Shin (真) – The kanji for “true”. Used in Japanese media to denote a remastering, updated retelling , or a “true form” of something.

Started in 2018 by a secret cabal of ancient Pokemon nerds, Shin Pokemon is an enhancement ROM hack of Pokemon Red & Blue that aims to be the ultimate remaster fans never got. It is a mostly-vanilla hack that focuses on fixing game engine bugs and oversights from the original game. Additionally, trainer AI routines are improved and multiple quality-of-life enhancements have been added. It also acts as a kind of research-informed speculative work that interprets what the 2016 Nintendo Virtual Console re-release of Gen-1 Pokemon could have been. It is the image of a glitch-free experience with player-friendly goodies and enhancements common to other modern remasterings.

#Summary

Lite features for a cleaned-up purist experience

Over 200 bugs, glitches, oversights, and text errors of all sorts have been fixed!
There are too many to enumerate in a simple summary, and some of them are very obscure or previously undiscovered.

Includes english builds of Green and Red-JP.
It swaps the graphics, Cerulean Cave layout, and a few lines of text to replicate the original japanese releases.
The original release pokedex entries have been adapted from the Fire Red translations.
It also has all the pokedex data in metric.

Includes an english build of Blue-JP version.
It swaps prizes, trades, wild encounter data, and some text to replicate the original japanese release.
It also has all the pokedex data in metric.

Engine features from USA Yellow version have been backported.
No more duochrome! Yellow’s color scheme gets converted to display on the Gameboy Color.
Attack animations are colored according to type during Gameboy Color play.
Yellow’s audio engine is backported for stereo sound support.

New options that can be toggled! Hit SELECT on the options screen to see an extra options menu.
– Cycle through audio types.
– Playing in GBC mode on a backlit LCD screen?
– Press SELECT at the copyright screen to activate color correction.
– Or activate it in the extra menu
– Experimental 60FPS Mode
– Zero-Delay Text
– Hard Mode
– AI Trainer Switching

The hard mode option increases difficulty by making the stats of trainer pokemon more on your level.
It also doubles the effect of the X-stat items that AI trainers are fond of.
And it disallows the use of Revive items in battle.
Non-link battles will use the Stadium 1 critical hit chance formulas.
Finally, it makes catching a wild Mewtwo more challenging.

Trainer AI has been improved and greatly expanded.
Some trainers will even try to switch pokemon intelligently if you haven’t disabled it in the extra options menu.

You get notified when a box is filled (either via catching or depositing a pokemon).

Switching out of a trapping move wastes the trapper’s turn as per Pokemon Stadium.
This prevents unbeatable AI scenarios as well as a PP underflow glitch.

Rage is limited to 2-3 turns but attack boosts are kept.
This is primarily to prevent infinite battle loops.

Sleep does not prevent choosing a move, and the move is used upon waking up.
To maintain sleep move accuracy, sleep starts with a counter of at least 2.
And Rest now sets the sleep counter to 3.

Master features that go beyond engine modifications and fixes

All 151 pkmn are available in one version including trade evolutions (rarities may vary per version).

You can play as a boy or a girl.

There’s an EXP bar in battle.

You can hunt for shiny pokemon, and they are valid with Gen 2 games.

No more grinding wild pokemon. Nearly all trainers can be rematched just by talking to them once or twice.

You can choose RUN while holding SELECT in trainer battles to forfeit the match and black yourself out.

There is a built-in nuzlocke mode that can be toggled from the extra options menu.

The girl in Oak’s lab toggles wild pokemon randomization.
If activated early enough in the game, your starter pokemon choices are randomized as well.

The AREA function of the PokeDex now takes the Super Rod into account.
It will also notify you if the Pokemon you are referencing is available in the immediate vicinity.
It even works with the randomizer active.

One of the aides in Oak’s lab toggles scaling of trainer rosters to your level (evolving them if applicable).

As an alternative to trainer scaling, there is now an obedience level-cap that can be toggled in the extra options menu.
While active, the current maximum obedience level will display in the extra options menu.
All pokemon, not just trades, will start to disobey if over the displayed level cap.

The other aide in Oak’s lab toggles a pokeball-caught symbol in battle after obtaining the pokedex.
To help with Gen 2 interaction, this also applies a gender symbol to species that can be male or female.

Another aide npc is in the Viridian pokemon center. He will toggle on/off randomization of non-special trainers.

An aide is in the Celadon Diner. He will toggle on/off a catch-up EXP boost function for under-leveled pokemon.

Item, Sleep, Freeze, Trapping, and Hyper Beam clauses can each be toggled by the Clause Brothers in Viridian City.

