Pokémon Heart & Soul Is "A Love Letter To Gen 2"

Published Oct 11, 2026, 7:00 PM EDT

James is a gaming writer from London who has spent thousands of hours exploring titles from every genre. Though he has a particular affinity for multiplayer titles like World of Warcraft, Destiny 2 and League of Legends, he has also put thousands of hours into single-player experiences, from deep RPGs to epic PC strategies. When he's not playing or writing, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC.

Whether you prefer the early days that brought us the most iconic creatures, or the newer ilk that feature a ton of powerful 'mons, everyone has their favorite generation of Pokémon. For me, it's the first two and returning to the games of that period is still a real pleasure, even all these years later in 2026.

Happily, the usually jarring, relentless passage of time has actually given us more ways to enjoy that era than ever. Emulation makes everything quite accessible if you bought the games, but the hardware has since betrayed you, and fans continue to make their own versions that advance the originals in some way.

Pokémon Heart & Soul Is An Incredible Fan Remake

Game Freak

The most common approach to the latter is via ROM hacks, which retain the core identity of the early Pokémon games, whilst at the same time adding new features, creatures or quests to create what is usually an entirely new experience. One of the best examples of that is Pokémon Heart & Soul, which returns us to the two most iconic regions in franchise history.

Over on Reddit, one player took to the Pokémon forums to share their delight at their most recent playthrough of Pokémon Heart & Soul, which they describe as "a love letter to Gen 2."

If you aren't familiar with the ROM hack, it's a bit of a mash-up of concepts, taking place in Johto and Kanto, with the 'mon pool drawn from Generations 1-3. It also adds some of the more modern quality-of-life features that younger players may be used to, alongside mechanics from Gen 3. It's definitely one of the better ROM hacks released, and quite possibly the definitive way to explore the Johto and Kanto regions.

It also features significantly updated visuals, reusable TMs and even Fairy-type Pokémon, who don't normally arrive into proceedings until much later during Generation VI.

Pokémon Heart & Soul also paved the way for another ROM hack called Pokémon SoulGold, which cuts out the Kanto portion of the game but makes up for it by offering a greatly expanded Johto region, revamped battles, achievements, and tons of other great quality of life improvements. If you want a dedicated Gold & Silver remake, you'll want to go for Heart & Soul. If you fancy trying something that captures the vibe of gen 2 but goes in a new direction, SoulGold is the one for you.

They Really Poured Their Heart And Soul Into This

Game Freak

Given that the development of Heart & Soul was mostly completed by one person with no programming experience, it really is a pretty stunning achievement. The project took a full year of full-time work to complete, and the results are stunning enough that it has received near-universal praise from longtime fans.

The really cool thing about the project is that it's also fully open-source, with the developer actively encouraging the community to pick up the proverbial ball and run with it, creating their own versions of further Pokémon using Heart & Soul as a base.