Pokémon ROM hack creators design Mega Evolutions that are so cool, we wish they were real

Creative Pokémon ROM hackers have designed a bunch of incredible Mega Evolutions that I wish were included in the base games.

The world of Pokémon ROM hacks offers a wealth of different experiences and mechanics from the core game, though are often inspired by features that have been included.

Mega Evolutions were introduced in Generation 6 and remained available in Gen 7 but were scrapped for Pokémon Sword and Shield, where they were replaced by Dynamax, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet which have the Terrastilize mechanic.

While both can be impressive, nothing quite beats the excitement of Mega Evolutions and one particular ROM hack has brought them back in abundance—introducing over 45 new creatures, many of which are Mega Evolutions.

The ROM Hack, Elite Redux, includes a bunch of special Redux Pokémon, as well as a Kecleon/Dewgong mix, along with a bunch of Mega Evolutions.

Among those to get attention are favorites like Lapras, Typhlosion, Quagsire, Krookodile, Dragonite, and, the best of them all, Sandslash.

For many of those, it’s long overdue that they get some deserved attention and, as a Sandslash fanatic, I am over the moon to see my favorite buddy featured—and he looks better than I could have ever imagined.

Pokémon Elite Redux is a ROM hack for Pokémon Emerald and includes features that allow Pokémon to have up to four abilities at the same time, custom move sets for every trainer, unique difficulty, and over 100 new custom abilities.

There’s also no grinding, an unlimited amount of Rare Candies, and a wealth of quality-of-life changes, which makes the ROM hack even more appealing—although I was sold immediately by Mega Sandslash.

Of course, it’s worth remembering that ROM hacks are frowned upon by Nintendo so there is the danger that they can be removed immediately, while there is also no protection from viruses or malware.