HM moves can be used in the field without teaching them, so no more limitations on movesets. Quality of life is the name of the game, so an infinite toggleable Repel, infinite use Escape Rope, Pocket PC, and running shoes streamline Crystal for your hundredth playthrough. Mortar, Karen replaces Eusine as our resident Suicune hunter, Surge is holding the Power Plant together, everyone gets more attention! Your rival has a more dynamic arc, involving the theft of not one but TWO of Elm’s Pokémon, because why bother breaking and entering if you’re only gonna grab one Pokéball? Broad changes to stats, typing, movesets, and trainers are par for the course for Pokémon hacks, but Cubic Crystal seeks to follow the spirit of later games like Platinum by incorporating Gym Leaders and the Elite Four into your adventure beyond just standing around waiting to battle. What began as a relatively vanilla improvement mod was transformed when Crystal Legacy was released early in production, inspiring a deeper dive into reshaping the classic Crystal experience rather than retread the same ground. Released as a playtested and fully complete mod, like Athena emerging fully grown from Zeus’s head (but arguably less impressive), comes Pokémon: Cubic Crystal!