Gameboy Color DX Hacks (+GBC to GBA enhancement hacks)

[Supergamerguy]

Hello all! I wanted to compile a list of GBC DX hacks so that people can be aware of all the fantastic Colorizations that have come out recently. My goal is to update this list regularly, like NesDraug's Co-op/Multiplayer Hacks list. I'll include those hacks that put the GBA upgrades some GBC games got when used in a GBA back into the original games as well.


Starting with the GBC DX Hacks, we have:


• Mega Man V DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7413/
• Mega Man - Dr. Wily's Revenge DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7492/
• Super Mario Land DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4477/
• Super Mario Land 2 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3784/
• Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6683/
• Metroid II - Return of Samus DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4388/ (EJRTQ Version)
• Kirby's Dreamland 2 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7724/
• Kirby's Dreamland DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5213/ , https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5635/ , https://github.com/supergamerguy777/Kirby-s-Dream-Land-DX---Fluffy-Repair-Service-backup-
• (CURRENTLY DEFUNCT: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6224/)
• Kirby's Pinball Land DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6079/
• Donkey Kong Land DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6076/
• Donkey Kong Land 2 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6866/
• Donkey Kong Land 3 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/1757/ and https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/471/
• Pokemon Red DX (Full Color Hack): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/1385/
• (You could also use the Spanish translation of Red and Blue's Color Hack: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7282/
  or the German translation: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7072/)
• Pinball: Revenge of the Gator DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/7480/
• Balloon Kid DX: https://www.romhacking.net/translations/2573/
• Alleyway DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6510/
• Snoopy's Magic Show DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6657/
• Bomb Jack DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6781/
• Amazing Penguin DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6797/
• Dr. Mario DX (Gameboy port): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/5281/
• (You should also use the Polish Up hack on top of the above Dr. Mario DX hack: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6200/)
• Galaga and Galaxian DX (Gameboy port): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6541/
• Faceball 2000 DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6107/
• Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2 DX: https://github.com/supergamerguy777/Bugs-Bunny-Crazy-Castle-2-DX-backup-
• (CURRENTLY DEFUNCT: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/944/, http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6279/)
• The King James Bible DX: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6708/


WIP DX Hacks to keep track of:


• Donkey Kong ('94) DX (marc_max): https://twitter.com/marc_robledo/status/1610587640071393280?s=20&t=NBybDYLi6visPwHLOqcZVw
• Kirby's Dreamland 2 DX (kk_zero): https://twitter.com/kkzero2015/status/1611753090562015234
• Pokemon Red DX (Made Better): https://youtu.be/-SlCdOKZDcQ
• The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls (toruzz): https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=21642.0 and https://twitter.com/toruzz/status/1437720125134749706?s=20&t=zjhl0kE7Kvbb1R-jnsP1KQ
• Mega Man III DX (Tails Gaming Power): http://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=29541.0
• Ninja Gaiden Shadow DX (marc_max): https://www.romhacking.net/forum/index.php?topic=32801.0


I'll also throw in the Konami GB Collection hacks that autoboot to one of the GBC rereleases of a GB game on that particular collection. Several of these hacks incorporate Quality of Life features from some hacks of the original GB games:


• Castlevania - The Adventure (Autoboot hack plus Character Speed features): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2473/
• Castlevania 2 - Belmont's Revenge (Autoboot hack plus Character Speed features): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2474/
• (Contra) Operation C (Autoboot hack): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3923/
• (You can also choose to use the 10 Lives Code hack on top of the above autoboot hack: https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3944/)
• Frogger (Autoboot hack): http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3917/
• Parodius, Track and Field, and Block Game (Autoboot hacks): http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6112/
• Gradius - The Interstellar Assault, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Antartic Adventure, and Castlevania 2 - Belmont's Revenge (no speed features) (Autoboot hacks): http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6113/
• Konami Racing and Castlevania - The Adventure (no speed features) (Autoboot hacks): http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6111/



The GBC to GBA Enhancement Hacks are:


• The Legend of Zelda - Oracle of Ages (GBA Enhancements with GBC Palettes): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3589/
• The Legend of Zelda - Oracle of Seasons (GBA Enhancements with GBC Palettes): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/3588/
• Shantae (GBA Enhancements with GBC Palettes): https://www.romhacking.net/reviews/7006/
• Wendy - Every Witch Way (GBA Enhancement Patch): https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4039/


Feel free to post here and let me know of anything I missed!

