Brandon Collins 
The popular Pokemon ROM hack Radical Red, known for its enhanced difficulty and suite of additions, has made some big changes with its 4.0 update.
ROM hacks have had a bit of a renaissance in recent years. The days of a mysterious “Pokemon Black Version” cartridge for the Game Boy are long in the past. With the explosion of Pokétube Nuzlockers such as Pokemon Challenges, the demand for challenging ROMs that offer new experiences is higher than ever.
Alongside the release of Pokemon Elite Redux, Pokemon Radical Red creator Soupercell took to Twitter and announced that version 4.0 had just dropped. The update brings some huge changes including new original Pokemon, the introduction of various ninth-generation Pokemon, and new gameplay elements.
What’s in the Pokemon Radical Red version 4.0 ROM hack?
Pokemon Radical Red version 4.0 adds many of the new Pokemon, abilities, and moves that were introduced in Scarlet and Violet.
The most impactful change is the addition of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s roster of collectible critters, all with new sprites. This addition brings the number of Pokemon available in Radical Red up to 1,261 including different formes, regional variants, and mega evolution.
Along with this menagerie of monsters, Soupercell has taken the liberty to add a host of new abilities and moves from the latest games and two new regional forms for two fan favorites. These new abilities were added to the Pokemon they’re normally associated with in the mainline games, but some were also given to Pokemon from previous generations.
What new Pokemon are in Pokemon Radical Red 4.0?
Pokemon Radical Red 4.0 adds the new Pokemon added in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, alongside a number of new regional variants.
One of the more popular features of recent Pokemon games is the introduction of regional variants, Pokemon that look similar to those from previous generations but have different typings and appearances. Radical Red has taken full advantage of this, adding its own original regional variants for Pokemon including Ursaring, Dodrio, and Wishiwashi.
The latest update has added to this repertoire of retyped monsters, including regional variants for Paldean Pokemon. New additions include a bug-dragon Lokix and a rock-ghost Noivern, two very intriguing type combinations that are yet to appear in the original games.
