested! So far I'm loving the story elements. Never played a story focused Pokémon game before

 

[BlackKaiser]

https://imgur.com/a/LSufBDz I made a coveru art if anyone is interested! So far I'm loving the story elements. Never played a story focused Pokémon game before

This is great! 😃
Thanks for the cover and your kind words!

 

[aj9730]

Just completed a full playthrough of the game and wanted to share my thoughts.
My Hall of Fame Team: https://imgur.com/a/5LkO9Xw

In summary, I firmly believe that this hack has the potential to become one of the best ROM hacks of all time. However, the overall gameplay and execution are what hold the game back significantly, moving it from potentially being one of the best to a good ROM hack.

Even when disregarding the general quality of life improvements and new modern features commonly found in ROM hacks these days, I still see some major issues, such as:

1. The need for constant backtracking (especially with no access to Fly until much later).
2. The WPA Rules necessitate frequent bag refreshing, which can become quite annoying.
3. Excessive grinding and unnecessary difficulty in battles, compounded by every trainer spamming multiple healing items, making battles needlessly tedious.
4. Excessive filler dialogue in many sections detracts from the engaging aspect of the story.

Despite pointing out these negatives, I was genuinely surprised by the quality of the writing, unique puzzles, and other functional changes within the game that made the experience engaging and allowed players to immerse themselves in the protagonist's perspective. While I didn't complete the game 100%, I appreciated the meaningful side quests across the region, each with well-thought-out and interesting storylines where player actions had a genuine impact. Moreover, for such a substantial game, I was pleasantly surprised that it was almost entirely bug-free, with no game-breaking issues affecting the overall experience.

To anyone reading this, I highly recommend trying out this game, especially if you value a compelling story and seek an engaging experience with extensive gameplay.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game and look forward to more of your projects.
Also, I do hope you can provide more comprehensive documentation, particularly for all the side quests and Pokemon locations. I would love to revisit this game and do a 100% playthrough after reviewing the same.

 

[BlackKaiser]

Thank you very much for both playing and taking the time to write such an insightful review! Seriously, if the hack is simply "good", then that's enough for me.

I'm working on a new version that will counter some of these balancing issues, most importantly reducing the grinding and adding some new things like making available more pokemon, adding megaevolutions and stories, also expanding a bit the second part. I'll consider the rest of your points too. Moreover, I intend to add documentation about the pokemon locations though I admit I'm a bit reluctant to add oa guide for the sidequests. I don't know if I should let it completely up to the players to explore and discover them rather than following a to-do list. We'll see.

Again, thanks! 😊