The first generation of Pokémon games are important titles, launching one of the biggest media franchises in the world. But the first go-around is definitely a bit janky and lacks more modern quality of life features. Game Freak themselves have remade these games twice for a reason! That being said, Generation I Pokémon hasn't solely been stuck in the past. The classic metagame has a thriving competitive community, and we know more about these games than ever thanks to both continued play and leaks showing us glimpses into what could have been. Why change things when we can add to it instead, making its own unique experience in the process?

Enter the Kanto Expansion Pak. This project started as a mod for Pokémon Showdown which expanded upon the Kanto Pokédex with later generation forms/evolutions and Pokémon that were cut from Red and Green. The hack takes those additional Pokémon, adds them to the Generation One campaign, and combines beta elements with original concepts and ideas from the official remakes to form a fresh take on the original Kanto adventure.

The highlight of the Kanto Expansion Pak is, of course, the 100 added Pokémon, which take advantage of the later added Dark, Steel, and Fairy types. It starts with your first Pokémon, which now lets you choose one of five options: Bulbasaur and Charmander work as you expect, but the other starters present something new. Squirtle now evolves into the Water/Grass type Totartle (Blastoise is its own line, as suggested by beta leaks), Pikachu evolves into Raichu but can either be traded for Alolan Raichu or evolved further via in-game trade into Gorochu, and Eevee can access any of its evolutions through stones. From there, your options continue to expand. Sometimes you'll run into a beta pre-evolution (like Coinpur, the baby Meowth, on Route 1), giving you earlier access to certain Pokémon lines. Maybe a Pokémon will have a new middle stage evolution, like Weirduck in-between Psyduck and Golduck, making for a more even stat increase curve throughout the game. Perhaps, like with the Pikachu line, you can use an alternate form or a new evolution, breathing new life into an old favorite. And, of course, we can't forget about the completely new Pokémon, like the Electric type Kotora line, the Water/Fairy type Blottle line, the Normal/Grass type Ramoose, and more. Even if you stick to just the classic creatures, you'll run into plenty of new ones on trainer teams, which have been updated to use the new Pokémon throughout the adventure.

Of course, the Pokémon here exist to complement the existing Generation I metagame, not drastically modify what already exists. Original battle mechanics remain unchanged - no updated weakesses/resistences, no direct buffs to Pokémon, and only one added move for the original type pool. This is reinforced by Dark and Steel using their typings from the Pokémon Gold/Silver Spaceworld 1997 demo, which don't nerf Psychic as much and let Normal types run rampant. Fairy is still good, but less impactful thanks to a weaker Poison type and less dominant Dragon type. I appreciate the dedication to preserving what makes the Generation I metagame click while adding in new archetypes and type combinations - later generations might now have types as dominant as Normal or Psychic were, but that's part of the charm, and this hack embraces that charm.

The Pokémon aren't the only expansions found in this updated Kanto. Sprinkled throughout the game are numerous new areas inspired by beta elements or pre-existing lore, from city areas like Viridian City's Pre-Gym and Celadon University to new dungeons like the Underwater Tunnel and Cinnabar Volcano. The postgame sees the most additions, featuring boss rematches, a slew of postgame areas surronding the newly added Citrine City, and a final gauntlet packed with tough trainers.

The Kanto Expansion Pak is Generation I Pokémon, warts and all. It does feature quality of life additions, but it's not as much the focus as, say, Pokémon Yellow Legacy. Instead, this hack adds to the Generation I experience with its new Pokémon and areas, giving you loads of more options to play around with. I had a blast using new evolutions and alternate forms, and I could see myself playing this again to try out different teams of the new Pokémon sometime in the future. This is a must-play for fans of the original Generation I games, so long as you are willing to embrace the early gen weirdness.

The first generation of Pokémon games are important titles, launching one of the biggest media franchises in the world. But the first go-around is definitely a bit janky and lacks more modern quality of life features. Game Freak themselves have remade these games twice for a reason! That being said, Generation I Pokémon hasn't solely been stuck in the past. The classic metagame has a thriving competitive community, and we know more about these games than ever thanks to both continued play and leaks showing us glimpses into what could have been. Why change things when we can add to it instead, making its own unique experience in the process?

Enter the Kanto Expansion Pak. This project started as a mod for Pokémon Showdown which expanded upon the Kanto Pokédex with later generation forms/evolutions and Pokémon that were cut from Red and Green. The hack takes those additional Pokémon, adds them to the Generation One campaign, and combines beta elements with original concepts and ideas from the official remakes to form a fresh take on the original Kanto adventure.

The highlight of the Kanto Expansion Pak is, of course, the 100 added Pokémon, which take advantage of the later added Dark, Steel, and Fairy types. It starts with your first Pokémon, which now lets you choose one of five options: Bulbasaur and Charmander work as you expect, but the other starters present something new. Squirtle now evolves into the Water/Grass type Totartle (Blastoise is its own line, as suggested by beta leaks), Pikachu evolves into Raichu but can either be traded for Alolan Raichu or evolved further via in-game trade into Gorochu, and Eevee can access any of its evolutions through stones. From there, your options continue to expand. Sometimes you'll run into a beta pre-evolution (like Coinpur, the baby Meowth, on Route 1), giving you earlier access to certain Pokémon lines. Maybe a Pokémon will have a new middle stage evolution, like Weirduck in-between Psyduck and Golduck, making for a more even stat increase curve throughout the game. Perhaps, like with the Pikachu line, you can use an alternate form or a new evolution, breathing new life into an old favorite. And, of course, we can't forget about the completely new Pokémon, like the Electric type Kotora line, the Water/Fairy type Blottle line, the Normal/Grass type Ramoose, and more. Even if you stick to just the classic creatures, you'll run into plenty of new ones on trainer teams, which have been updated to use the new Pokémon throughout the adventure.

Of course, the Pokémon here exist to complement the existing Generation I metagame, not drastically modify what already exists. Original battle mechanics remain unchanged - no updated weakesses/resistences, no direct buffs to Pokémon, and only one added move for the original type pool. This is reinforced by Dark and Steel using their typings from the Pokémon Gold/Silver Spaceworld 1997 demo, which don't nerf Psychic as much and let Normal types run rampant. Fairy is still good, but less impactful thanks to a weaker Poison type and less dominant Dragon type. I appreciate the dedication to preserving what makes the Generation I metagame click while adding in new archetypes and type combinations - later generations might now have types as dominant as Normal or Psychic were, but that's part of the charm, and this hack embraces that charm.

The Pokémon aren't the only expansions found in this updated Kanto. Sprinkled throughout the game are numerous new areas inspired by beta elements or pre-existing lore, from city areas like Viridian City's Pre-Gym and Celadon University to new dungeons like the Underwater Tunnel and Cinnabar Volcano. The postgame sees the most additions, featuring boss rematches, a slew of postgame areas surronding the newly added Citrine City, and a final gauntlet packed with tough trainers.

The Kanto Expansion Pak is Generation I Pokémon, warts and all. It does feature quality of life additions, but it's not as much the focus as, say, Pokémon Yellow Legacy. Instead, this hack adds to the Generation I experience with its new Pokémon and areas, giving you loads of more options to play around with. I had a blast using new evolutions and alternate forms, and I could see myself playing this again to try out different teams of the new Pokémon sometime in the future. This is a must-play for fans of the original Generation I games, so long as you are willing to embrace the early gen weirdness.