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Sure Pokemon Legends: Z-A just released last month but what if I told you that the most exciting Pokemon game actually comes out next week? While Nintendo's hot new thing has its pros (and cons) fans of the series may be more interested in Pokemon Lazarus, a much-hyped ROM hack finally releasing its 1.0 version on November 14.
Lazarus's creator, Nemo622, made the announcement in a post on the r/PokemonROMhacks subreddit. The 1.0 release will mark the culmination of nearly a year of development, as the project was initially revealed in December 2024 under the name Pokemon Sunset. A demo for the ROM hack released this March and received plenty of buzz in the community, which isn't that surprising given Nemo622 previously developed the successful Pokemon ROM hack Emerald Seaglass.
When the launch version releases next week you'll be able to dive into the Greek-inspired region of Ilios. The region comes with an entirely original story and cast of characters. Some of the impressive features Nemo622 is bringing to Lazarus include over 400 Pokemon that span all current generations, with "many weaker Pokemon receiving changes to make them team-worthy!" according to the Reddit post. There will also be Mega Evolutions for many of said monsters.
Beyond the titular pocket monsters we all love so dearly, Lazarus will have plenty more for trainers to do. That includes "numerous" minigames and over 60 sidequests. For the style-minded player there will also be more than a dozen outfits to choose from. In summary, Lazarus has a lot going on. Though it had me hooked as soon as I saw its Game Boy Color era visuals, which will never not look good.
