Pokemon Cubic Crystal

Download Pre-Patched Pokemon Cubic Crystal GBC ROM Hack

• Creator:  Jay (TheBirdNotTheLetter)
• Version: 1.3
• Hack of: Crystal
• Updated: April 1, 2024

Pokemon Cubic Crystal is a Pokemon GBC Rom Hack by Jay (TheBirdNotTheLetter) based on Pokemon Crystal in English. And It is now available to download. It was last updated on April 1, 2024.

Introduction

Hi, y’all!

Since college, I’ve been into creating detailed spreadsheets for hypothetical games, diving deep into stats and balance. Despite lacking programming skills, I realized in early 2023 that with patience, I could turn these ideas into an actual mod!

Initially, my project aimed for simple improvements. However, I discovered Pokemon Crystal Legacy, a mod with similar goals and concepts I had developed. While I had already begun expanding on my ideas, Legacy inspired me to go even further. There was no point sticking to my original scope when someone else was already focused on it!

Description

Pokemon Cubic Crystal is a remix of Crystal that’s recognizable but distinct, a sort of “what if Crystal’s story was as different from Gold/Silver as future same-gen sequels?” approach. Every major change to mons, locations, moves, and major battles has been cataloged in an easy-to-navigate spreadsheet, which you can check out using the “Documentation” button in the Useful Stuff section.

While Cubic Crystal has been properly playtested, this is the author’s first project and there are likely small issues that have gone unnoticed. If anyone plays it and notices something off, whether a glitch, a typo, or just general feedback on taste, please let them know on the game’s official PokeCommunity thread! Enjoy!

Pokemon Features

• Fully revamped stats, with BSTs given a general baseline of 400 for weakmons, 450 for mid-tier early mons, 500 for most mons, and slightly higher for starters and such.
• Tweaked typings for many and vastly improved learnsets for all!
• All evolutions available without trade, with Happiness replacing itemless trade evos and item evos replaced by just using item. All evolution items available before Elite Four, including a stone shop in Cianwood.
• Happiness is easier to accrue.
• Evolution levels tweaked for many mons with high requirements.
• Female and Shiny Pokemon have different IV spreads instead of purely suboptimal ones. Gender ratios adjusted among starters.
• Growth rates generally improved, with slow growth rates reserved only for truly powerful Pokemon.
• Improved level curve for wild Pokemon, particularly in Kanto.
• Barring legendaries and unpicked starters, full dex can be completed before Elite Four. Odd Egg from the Daycare now hatches a Kanto starter, so at least one can still be done! Additional starters available in Celadon Game Corner and by trades throughout Kanto.
• Morning-exclusive mons now appear during the day as well.
• Headbutt Trees are streamlined so that every mon-filled tree in a region offers the same Pokemon, rather than forcing a hunt through different trees.
• Old Rod can now catch more than Magikarp semi-reliably, and fishing swarm locations offer rare chances for swarming mons outside of swarms.
• Feraligatr’s name is now Colossobek (Colossus+Sobek) because “gatr” is just awful. The Name Rater now changes all names, including traded mons, so change it right back if you miss it!

Move Features

• Dark is physical and Ghost and Poison are special to reflect the nature of their moves (of all three types, only Lick and Poison Sting are now in the “wrong” category as of Gen IV).
• Overhaul of dozens of moves, including an accuracy buff to virtually every move with 70 BP or less.
• Iron Head and Ominous Wind added to increase move options for Steel and Ghost, respectively.
• Barrage, Egg Bomb, Nightmare, Spider Web, Whirlpool, and One-Hit KO moves removed.
• Field moves such as HMs can be used by any mon that learns them as long as the physical TM/HM is in your possession. For instance, a Dragonite with Outrage/Wing Attack/Blizzard/Thunder can still use Fly, Strength, Surf, Waterfall and such in the field!
• HM moves can be forgotten like any other move, no need for the Move Deleter.
• All TMs can be repurchased, with new TM shops appearing as the game progresses. TM moves slightly shifted to improve learnsets (out with Sweet Scent, in with Rock Slide, for instance).
• Move Reminder in Violet City teaches old moves for a modest fee.
• Bill replaces Move Tutor outside of Game Corner and teaches Thunderbolt/Ice Beam/Flamethrower. He appears after Radio Tower rather than after Elite Four, and is no longer limited by day.

