Pokémon Pinball Generations has just hit version 1.6, with fan developers RainbowDevs releasing an update on 7 October that fixes saving on flash carts, sorts out broken mid-game saves, corrects Ho-Oh’s name and, rather wonderfully, includes the project’s source files.
If you’ve never heard of it, this is the ROM hack that takes the original Game Boy Color Pokémon Pinball and adds the Gold and Silver generation to it, which is basically the sequel Nintendo never got round to making. Let’s find out what’s new!
What Is Pokémon Pinball Generations?
As Retro Dodo explains, the hack adds the Gen 2 Pokémon, bringing the Pokédex up to a full 251, and lets you travel across Johto through new Gold and Silver themed fields, all while still being a Game Boy Color game at heart.
It’s been around for a while too, according to the RainbowDevs release history, version 1.0 landed back in January 2019, with a run of bug-fix updates in late 2023 and now this 1.6 release almost three years later, which is the kind of dedication you rarely see… even from actual game studios!
Fun FactRainbowDevs is the same team behind Pokémon Brown 3D, which got its own 1.1.0 update back in August, so these folks are clearly having a very busy and very Pokémon-filled year!
What’s New in Pokémon Pinball Generations 1.6?
This is a fixes-and-housekeeping update rather than a big content drop, but the fixes are the kind that actually matter if you play on real hardware:
- Flash cart saving fixed: saves now work properly on flash carts
- Mid-game saves fixed: no more broken saves partway through a run
- Ho-Oh’s name corrected in the evolution menu
- Source files included: so other hackers can learn from it and build on it
That last one is honestly the biggest deal for the ROM hacking scene, because releasing the source means the project can outlive any one team, and that’s how a lot of the best fan projects end up being preserved for good.
How Do You Actually Play It?
Like most ROM hacks, Pokémon Pinball Generations is distributed as a patch rather than a ready-made game, and RainbowDevs offers a patcher that runs right in your browser, so you’ll need your own copy of the original Pokémon Pinball ROM, which of course everyone “legally” dumped from their own cartridge, some people, definitely not me, included.
Once patched, Retro Dodo says it’ll run on pretty much any handheld emulator, on iPhone, or on original hardware via a flash cart, and that it holds a smooth 60fps, which is exactly what you want when a Poké Ball is flying towards the drain at full speed, isn’t it?
Should You Bother With Pokémon Pinball Generations?
If you’ve got a retro handheld or a flash cart and even a passing fondness for Pokémon Pinball, absolutely, because it’s free, it adds an entire generation of Pokémon to catch, and with this update it finally saves properly on real hardware.
The only real cost is the time it takes to patch it, which is a pretty great deal when Nintendo is still charging for its own classic re-releases. And if you want a refresher on why the original is so good in the first place, our Pokémon Pinball Hidden Retro Gems piece makes the case, flippers and all!
FAQ
What is Pokémon Pinball Generations?
Pokémon Pinball Generations is a fan-made ROM hack of the Game Boy Color’s Pokémon Pinball that adds Gen 2 Pokémon, bringing the total to 251, and new Gold and Silver themed fields.
What does Pokémon Pinball Generations 1.6 fix?
Version 1.6 fixes saving on flash carts and broken mid-game saves, corrects Ho-Oh’s name in the evolution menu, and includes the source files.
Can you play Pokémon Pinball Generations on real hardware?
Yes, Pokémon Pinball Generations runs on original Game Boy Color hardware via a flash cart, as well as on emulators and retro handhelds.
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