Pokémon Snakewood Version (GBA) – Zombies, Fakemon, and a Very Crooked Hoenn
Game Information
Table Of Contents
About This ROM Hack
Pokémon Snakewood Version is a story-driven, experimental ROM hack of Pokémon Ruby that throws Hoenn into outright chaos. Designed as a reaction against the traditional Pokémon formula, Snakewood prioritizes narrative twists, dark humor, and surreal worldbuilding over polish or balance. The creator openly embraces rough edges—especially early on—in exchange for a memorable, often absurd experience that constantly subverts expectations.
This is not a Vanilla+ or QoL-focused hack. Snakewood is intentionally strange, occasionally unfair, frequently confusing, and deeply unconventional. What it lacks in refinement, it makes up for in personality, ambition, and sheer unpredictability.
Story Overview
You awaken in the ruins of Littleroot Town with no memory of who you are or how you got there. Hoenn, once familiar, has fallen to a zombie apocalypse. With Professor Birch as your only reliable ally, you set out to locate your missing brother Landon and Birch’s daughter May, both of whom vanished while investigating the origin of the undead outbreak.
As your journey unfolds, Snakewood spirals far beyond a simple zombie invasion. You’ll encounter witches, demons, Taoist mystics, military factions, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the unsettling mastermind Senex—while also confronting fragments of your own forgotten past. Despite the grim premise, the game constantly undercuts itself with absurd humor, unreliable characters, pop culture references, and deliberately bizarre tonal shifts.
The result is a wandering, twist-heavy narrative that feels closer to a dark parody or experimental RPG than a traditional Pokémon story.
Key Features
- Narrative-First Design: A heavily scripted, plot-driven experience with frequent twists, fourth-wall humor, and long-form storytelling uncommon in Pokémon hacks.
- Zombie Hoenn Setting: A post-apocalyptic version of Hoenn overtaken by undead Pokémon, ruined cities, and hostile factions.
- Fakemon & New Evolutions: Around 40–50 Fakemon, including hidden evolutions for existing Pokémon and entirely new legendary threats.
- Cross-Generation Pokémon: A limited but notable inclusion of Generation 4 and 5 Pokémon woven into the world.
- Type Reworks: Several Pokémon receive unconventional type changes (e.g., Banette as Ghost/Fighting, Milotic as Water/Psychic).
- Destroyed Gym System: Many Gyms no longer exist, with Badges obtained through unusual story events rather than standard battles.
- Dark Humor & References: Heavy use of satire, absurd NPC dialogue, and references to books, films, manga, and other ROM hacks.
- Increased Difficulty: Tougher encounters and a steeper curve compared to vanilla Ruby, though not tuned like modern difficulty hacks.
Pokémon & Gameplay Changes
- Zombie variants of existing Pokémon (some capturable)
- 6 Denjuu Pokémon
- New and altered Legendary Pokémon, many tied directly to the story
- Trade evolutions and hidden evolution paths
- Modified leveling curve for added challenge
- Type changes for select Pokémon (Electric/Dark Luxray line, Poison/Dark Seviper, etc.)
- Generation 4–5 Pokémon such as Spiritomb, Excadrill, Zoroark-line prototype, Zebstrika, and more
Known Bugs & Issues
- Tile glitches in various Hoenn locations
- Emulator speed-up can break certain scripts
- Picking berries on Route 114 may freeze the game
- An unremovable early-game dialogue prompt ("And you are?")
- Some side areas and sprites remain unfinished
Despite these issues, the game remains fully playable from start to near completion.
Screenshots
Download Links
Documentation
Walkthrough by Olivia R.
Type Changes:
- Luxio => Electric/Dark
- Luxray => Electric/Dark
- Meowth => Normal/Dark
- Persian => Normal/Dark
- Seviper => Poison/Dark
- Banette => Ghost/Fighting
- Milotic => Water/Psychic
- Hariyama => Fighting/Normal
Hidden Evolutions:
- Mightyena => Zoroark (currently named Gigawolf and with ridiculous stats; it'll change
- eventually.)
- Solrock/Lunatone => Galactimon
- Luvdisc => Basculin
- Snorlax => Skylax
- Vigoroth => Slaking/Vigourlan
- Linoone => Dragoone
- Zangoose => Zangol
- Seviper => Sevicious
- Calfby => Tauros/Miltank/Ramshaker
Developer Information
Developer / Team: Cutlerine
Credits:
- Scripting - Cutlerine
- Mapping - Cutlerine
- Spriting - 80% Cutlerine, 20% the Rkyeet.
- OWs - Cutlerine
- Bugfixing - 1158
Source & References
Official Thread / Website: Pokecommunity
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is this hack for?
A: Players looking for a radically different Pokémon experience with heavy story focus, dark humor, and experimental design.
Q: Is this a difficulty hack?
A: No. While harder than vanilla Ruby, Snakewood is not designed around competitive balance or optimized difficulty.
Q: Is the story serious or comedic?
A: Both. The game mixes dark themes with absurd humor and intentionally unreliable storytelling.
Q: Are all Pokémon obtainable?
A: No. The Pokédex is curated to fit the narrative, including Fakemon and select later-generation Pokémon.
Q: Is the game polished?
A: No. Snakewood is infamous for rough edges, bugs, and unconventional design choices—especially early on.
Q: How long is the game?
A: Comparable to a full Pokémon game, though pacing varies due to story-heavy segments.
Q: Is Snakewood considered a classic hack?
A: Yes. Despite (or because of) its flaws, it’s one of the most well-known and discussed Pokémon ROM hacks ever.
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