The bag now supports an additional item list for an extra 20 slots of space!
Press START on the bag menu to hot-swap the item list that populates the active bag.
The game’s systems will generally detect items in the non-active bag space.
Unique systems, such as Pokemon Stadium, will only recognize the active bag’s item list.

Hold SELECT and press START while on the bag menu or PC item box menu to auto-sort your items.

The itemfinder now points you in the right direction.
You can always hold SELECT while choosing to USE it to get its original function back.

Each pokemon on your team has a field move slot.
These slots can temporarily hold a HM move for overworld-use only.
No longer do you have to sacrifice one of your four moves for a HM move.

An experimental New Game+ has been added.
It can be enabled if you have an uncorrupt save file wherein the Elite 4 have been beaten.
Press and hold SELECT while choosing New Game; a jingle confirms activation.

The Cinnabar Lab allows for cloning and genetic modification of pokemon.
It does this by mixing their DVs as of they were akin to genes and alleles.
This replicates the ability to do selective breeding for DVs in a way that’s more realistic.

Lots of quick-key features.
– Quick ‘Owned’ Check – Place the cursor over FIGHT and press Select to play the enemy ‘mon cry if it’s already owned.
– Softlock Warp – Instantly teleport back to your mom’s house if you get stuck.
– Running Shoes – Hold B to double your speed when walking, surfing, and biking. Includes proper animation speed-up!
– Quick HM Use – Press SELECT to use HMs based on proper context.
– Quick Bike/Rod – Press SELECT while holding A to automatically get on/off your bike or use the best rod in your inventory.
– View Stat EXP – Hold SELECT and enter the status screen to print a ‘mons stat exp.
– View DVs – Hold START and enter the status screen to print a ‘mons DVs.
– View Shiny Palette – When playing in color, hold SELECT when choosing a ‘dex entry to load the shiny palette.

New NPCs!
– The move relearner and deleter is in Saffron City.
– An NPC in the Celadon Hotel will pay COINS for showing him pokemon as an alternative to slots.
– A new drink stand on the route 19 beach sells vending machine drinks.
– After the Elite-4, one of the rocket grunts in Celadon City will sell coins in bulk.
– After the Elite-4, a new vendor opens up in Celadon allowing the purchase of normally unique items.
– After the Elite-4, there is an NPC in the east-west underground path that generates random trainer battles.
– After the Elite-4, there is an NPC in the north-south underground path that generates mirror matches.
– After the Elite-4, the game corner chief will buy pokemon from the player.
– There’s a tournament being held in the SS Anne’s kitchen after the Elite-4 are beaten. Yes, the ship returns!
– Added some special post-game trainer battles as fun little easter eggs. Can you find and defeat all five?

Changes to fishing!
– All rods have an expanded level range.
– The Old Rod has an expanded ‘mon list.
– The Good Rod has an expanded ‘mon list.
– The Route 12 Fishing Guru can be visited upon first reaching Lavender Town.
– The locations of the Good and Super Rod have been swapped.

Other minor changes to lessen annoyance.
– Low HP alarm only plays three times then turns itself off.
– TMs and HMs now have their move names (albeit abbreviated) appended to the item names.
– All TMs can be repurchased as they are strategically scattered across all the Kanto pokemarts.
– The safari zone mechanics run off level instead of speed, and safari balls have a boosted catch rate.
– Slot machines are a little more lucky, so now you can actually win big.
– CUT is not needed to get to Lt. Surge and Erika (a blocking event replaces the Vermilion shrub).
– Yellow version learnsets have been integrated, and stone evolutions gain back some level-up moves.
– Trapping moves play a ‘poof’ animation on the move’s final turn in order to inform the player.
– A recalibrated daycare gives experience points scaled to your gym progress.
– The daycare lets you select moves to forget (if any) upon retreiving your pokemon.
– Retrieving a daycare pokemon that could have evolved via level will trigger evolution and learn any missed-out moves.

Cheats and Secrets!
– A pokemon with Pay Day in your top slot might come in handy at the Game Corner.
– New item, the M.GENE! Could it give low-DV pokemon a boost?
– Max-out your pokemon’s hidden potential with the MIST STONE.
– Five post-game special trainers to find and defeat! What may reappear when they are all defeated?
– If a level-100 Chansey leads your party, you are bound to have some lucky encounters.
– New Super Boss: Do you dare to activate Missingno at the Cinnabar shore? Only if you got your ‘dex diploma.
– New Super Boss: Missingno not hard enough for you? Try activating it at the infamous Seafoam shore!
– The SS Anne has a post-game tournament. Try winning with a pikachu in your party.
– And several others!

