Pokémon Sour Crystal
Pokémon Crystal, rebuilt on its own disassembly, with Kanto put back to its full size and a real Challenge Mode alongside the original game.
More about the game
Pokémon Sour Crystal is SourApple's build-upon of Pokémon Crystal, written from the game's own disassembled source code rather than a binary patch. The creator's own words for the project are that it does not set out to change Crystal so much as build on it: all 251 Johto and Kanto Pokémon are still obtainable, the story beats are the ones you remember, and the twelve original gym leaders keep their names — but Kanto is restored to its original Gen 1 size with several HeartGold/SoulSilver routes grafted on, base stats are brought in line with Generation 7, move data and movepools are updated, Ghost is a special type here and Dark and Dragon are physical, catching is friendlier (Apricorn balls work instantly, TMs are reusable, a Pager calls in field moves, so no team slot goes to a Pokémon kept only for an HM), and a whole second difficulty — Challenge Mode — runs alongside the standard game with its own trainer rosters and some of its own wild tables. Over 200 species carry the creator's own redrawn sprites. This guide is generated from the creator's own source tree at tag SC-v7.0a and the documentation spreadsheet linked from the project's own README and FAQ.
What's different, point by point
- All 251 Pokémon obtainable, Johto and Kanto together
- Kanto restored to its original Game Boy size, plus several HeartGold/SoulSilver-only routes
- A full second difficulty, Challenge Mode, with its own trainer rosters (often with held items and EVs) and some of its own wild tables — chosen once, at New Game
- Base stats updated to Generation 7 numbers
- Ghost is a special type here; Dark and Dragon are physical
- Over 200 Pokémon with the creator's own redrawn sprites
- A four-area Johto Safari Zone alongside Kanto's own, plus overworld weather and a day/night cycle
- 95+ wild swarms, each with its own notifier and raised shiny odds
- An upgraded trainer rematch system: ~44 trainers call to rematch across five story checkpoints, and every gym leader, Elite Four member and the Champion take a rematch team once Red is beaten
- Reusable TMs, instant Apricorn balls, a Pager that calls in field moves instead of a Pokémon kept only for its HMs, and trade evolutions that work with a held item (the Linking Cord) instead of a trade
SourApple
This guide is built from SourApple's own documentation. The game, the ideas and the work are theirs — the site just makes the numbers searchable. Play it from the official page, and send them the feedback and the thanks.
What this guide covers
Every guide here is built from the game's own documentation. Where a ROM hack changed something but never published the numbers, this says so rather than quietly filling the gap with the original game's — which would be worse than leaving it out.
| Section | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Wild Pokémon by area | From the game itself | Every wild table in the game's own data for both Normal and Challenge Mode: grass by time of day, surfing, both rods, headbutt trees, wild swarms, the Bug-Catching Contest and both Safari Zones (Johto and Kanto), for all 158 areas the source places one in. Raikou and Entei are not on any route: once they flee the Burned Tower they roam Johto at level 40, moving between routes rather than living in any one table, so no area lists them. |
| Encounter rates | From the game itself | From the game's own probability tables, or (for the Contest and Safari Zone) the percentage the game's own table gives each slot directly. |
| Wild levels | From the game itself | Every level is the game's own, for both Normal and Challenge Mode. |
| Stats, abilities and movesets | From the game itself | Base stats, types, learnsets, evolutions, egg moves and TM/HM compatibility for all 251 species. There is no ability system in Generation 2, so the ability line is intentionally blank. |
| TM and HM compatibility | From the game itself | All 50 TMs and 7 HMs, with per-species compatibility read from the game's own tables. |
| Where TMs are found | From the game itself | From the creator's own documentation spreadsheet, in the creator's own words. The creator's documentation spreadsheet |
| Trainer and boss teams | From the game itself | Every roster the game's own map scripts start, for both Normal and Challenge Mode, plus the upgraded rematch system's teams — the phone-rematch schedule for about 44 trainers, and the post-Red rematch for every gym leader, Elite Four member and the Champion. The Battle Tower is not listed: its opponents are drawn at random from a large pool on each visit instead of standing in a fixed place with a fixed team. |
Credits
- Pokémon Sour Crystal: SourApple (SoupPotato)
- Source code, which this guide is generated from: SoupPotato/sourcrystal at tag SC-v7.0a
- Dynamic battle palette and other ASM work: FIQ
- The newbox PC port and overworld weather: Vulcandth
- ASM work: Rangi42
- ASM and bugfixing: Zumi, Pfero and TheBostonConstellation
- The Safari Zone's code: Luna
- New Kanto trainer battle music: CoralDev
- Music covers: Mmmmmm and FroggestSpirit
- The Pokémon Crystal disassembly the game is built on: the pret team
- Discord: the Pokémon Sour Crystal server
- Dex art — the game's own front sprites for all 250 species, over 200 of them redrawn by the creator, decoded from the creator's public source and served from this site: SourApple (SoupPotato)
- Sprites via PokéAPI; base move and TM data from PokéAPI and Bulbapedia.
Reading the tables
SourceEvery table on this site is read from the creator's own source tree at tag SC-v7.0a: base stats, types, learnsets, evolutions, egg moves, move data, wild tables with their rates and levels for both Normal and Challenge Mode, TM and HM compatibility, and every trainer party. TM/HM and item locations, and the two move tutors' costs and unlock conditions, come from the documentation spreadsheet the creator links from the project's own README and FAQ.
DifficultyChallenge Mode is picked once, at New Game, and never switches back. It raises trainer levels — often with held items, EVs and different movesets Normal doesn't have — and some wild tables add an extra species. Both are shown on this site wherever the game's own data differs; a table with no mode tag is the same in both.
CategoriesCategory is decided by type here, as it is in Crystal, except that Dark and Dragon are physical and Ghost is special. The move list says so on every Dark, Dragon and Ghost move that does damage.
RematchesAbout 44 ordinary trainers use Crystal's phone rematch system, tied here to five of the creator's own story checkpoints (Initial, upon reaching Goldenrod, upon reaching Olivine, after the Team Rocket Radio Tower story, and after the Elite Four); every gym leader, Elite Four member and the Champion instead take one upgraded rematch team once Red is beaten. Both are listed as separate fights on the trainer's own page.
StagesStory order here follows the base game's own — the creator's own words are that Sour Crystal builds upon Crystal rather than restructures it — so a checkpoint on this site is the earliest point you could be there, not a lock on the door.
KantoKanto is restored to its Generation 1 size and its gyms are not badge-gated the way Johto's are, so every Kanto route and city is placed at the same checkpoint once the S.S. Aqua opens.
RatesSlot percentages are the game's own probability tables. The Bug-Catching Contest and Safari Zone give their own percentage directly, per slot, rather than through that table. * marks 5% or less.
TimesGrass tables are split morning, day and night (4am-10am, 10am-8pm, 8pm-4am in this game). Where two or three of them are the same, the row is listed once and says which times it covers.
FishingThe Old Rod is on Route 32, the Good Rod is in Olivine City and the Super Rod is on Route 12 in Kanto, all from that area's Fishing Guru.
SwarmsA swarm table only applies while that Pokémon is reported swarming there by its own notifier NPC; it is not always available.
AbilitiesThere is no ability system in this generation, so every Pokémon page has an empty ability line and the comparison block does not try to say what was gained or lost.