What Makes Pokemon Dark Rising So Challenging?
Pokemon Dark Rising is a fan-made game that presents a significantly heightened difficulty level compared to the core games. Features that contribute to this challenge include:
- Gym Leaders having signature Pokemon only available for them.
- The introduction of various characters from the anime series, such as Ash and Brock, who may alter the gameplay experience.
- The inclusion of 386 Pokemon from across generations 1 to 5, with some Pokemon learning unique egg moves as part of their level-up move sets.
- New evolution methods have been implemented, adding complexity to team building and strategy.
Moreover, the sequel, Pokemon Dark Rising: Kaizo, intensifies the original game’s difficulty curve even further. This version includes several plot changes and new events, requiring players to adapt their strategies and approaches to succeed.
The game uses a FireRed base, meaning it features the usual blurb at the start. However, there are slight edits—such as the new Pikachu character and Arceus taking the place of Professor Oak. Players are introduced as the Chosen One, needing to defeat DARUGIS (or DOGSRUS) with Arceus’ power.
Once the game begins, players are immediately thrown into a rainy setting where they are led to Professor Ivan’s lab. There, they receive their starter Pokemon while embarking on an errand to retrieve items for the professor. This sets up a typical rivalry as players encounter their rivals early on, leading to intense battles.
The difficulty truly escalates when players reach areas like the Silph Co., where rival battles may take months to conquer. The challenge continues, demanding relentless grinding for levels and strategic deployment of status moves. Dark Rising becomes incredibly tough—almost near impossible—without using strategies like Toxic, Leech Seed, Will-O-Wisp, or Sleep-inducing moves like Spore. Adding to the challenge, the levels of wild Pokemon have also been raised, compounding the intensity of the experience.
Key Tips to Overcome Difficulties in Pokemon Dark Rising
Overcoming challenges in Pokemon Dark Rising requires strategic planning and knowledge of your surroundings. Here are some key tips:
- Understand Your Environment: Pay attention to the types of Pokemon you encounter, especially in areas like Mainland Cave, where Zubat, Geodude, Onix, and other challenging Pokemon are found. Utilizing type advantages can greatly enhance your chances in battles.
- Collect Essential Items: Items such as Potions and TM86 (Grass Knot) can provide vital support during tough encounters.
- Preparation is Key: As you navigate through areas like Twist Woodlands, where the environment can be maze-like, having a map or being able to retrace your steps is crucial. Engaging with wild Pokemon can also help level up your team, making them better prepared for tougher trainers and battles, especially against the chosen ones.
- Build a Strong Team: Being prepared with a well-rounded team, understanding Pokemon abilities, and utilizing the Exp Share obtained in Mainland Cave can significantly ease the difficulty. Familiarize yourself with the strengths and weaknesses of each Pokemon type to effectively strategize for battles against trainers and bosses throughout the game.
- Anticipate High Difficulty Levels: The game’s difficulty has increased, featuring many battles with high-level Pokemon and trainers, including legendary ones. Be ready to polish your Pokemon skills and dive into the Core region. One thing to keep an eye out for is a 1% chance of encountering Bulbasaur. Heal your Pokemon, as you’ll face Brock from the anime, who is controlled by Darugis.
- Save Often: Since not every aspect of the game is tested, you might encounter a few bugs along the way. Save the game often, using multiple save states if possible. It’s also beneficial to talk to the fisherman in the house to get an old rod if you haven’t bought it from the salesman in the poke center.
- Combat Trainers: After the standard rival fight, collect a package for the professor. Remember to fight with the three trainers at the top of Fells Town; they’ll reward you with a nugget if you win.
- Explore Cave Entrances: In the cave, it will rain, and you will see all the grunts of the dark team. There are three entrances leading to battles: the middle one gives you ether, and the right one leads to a star piece.
- Selecting a Starter Pokemon: Choose your starter wisely; I prefer those that seem the coolest. Since almost every Pokemon is available in hacked ROMs, it primarily comes down to personal preference. You now have dragon types to choose from; I chose Gible, but options include Bagon or Dratini.
- Follow the Main Quest: Restore balance to the world by helping the God of Pokemon, Arceus. Search for your father, the former Hero of the region, and consult a complete walkthrough that covers all main areas, events, items, trainers, and Pokemon.
Comparing Different Versions: Dark Rising vs. Kaizo
Difficulty Comparison: Pokémon Dark Rising vs. Kaizo
Pokémon Dark Rising has given people nightmares ever since it was released. The game is brutally hard and often unfair toward the player. The only way to get through it is to grind diligently. Even then, you’re never 100% safe. This ROM hack of Pokémon FireRed includes Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova. You’ll get a lot of chances to try out new Pokémon, as even Nurse Joy will challenge you to a Pokémon battle. Despite being poorly made in some regards, the game is very well-known and has a pretty large fanbase.
On the other hand, one of the classic “hard ROM hacks” is Pokémon Emerald Kaizo. This version leaves the base game’s storyline and progression intact while considerably increasing the difficulty. Not only will you have to battle more often, but it’ll be considerably more demanding. Trainer teams were overhauled, and their locations were made more problematic. You’ll also run into robust and thought-out pairings in doubles when you least expect it. Additionally, Ice-sliding puzzles are even harder, and the Seafloor Cavern can be demoralizing. Keep trying, and you’ll earn some serious bragging rights.
Moreover, Pokémon Blue Kaizo offers a more challenging take on the original title. This hack goes beyond making some trainers stronger along your adventure. All routes and dungeons now have some of the most brutal map layouts faced by players. All Gym Leaders have full teams, and their AI is surprisingly good at predicting your moves. Getting through the Victory Road in this game is just a titanic ordeal. Anyone who manages to Nuzlocke this hack deserves their spot in the Hall of Fame.
In comparison, Pokémon Dark Rising is a GBA ROM Hack by DarkRisingGirl based on Pokémon Fire Red. The story begins with a dream where a Pokémon chooses you to save the world. It leads to various challenges, including disasters and climate changes in the Core Region. The game features 386 Pokémon from various generations and includes newer generation moves and Dream World abilities.
Kaizo features in Pokémon Dark Rising include fixed bugs and glitches, hours of extra story content, cleaner scripts, reasonable battles, new enemies, new moves, additional mini-bosses, changes to EVs, and adjustments in abilities and stats. This makes it a more challenging experience compared to the standard version.
While being a remake of the first Dark Rising game, Pokémon Dark Rising Kaizo still manages to be its own game with several plot changes and new events. The difficulty curve is heightened even more, making it more difficult than the first game. Despite the “troll” name, Kaizo is considered the lesser of two evils. It retains the same story but provides more context and spaced healing Pokémon. However, the difficulty curve is high, grind time is obscene, and the final four trainers run illegal move sets with near maximum level teams.
The difficulty of Pokémon Dark Rising has also increased massively. It features many battles with high-level Pokémon and trainers, even including those with legendaries. Therefore, get ready to polish your Pokémon skills and dive into the Core.
