A ROM is a data file that makes up a game. It can be used with an emulator to play the game that is coded within it. ROMs are easily accessible on the internet, and you can also flash them off your own cartridge if you have the right equipment. While access to ROMs, and playing them from games that you don’t own is a very shady legal grey area, and is quite ethically questionable, there is no doubt that the ability to do this is great for game preservation, and allows players to experience rare games that they wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to play.
ROM hacks are files where people have gone into the data that makes up a game and altered it to affect gameplay, visuals, or sound. Usually this is done by passionate amateur video game developers and the product created may have added color to a black and white game, removed censorship, added features, and more. ROM translations are when games that were once only playable in a certain language (usually Japanese) are translated into a particular language (in most of the cases I’m referring to, that is English).
The Game Boy has a blossoming modding scene, both mods for physical changes to the Game Boy itself and software mods. Many new games are being released, new translations are being published, and ROM hacks that make games more accessible are being released. While these ROM hacks are technically boot legs, most of them improve the experience compared to the original game. While these games are often available as free downloads to play on emulators, you can also download these games onto flash carts, and some online retailers even flash these onto real Game Boy carts and you can play them as cartridges on real hardware.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins DX
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, is an underrated gem on the Game Boy, that borrows many gameplay elements from the ground-breaking SNES title Super Mario World. Super Mario Land 2, used special chips in the cartridge to boost it’s graphical powers far beyond Super Mario Land 1. It could be described as a strange Mario game, in terms of style, with boss enemies such as witches, angry corvids, and fairy tale antagonists. This is all capped off with Wario making his debut as the end boss.
This ROM hack of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins adds a beautiful range of color to the original Game Boy game. The game basically becomes a “DX” title similarly to Link’s Awakening DX and Tetris DX. The colors really “pop” and the experience is greatly improved. Playing the game on a system with a backlit screen is a marvel to behold. There is also the addition of being able to choose to play as Luigi. Overall, this is a great ROM hack, and you can even pick up the game as a physical cart.
Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX Redux
The first handheld Zelda game was another odd title. Borrowing enemies from the Mario series, having Link shipwrecked, and being guided by a strange owl are just some of the elements of the game that you’ll uncover in the first hours after starting your journey. Nintendo themselves created an official color DX version for the release of the Game Boy Color, and the title sold well and became a must have for the system.
This ROM hack removes censorship that was introduced to the Western titles that affected sprites and text. The hack also includes font changes, that improve quality of life features. These changes result in the game flowing much more smoothly, and makes Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX Redux the definitive way to play Link’s Awakening if you don’t want to pay the huge fee for only a graphical revamp which is offered with Link’s Awakening HD.
Pokemon: Crystal Clear
The Pokemon games on the Game Boy Color are great adventures. The game world, flow of the game, RPG gameplay, and easy accessibility make Pokemon Red and Blue some of the most ambitious games on the system. The Generation 2 Pokemon games, Gold and Silver, which are designed for the Game Boy Color but still work on the original and Game Boy Pocket are a good improvement on the original games. There are numerous fan hacks of these games that highlight how popular these original Pokemon games have always been.
This particular hack, Pokemon Crystal Clear, has multiple starter Pokemon to choose from, and you can start your adventure in multiple locations from Kanto and Johto. The game is pretty much an open adventure, with many different locations to explore that were previously locked behind item or story upgrades and advancements. The game scales the opposing trainer’s levels as your Pokemon level up, and it does feel like an “open world” Pokemon game. The Legendaries are present, but the paths to catching them has been altered, and the focus of the game is on collecting gym badges and challenging the Elite Four.
The Frog for Whom the Bell Told
Ernest Hemingway wrote a book called or Whom the Bell Told after his experiences in the Spanish Civil War. The video game title The Frog for Whom the Bell Told might have taken inspiration from Hemingway’s novel. The “bell tolling” may resemble someone having to face judgement or execution. The game released in Japan in 1992 and can be described as an RPG adventure. It involves two princes who are tricked and transformed into frogs by a witch. The player discovers items around the game world and these items can be useful for combat, or for tackling environmental puzzles. There are also animal transformations. It plays like a Zelda game but has a more focused story.
A great job was done with this translation. The original was in Japanese and Nintendo has never decided to localize the game. A fan translation is a great thing as it allows so many more video game fans to experience this lost Game Boy classic. With Alice in Wonderland vibes, and endearing characters, it’d be wise move to pick up the fan translation. You can even now play this on a physical GB cart, if you can find it.
Pokemon Green
Since there are so many Pokemon hacks available on the internet, with many being of a high quality, I’ve decided to include a fan attempt at recreating the original Japanese Pokemon Green version (but in English). Pokemon Green released alongside Pokemon Red in 1996 in Japan. It lacked several improvements that came with the international releases of Pokemon Red and Blue.
This hack tries to recreate Pokemon Green, including unique sprites and has various quality of life improvements. If you want to play through these classic games again, Pokemon Green isn’t a bad way to do this. The flow of the game is intact, and it’s worth playing through just to try and spot the differences between this recreation of Green and the original Pokemon international releases on Red and Blue.
Conclusion
Overall, the Game Boy has a really buzzing ROM hacking and modding scene that keeps producing products that improve the original experiences, and in some cases make them playable in the first place (fan translations). Whether you are experiencing a classic for the first time, or finally playing that old game but in color, the ROM hacking scene just keeps on giving. These games are technically bootlegs, but just because they aren’t official that doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t worth playing. In many cases buying or downloading these titles is good for game preservation.
BongoBongo123 is an avid Zelda fan who also likes the odd game of Smash. His interests in gaming are broad but he loves a good Metroidvania or action RPGs.