Pokémon Red★ and Blue★: Space World Edition GB ROM – Detailed Hack Overview
Game Information
Table Of Contents
About This ROM Hack
Pokémon Red★ and Blue★: Space World Edition is a highly specialized Game Boy ROM hack that recreates the visual and mechanical style of the leaked Pokémon Gold and Silver Space World demos from 1997 and 1999. Rather than adding new Pokémon or altering the storyline, the hack focuses on historical authenticity, transforming Pokémon Red and Blue to resemble how Generation 2 originally looked during development.
The hack replaces a wide range of graphical assets, including Pokémon sprites, trainers, overworld graphics, tilesets, and Super Game Boy borders. In addition, it ports several quality-of-life and visual features that did not exist in the original Gen 1 releases, creating a unique hybrid experience that blends Red/Blue gameplay with early Gen 2 aesthetics.
Story Overview
The story remains identical to the original Pokémon Red and Blue. Players begin their journey in Pallet Town, choose a starter Pokémon, travel across the Kanto region, defeat Gym Leaders, stop Team Rocket, and ultimately challenge the Elite Four to become the Pokémon League Champion.
While the narrative is unchanged, the presentation dramatically alters how the story feels. With Space World–style sprites, environments, and interface elements, familiar locations and battles take on a distinctly different atmosphere, offering a fresh way to experience a classic adventure.
Key Features
- Space World Visual Recreation: Pokémon sprites, trainer sprites, overworld graphics, tilesets, and SGB borders are redesigned to match the Space World 1997 and 1999 demo aesthetics.
- Shiny Pokémon System: Shiny Pokémon are fully implemented and can appear naturally during wild encounters.
- In-Battle Experience Bars: Battles now display EXP bars, improving feedback and aligning the game with later-generation mechanics.
- All 151 Pokémon Available: Every original Generation 1 Pokémon can be obtained within a single version of the game.
- Expanded Sprite Support: Larger Pokémon back sprites are enabled, improving visual clarity during battles.
- Faithful Pokémon Roster: Only the original 151 Pokémon are included, with no beta or unreleased Pokémon added.
- Historically Accurate Design Philosophy: Features and visuals are based on real Space World demo data rather than modern reinterpretations.
Known Bugs & Issues
- Some graphical oddities may occur due to Space World–style assets
- Visual differences may feel unusual to players expecting standard Red/Blue graphics
- No beta Pokémon from Space World demos are included
Screenshots
Download Links
Red★: Mediafire
Blue★: Mediafire
Documentation
Graphics from the Space World 1997 and 1999 Pokémon G/S prototypes:- Pokémon front sprites, back sprites, and icons
- Trainers
- Map tiles
- Overworld sprites
- SGB borders (Red uses Gold, Blue uses Silver)
- Various UIs (battle HUD, Pokémon stats, Pokédex, trainer card, Town Map, trading, etc)
- Color palettes (new as of July 16, 2018)
- Shiny Pokémon exist, using their Space World palettes, with the same DVs and encounter chances as G/S (1 in 8,192)
- Pokémon have genders
- Battle HUD shows experience bar, gender icons, and caught icon
- Swimmer♀ and Soldier trainer classes
- Trainers have individual names (copied from FR/LG)
- Trainer classes each have their own DVs, instead of all 9/8/8/8
- Face enemy trainers that see you
- Running Shoes (2x speed) or Mach Bike (4x bicycle speed) by holding B
- Talk to Surf water, Cut trees, and Strength boulders to use HMs
- Items in the Pack have descriptions
- Blinking arrow prompts shown on the textbox border
- Overworld sprites are aligned with tiles (new as of August 19, 2018)
- NPCs in Cerulean City, Route 24, and Vermilion City give you Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle
- Various moveset changes, like Kadabra learning Kinesis
- The Safari Zone lets you in if you don't have enough money
- Route 23, Victory Road, and Indigo Plateau disable the Bicycle music
- Blaine uses a different overworld sprite
- Ekans and Sandshrew: Routes 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 23
- Oddish and Bellsprout: Routes 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 24, and 25
- Mankey and Meowth: Routes 5, 6, 7, and 8
- Growlithe and Vulpix: Routes 7 and 8, and Pokémon Mansion
- Scyther and Pinsir: Safari Zone
- Electabuzz: Power Plant
- Magmar: Pokémon Mansion
- Machamp, Golem, Alakazam, and Gengar: Cerulean Cave, and evolvable with Heart Stone (sold in Celadon Dept. Store) (trade evolution also still works)
- Mr. Mime: Game Corner prize (like G/S)
- Farfetch'd: Route 12 and 13 (like Yellow)
- Lickitung: Safari Zone (like Yellow)
- Jynx: Seafoam Islands (like Japanese Blue)
- Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan: Victory Road
- Eevee: Celadon Mansion, and a Game Corner prize
- Kabuto and Omanyte: the fossil not taken in Mt. Moon will be in Cerulean Cave
- Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle: NPC gifts (like Yellow)
- Mew: Use the Mew glitch
- Holding B will disable wild encounters, trainer battles, Safari Zone steps, and rival battle triggers
- Holding B will let you walk through walls ("noclip") including out of bounds
- "Debug" will, in addition, the the "Noclip" features, give you a strong party, seven badges, some good items, ¥999,999, and skip the introductory game events
- Some DV combinations are unavailable in the wild, including all shiny ones
- Focus Energy and Dire Hit halve the critical hit rate instead of doubling it
- Mirror Move versus partial-trapping moves can desync link battles
- Bide can accumulate damage from a previous turn, a non-active Pokémon, and a previous battle
- Stat scaling with defending stat lower than 4 freezes the game via division by 0
- Dual-type effectiveness can show wrong text and sound
- Level-up moves not learned when a Pokémon grows by two or more levels at once
- Item evolutions can be triggered by Pokémon with matching IDs battling last
- Blaine may use a Super Potion with his Pokémon at full health
Developer Information
Developer / Team: Rangi
Credits:
- pret team for the Red and Blue disassemblies
- Team Spaceworld for Space World demo research and data mining
- Luna (Mateo) for Pokémon Red++ inspiration
- Danny-E 33 for large back sprite and EXP bar code
- Crystal_ for shiny Pokémon implementation support
- Poketto for the player back sprite
- SteppoBlazer for the old man back sprite
Source & References
Official Thread / Website: https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=409459
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the goal of Pokémon Red★ and Blue★: Space World Edition?
The goal is to recreate the look and feel of the Space World Gold and Silver demos within Pokémon Red and Blue.
Does this hack change gameplay mechanics significantly?
Gameplay remains largely faithful to Pokémon Red and Blue, with select visual and quality-of-life enhancements.
Are shiny Pokémon available in this hack?
Yes. Shiny Pokémon can appear naturally in the wild.
Does the hack include beta Pokémon from Space World demos?
No. Only the original 151 Pokémon are included.
Can all Pokémon be obtained in one version?
Yes. All 151 Pokémon are obtainable within a single game version.
Is the story different from the original Red and Blue?
No. The storyline and progression remain unchanged.
Who would enjoy this hack the most?
Fans of Pokémon history, beta content, and Space World demos will appreciate this hack the most.
How to Play
- Obtain a clean Pokémon Red or Pokémon Blue Game Boy ROM.
- Apply the appropriate Pokémon Red★ or Pokémon Blue★ Space World Edition patch.
- Load the patched ROM on a compatible Game Boy emulator or supported hardware.
- Play through the classic Kanto adventure with Space World–inspired visuals and features.
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