Trainer Features

• Overhaul of virtually every trainer to provide a better level curve (not Kaizo difficulty, but in keeping with a full two-area game).
• Improved Rival that steals both unchosen starters, because why would he not do this?
• Improved Gym Leader rosters, with later leaders gaining Pokemon out of their selected type to counter said type’s weaknesses.
• Pryce now acts as the fourth gym, with Chuck/Jasmine/Morty acting as interchangeable 5/6/7; while their teams are not dynamic, the game nudges towards this order.
• Rematches available for all Gym Leaders, with Johto Leaders giving bonus optional rematches before the Elite Four.

Story Features

• Deeper integration of Gym Leaders and Elite Four members outside of their gyms a la Platinum to create a sense of place in the world and offering small story beats in Kanto.
• Suicune and Ruins of Alph quests are incorporated more deeply into the plot, with Karen replacing Eusine as our resident legendary hunter.
• Rocket HQ in Mahogany now offers meaningful choice between ambush statues and trick floor, and Radio Tower is heavily streamlined (no backtracking, and a Nurse Joy in the second floor to keep things moving).
• Completing Unown Dex and solving every Unown wall text puzzle in the Ruins of Alph earns you Legendary rewards!
• Falkner’s retired father replaces Bill’s grandfather in Cerulean Cape, offering a quest that sees you find and (hopefully) capture Kanto’s Legendary Birds. Catch all three to earn his Silver Wing!
• Mewtwo available after Red, but first it must be found! (Not a roaming encounter, worry not.)

Misc. Features

• Press B to run!
• Text is generally streamlined! Fast Text is now instant, the artificial save delay was removed, Nurse Joy has less dialogue.
• Repel and Escape Rope are now reusable key items given early in your quest.
• Pocket PC allows for PC access on the fly.
• Fly is available immediately after Sudowoodo, allowing for easier backtracking across the split path of north Johto.
• The Pokemon Center outside of the Power Plant can be flown to, no need to backtrack.
• Price overhaul for items to make catching and healing easier.
• All trees drop two berries/apricorns, and Kurt doesn’t need a day to turn apricorns into special balls.
• Three available Lucky Eggs hidden throughout the game.
• As Whirlpool as a move is deleted, there are no more pointless Whirlpools in the game.
• The Abra at Indigo Plateau doesn’t leave, allowing easy travel between regions.
• That dinky pixel of “bangs” that makes Kris’s eyes look wonky when walking left or right? Yeah that’s gone.

Screenshots

Useful Stuff

Download

Previous Versions

Credits

I(Jay)’m responsible for the planning, coding, and overall design of this hack. However, I couldn’t have done this without tools and assistance from the following:

• Thank you to literally anyone who even slightly helped create the pokecrystal disassembly, as without them this project would just be a spreadsheet of concepts: https://github.com/pret/pokecrystal
• Thank you to all tutorial writers for simplifying so many complicated coding issues for a dummy like me: https://github-wiki-see.page/m/pret/pokecrystal/wiki/Tutorials
• Credit to Tom Wang and Seasick for providing running animation sprites (Kris’s minor standing/walking/running sprite edit is my own, I hate that pixel of “hair” so away it went): https://github.com/pret/pokecrystal/wiki/Running-Shoes
• HUGE thanks to the pret pokecrystal discord for helping me caveman my way through assembly. The following users in particular were critical in getting me through tricky spots:
  • BlueZangoose
  • Damien
  • FrenchOrange
  • Grate Oracle Lewot
  • Idain
  • Mauve Sea Galaxy
  • Pum
  • Pyrois
  • Sylvie
  • SonicRay
  • Thoth33
  • Xaerochill
• Thank you to ScottsThoughts, Jrose11, FlygonHG, and Mah-Dry-Bread for hours upon hours of entertainment; without their wonderful Pokemon challenges, I likely wouldn’t be so inspired to revisit Crystal Version.
• Thank you to Drayano for making me realize that Pokemon games could be modded in the first place, and for setting such an incredible bar. Renegade Platinum remains the definitive Pokemon experience!
• And finally, thank you to my wife, not only because she’s the love of my life (which is enough!), but for generously engaging with my geeking out about this project despite not giving a shit about Pokemon. She ruuuules.