[EvilJagaGenius]

There's actually a hack that uses the name Pokemon Red DX, it builds off the full-color hacks and adds new features and Pokemon:  https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=360339
Pokemon Red++ also uses the full-color hacks as a base, though AFAIK it doesn't add any new Pokemon:  https://hax.iimarckus.org/topic/4670/
(I hope the mods don't mind me linking to other forums, but they're the closest thing those hacks have to a home page.  No ROMs, just patches and Github links)
It's a pity Yellow doesn't have a full-color hack, it's a unique beast.  I hope we see one eventually.

I tried the Donkey Kong Land hack and it's good stuff, though it does not run in its current state in Goomba Color on GBA or GameYob on DS.  Check it out to see if it works on your preferred setup, mGBA was working fine for me though.  I like the color choices and the time attack mode and other features are icing on the cake.

Has anyone ever gotten Crazy Castle 2 DX to work?  I've never been able to manage it.

[Chatterine]

I'd love to also see some JRPGs colourized, perhaps even the Final Fantasy spin-offs (Legend I, II and IIU; FF Adventure, etc.)

[Supergamerguy]

There's actually a hack that uses the name Pokemon Red DX, it builds off the full-color hacks and adds new features and Pokemon:  https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=360339
Pokemon Red++ also uses the full-color hacks as a base, though AFAIK it doesn't add any new Pokemon:  https://hax.iimarckus.org/topic/4670/
(I hope the mods don't mind me linking to other forums, but they're the closest thing those hacks have to a home page.  No ROMs, just patches and Github links)
It's a pity Yellow doesn't have a full-color hack, it's a unique beast.  I hope we see one eventually.

I tried the Donkey Kong Land hack and it's good stuff, though it does not run in its current state in Goomba Color on GBA or GameYob on DS.  Check it out to see if it works on your preferred setup, mGBA was working fine for me though.  I like the color choices and the time attack mode and other features are icing on the cake.

Has anyone ever gotten Crazy Castle 2 DX to work?  I've never been able to manage it.

Those two Pokemon hacks look pretty cool! However, they do a lot more than just add color to their original games, so I'm not sure if they would match the other hacks on the list. I appreciate you sharing them though, and I bet others will see them as they scroll through this thread.

I'm super excited to give DK Land DX a try in the near future, and it does work on the emulator I use for my NES Classic, so I look forward to experiencing it in it's ultimate form.

I have not gotten Bugs Bunny - Crazy Castle 2 DX to work myself, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to put it on the list anyways.

I'd love to also see some JRPGs colourized, perhaps even the Final Fantasy spin-offs (Legend I, II and IIU; FF Adventure, etc.)

I would love to see Final Fantasy Adventures (or Adventures of Mana, as it's also known as) colorized someday. That way it can fit right in with the other Mana games!

[Chatterine]

Has Super Mario Land 3 - Wario Land been colourized yet?

[Supergamerguy]

Has Super Mario Land 3 - Wario Land been colourized yet?

Not to my knowledge, no. There's a Super Mario World hack that tries to remake it if that sounds interesting to you. It felt like a hack still in Beta, but not unfun.

[Chatterine]

Then I can put that game and also the GB port of Yoshi's Cookie to my to-do list.

[FAST6191]

That is usually the GBC with GBA extras list but I will note the somewhat recently released port of Towers II (complete game, publisher troubles so never gets released officially, released decades later when dev finds it in a box) is supposed to also have GBA awareness and I don't know if it needs them force added (or indeed added and any palette fun dropped like most of those on that list above)

https://archive.org/details/towersiigbcunreleased

[Supergamerguy]

I just added the English translation of Donkey Kong Land 3 DX and some of the autoboot hacks for the Konami GB Collections on the GBC to the list!

That is usually the GBC with GBA extras list but I will note the somewhat recently released port of Towers II (complete game, publisher troubles so never gets released officially, released decades later when dev finds it in a box) is supposed to also have GBA awareness and I don't know if it needs them force added (or indeed added and any palette fun dropped like most of those on that list above)

https://archive.org/details/towersiigbcunreleased

That's pretty cool! Hopefully someone will decide to hack that game one day and add that feature back into the original GBC rom. I'll make sure to add it to my list if/when it does!

[EvilJagaGenius]

Faceball 2000 DX just released!  http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6107/

I used to think the Game Gear port was the superior version due to it having color, but I think this hack might have the edge now.  Readme warns there might be some compatibility issues though, like the DKL hack.

[Supergamerguy]

Faceball 2000 DX just released!  http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6107/

I used to think the Game Gear port was the superior version due to it having color, but I think this hack might have the edge now.  Readme warns there might be some compatibility issues though, like the DKL hack.

I just saw this on the main RHDN page, but thank you for being diligent and letting me know! I have no idea who asked for this DX hack, but I'm not angry in any way. Just shocked that someone would put some much time and effort to colorize this game in particular. Kudos to the developer!

Anyways, the list has been updated.