# Patch Info

Grab the patch file of the version you want and apply it to the correct USA rom. The BPS patch format will not let you make a mistake.
– The “_origback” patches are alternatives for red & blue that keep the original back sprites for those that prefer them.
– Red patches are applied to a USA Red ROM.
– Blue and Green patches are applied to a USA Blue ROM.

# Feature Guide

Read the “Guide to New Player Functions” for instructions on all the new stuff the player can do.

Don’t like the non-vanilla changes? Prefer only the bugfixes and AI improvements? Then the Lite patches are what you want.

# Compatibility

Hardware Compatibility
– Compatible with original Gameboy hardware (DMG, Super, Pocket, Color, Advance, SP)
– Potentially compatible with Pokemon Stadium 1 & 2 (GB Tower will only work in Stadium 2)
– Might be possible to use a save from vanilla USA red/blue with this rom hack (save in RED’s house before transferring over)

Emulator Compatibility
– Use an accurate emulator. BGB on windows is preferred for its accuracy and debugging tools.
– Inaccurate emulators like Visual Boy Advance and Goomba have known issues.

# Bug Reports or Suggestions

Please make an effort to create an Issue Ticket on the project page of the source code URL. It helps keep track of everything and gives visibility to known issues.

# Change Log
v1.24.6
– Bugfixes:
– Fixed an issue with the title menu becoming dark when saving in rock tunnel
– Fixed desync problem during link battles with Rage, Thrash, and trapping moves
– The ‘bwoop’ sfx now plays when registering pokemon with short names like “Onix”
– Fixed wrong color palette being loaded for player back sprite tiles during screen shake animation
– Fixed an oversight where the player does not face the Viridian Gym door during the message saying it’s locked
– Fixed missing punctuation in Oak’s pokedex evaluation
– Corrected the text in green & red-jp pokedex entries
– Fixed a bug in the AI that caused trainers to use poison-effect moves inaccurately
– Fixed full randomization option not activating
– Fixed debug damage display not updating properly for some static damage moves
– Fixed a minor bug when blacking out of the SS Anne post-game tournament
– Fixed some oversights with the joke dittos that can be fished in unknown dungeon 3
– Cannot toss balls if the wild pokemon is above the level cap
– Made ReadSuperRodData a predef and made it so the Unknown Dungeon 3 fishing data reverts if the randomizer is on
– Fixed a problem with undergoing multiple evolutions when taking a pokemon out of the daycare
– Fixed a problem where the Trapping Move Clause reads the move effect from the previous round instead of the current round
– Wild pokemon randomizer will no longer swap a species with itself
– Sprites will not cover the move list when forgetting moves at the daycare
– Fixed Full Restores undoing burn/paralysis stat changes when healing a non-active pokemon
– The rocket grunt in Cerulean city has a minor fix to the timing of when its sprite disappears
– Fixed the cloning feature in Cinnabar Lab handling the charging of money incorrectly

– Features:
– PokeDex Area enhancements
– The AREA function of the PokeDex now takes the Super Rod into account
– It will also notify you if the Pokemon you are referencing is available on the currently loaded map
– If available on the current map, it will notify you if it can be found by walking, surfing, or by super rod
– The Cerulean Cave is an “unknown dungeon” so…
– Nest icons will not display for this location
– But the notification for the current map will still function
– Psywave has been enhanced with a hidden mechanic
– Psywave will now roll for damage multiple times and use the best roll
– The number of times that damage is rolled is based on the target’s current HP with more HP causing more re-rolls
– Certain moves now affect catching mechanics if known by your active pokemon in battle
– Razor Wind & Skull Bash – additive +10 to catch rate per toss of a non-safari ball
– Roar & Whirlwind – additive +20 to catch rate per toss of a non-safari ball
– Take Down – improves the ball factor of non-safari balls by 2
– Egg Bomb – improves the ball factor of non-safari balls by 2 and additive +10 to catch rate per toss of a non-safari ball
– Shiny pokemon gain a 4x multiplier for the coin guy in celadon hotel and selling to the game corner chief
– The battle clauses between link players now sync and are applied during battles
– The stat displays of the active pokemon in battle will display its current-time stats instead of its unmodified stats
– After buying the Magikarp from the man in the Mt. Moon pokemon center, he will serve as a move tutor
– This is a throwback to certain Japan-only event pokemon giveaways
– Talk to him with Magikarp at the top of your party, and he will offer to teach it Dragon Rage for 5000 yen.
– Talk to him with Fearow or Rapidash at the top of your party, and he will offer to teach it Pay Day for 1000 yen.
– Talk to him with Pikachu at the top of your party that has an empty move slot, and he can teach it Fly for 2000 yen.
– Psyduck Learning Amnesia
– You must first have 151 pokemon registered as owned in your pokedex.
– Place a Psyduck in your 1st party slot then go talk to the Psyduck in Mr. Fuji’s house.
– It will now try to learn the Amnesia move.

