Pokemon Yellow Legacy (Gameboy GB)

The Yellow Legacy project is a prequel to Crystal Legacy by content creator Patrick Smith (TheSmithPlays) and the second installment in his planned Legacy series. It’s based on the Pokémon Yellow disassembly. The Legacy project is focused on changing the base game in a way that improves quality of life and balances it with the benefit of twenty years of experience. The primary goal of each mod is to maintain the game’s original feel while also making meaningful improvements for the player. This means that some of the quirks of the first generation of Pokémon games will remain, as they are regarded as essential to the overall experience.

Pokémon Yellow holds a unique position in the franchise, being the first major overhaul influenced by the anime. It introduced color, tougher battles, access to all three starters, and Pikachu as a companion. Yellow Legacy aims to enhance the game while preserving its original charm, ensuring each Pokémon has a unique role. It maintains the essence of the original Generation 1 games, with balance changes designed to keep gameplay faithful while not altering core mechanics like sleep status or critical hit chance.

Yellow Legacy increases the difficulty of Pokémon trainer battles, particularly bosses, to enhance engagement without simply being hard for the sake of it. The goal is to provide a challenging yet rewarding experience, with major trainers having Pokémon and movesets tailored to counter players relying on single super-effective Pokémon. Players are encouraged to build diverse teams for these challenges. Pokémon availability adjusts as players progress, ensuring appropriately powerful encounters. Additionally, all 151 Pokémon can be obtained in one playthrough, and some post-game content is included.

General Changes

Quality of life changes are abundant in Yellow Legacy. Here is a list of changes that we have implemented to make the game more enjoyable to play through.

Menus

Ask to reuse Repels
HMs can be used from the overworld
HMs can be forgotten
To avoid softlocks, HMs cannot be stored in the PC
Extended bag with more slots
Items can be sorted with Start
Items now have descriptions
Party menu now shows StatEXP and DVs
Press Select/Start respectively when selecting STATS
TM names are shown in menus
Updated Pokedex functionality (See Encounters & Learnsets for more details)
Level-up and TM learnsets now displayed
Location menu now includes gifts and fishing

World & NPCs

Running Shoes added
Faster Nurse Joy
Faster Saves
Updated Marts to include TMs and other rare items
All TMs can now be repurchased
Use Left/Right to change items by 10 when buying or selling
You can now obtain the Old Rod from an NPC in Viridian City Mart
The Old Rod’s original location has been replaced with the Good Rod
All rods now have improved encounter tables
Game Corner Pokémon & TMs prices lowered
Coins can also be bought in bulk
Enabled easier access to Fuchsia Pokécenter
Surge’s Trash Puzzle no longer resets after every check
Faster spinning tiles 
A Move Reminder and Move Deleter have been added to Cinnabar Lab
The Cerulean City Jynx trade has been re-added in Saffron City
Miscellaneous dialogue changes have been made
Some story and character moments have been updated
Several NPCs now hint at gameplay changes

Visuals & Music

Female character option for Green
Pokémon Palette changes
Various backsprite updates
Unique Party Icons
Overworld sprites for Pokémon and Gym Leaders
Improved Battle UI
EXP bar
Already Caught icon
Full Box reminder Text after catch
EXP. All text shortens non-participants to “Party gained…”
Seafoam Islands now uses a blue pallet
Elite Four battles now use more fitting battle music
A previously unused song in the game has been added to Viridian Gym
The buttons in Victory Road now make a sound when pressed