Pokémon Crystal is the best of the Gen 2 games and one of the best in the franchise. So how do you improve on perfection? Well, it’s still a Gen 2 game so there are plenty of tweaks and modernisations at hand, as seen in ROM hacks like Pokémon Crystal Clear, Pokémon Crystal Kaizo, Pokémon Liquid Crystal, and Pokémon Perfect Crystal. That’s a lot of Crystal.
But there’s another one! Pokémon Polished Crystal, according to its creator Rangi, is an attempt to “create what the title says: an improved, polished version of Pokémon Crystal”. Not only does it fixes bugs, but it also adds elements from newer games and some of Rangi’s own flair and creativity. It’s an enhancement of what is and adds more of what came after it.
I’ve not played it yet but given the changes and the positive feedback I’ve read, I’m excited to try and believe this can rival Crystal Clear as my favourite ROM hack.
Update: Rangi42 pre-released a beta version of Polished Crystal 3.0.0 on 14th June 2024