– Adjustments:
– Trainer level scaling has been dampened outside of hard mode
– It is now based on a weighted average for regular trainers in normal difficulty
– Gym leaders always use the absolute level scaling regardless of difficulty
– Rebalanced a few TMs across pokemart inventories
– Water Gun TM has been replaced by a super repel in Mt. Moon, and it is now found in the Pewter Museum
– Starting a new game will keep the hard mode off, but now default to fast text speed
– Turning the nuzlocke mode on will not reset your difficulty options
– Boosted Eevee encounter rate to 5.5%
– Giovanni gym battle exchanges rhyhorn for kangaskhan
– Champion Rival’s charizard swaps out swords dance for fly
– The shimmer transformation’s text box no longer requires a button prompt to scroll through
– The shimmer adds double level to the special stat exclusively for Hitmonchan
– Tweaked NPC text for extra options
– Made the karate dojo master act like a special trainer
v1.24.5
– Minor text edit for SS Anne npc in post-game.
– Minor fix for Itemfinder when there are multiple hidden items on screen.
– Fix Psywave symmetry

v1.24.4
– Can no longer fish or surf using the right wall corner tile on the SS Anne.
– Fixed incorrect sign text in safari area 1
– Adjusted some city names on signs
– Lance and the player will face each other when speaking.
– Increased the speed of the HP bar animation
– Cubone rarity in rock tunnel 2nd floor increased from 1.2% to 6.3%.
– Farfetchd rarity on route 12 increased from 4.3% to 6.3%.
– Farfetchd rarity on route 13 increased from 1.2% to 4.3%.
– The player can now choose whether or not to generate a new Trainer ID when selecting New Game Plus.
– Wild pokemon randomizer lists have been slightly adjusted.
– Talking to the girl in Oak’s lab allows the player to generate a new randomization seed value.
– Talking to the girl in Oak’s lab prompts the player if full randomization is preferred.
– Adjusted some text for post-game world state.

v1.24.3
– Girl trainer on route 8 has text adjusted to reflect having a Clefable
– Failure to teach a temp field move will now prompt the player to abandon learning it
– The bush that blocks route 9 has been replaced by a blocking event
– Disable and static damage moves will not crit or show super/not very effectiveness
– Fixed an issue with NPCs overlapping menu and text boxes
– Adjusted the parity of in-game trades across versions
– Option menu graphics tweak
– Toggling the gamma shader in the extra options menu now automatically updates the palette
– Moved NPC in celadon prize house two spaces to the right
– Optimized the GBC smooth fading a little bit

v1.24.2
– Fixed a text bug on multi-hit moves

v1.24.1
– Optimized smooth fades to eliminate graphical jank during battle black-outs
– Trainers will not use non-healing items if they or the player are at low HP, making them more aggressive
– AI will not switch if its HP is below 25% as it’s usually not worth it
– Fades in or out to white in GBC mode with gamma shader enabled will no longer have a frame of incorrect color
– The move Transform now decrements PP properly when used by the AI recursively
– Spinner tiles animate properly without resorting to vblank-induced slowdown
– Fixed wrong color for move animation when it comes after self-inflicted confusion damage
– Reworked the prize mon level function and also synchronized the DVs for gift pokemon that are added to party or box
– Fixed typed effectiveness being applied the wrong way to static damage moves
– All the extra options on the option menu have been moved to their own separate menu
– Add Debug Stat Reset feature
– Fixed shiny clause so that it is now working in nuzlocke mode
– Fixed a bug catcher on route 9 being able to walk onto a ledge
– The message for substitute taking damage now only displays after the first attack of a multi-attack move
– Multi-attack moves display effectiveness only on first attack instead of the last attack
– Twineedle does not print redundant messages like other multi-hit moves
– If active, the shimmer will always manifest on the applicable pokemon of Bruno, Agatha, and the Karate Master
– Karate Master’s pokemon increased from level 37 to 38
– Extended shiny mercy to tower ghosts, ghost marowak, and old man battle
– Fixed daycare sometimes prompting to learn the same move twice
– Fixed special HUD symbols displaying during the ghost marowak encounter

× ❮

❯