[kkzero]

I have no idea who asked for this DX hack, but I'm not angry in any way. Just shocked that someone would put some much time and effort to colorize this game in particular. Kudos to the developer!

This one only took like 9 days lmao

Thanks though, Faceball is a game I've always been interested in ever since I heard about it, so I enjoyed enhancing it.

[Supergamerguy]

This one only took like 9 days lmao

Thanks though, Faceball is a game I've always been interested in ever since I heard about it, so I enjoyed enhancing it.

That's surprisingly short. But I do appreciate the effort. Have you considered colorizing Donkey Kong Land 2 so that every DK Land game has color? Or Kirby's Dreamland 2 and Final Fantasy Adventure (Adventure of Mana) for that matter?

[kkzero]

That's surprisingly short. But I do appreciate the effort. Have you considered colorizing Donkey Kong Land 2 so that every DK Land game has color? Or Kirby's Dreamland 2 and Final Fantasy Adventure (Adventure of Mana) for that matter?

SpecialAgentApe, the one behind the DKL1 hack, is currently doing DKL2. For Kirby, both Dream Land 2 and Block Ball are ones I've been considering (the latter of which I've done some preliminary research on) since I did Pinball Land. FFA, I'll have to give a look, I do know that's one of the system's greats and thus people would dig a full color hack.

Since I just did Faceball though, I've also really been considering attempting X/Lunar Chase, the other well-known 3D game for the system.

[atpstudios]

SpecialAgentApe, the one behind the DKL1 hack, is currently doing DKL2. For Kirby, both Dream Land 2 and Block Ball are ones I've been considering (the latter of which I've done some preliminary research on) since I did Pinball Land. FFA, I'll have to give a look, I do know that's one of the system's greats and thus people would dig a full color hack.

Since I just did Faceball though, I've also really been considering attempting X/Lunar Chase, the other well-known 3D game for the system.

Great work by the way on both your recent hacks especially Kirby pinball land! If I could understand how to do it I would say please let me help you in colorizing more games, is it very hard to do? Dream Land 2 and block ball and even Donkey kong 94' would benefit greatly with color!

[EvilJagaGenius]

SpecialAgentApe, the one behind the DKL1 hack, is currently doing DKL2. For Kirby, both Dream Land 2 and Block Ball are ones I've been considering (the latter of which I've done some preliminary research on) since I did Pinball Land. FFA, I'll have to give a look, I do know that's one of the system's greats and thus people would dig a full color hack.

Since I just did Faceball though, I've also really been considering attempting X/Lunar Chase, the other well-known 3D game for the system.

Oooh, I don't know what colors one would use for Lunar Chase but that'd be cool to see.  Really, any new color hacks are cool to see but I'd be curious to see how that particular one goes.

[kkzero]

Great work by the way on both your recent hacks especially Kirby pinball land! If I could understand how to do it I would say please let me help you in colorizing more games, is it very hard to do? Dream Land 2 and block ball and even Donkey kong 94' would benefit greatly with color!

Thank you! I feel that the difficulty of making these really depends on how much you know/are versed in the following things:

• Knowledge of assembly coding
• Knowledge of the Gameboy's hardware (the Pan Docs are the go-to resource for this)
• Knowledge of how to manage this kind of project (like with the build systems I designed for my hacks)
• Passion for the game in question

The first one I was kinda hazy on at the start of working on Pinball Land, but as I did more code for it I began to understand it better. From there on it wasn't so much difficult as it was tedious, especially when I had to find all the metasprite data and disassemble it.

Oooh, I don't know what colors one would use for Lunar Chase but that'd be cool to see.  Really, any new color hacks are cool to see but I'd be curious to see how that particular one goes.

For the colors there's always the unreleased SNES port to take inspiration from. Of course it'd look more limited since the Gameboy has fewer colors per tile, but it's still a starting point. Even with that, I think utilizing the GBC's hardware features (double speed mode and G/HDMA) to improve performance would make it all the more worthwhile, too, just like I did with Faceball.

[Supergamerguy]

SpecialAgentApe, the one behind the DKL1 hack, is currently doing DKL2. For Kirby, both Dream Land 2 and Block Ball are ones I've been considering (the latter of which I've done some preliminary research on) since I did Pinball Land. FFA, I'll have to give a look, I do know that's one of the system's greats and thus people would dig a full color hack.

Since I just did Faceball though, I've also really been considering attempting X/Lunar Chase, the other well-known 3D game for the system.

Block Ball would be an amazing pick as well! And I'm glad to hear SpecialAgentApe is going to finish out the series. Hopefully you'll end up giving KD2 and FFA color hacks in the future!

Are you planning on using the official Lunar Chase (English) rom as a basis or the Japanese X rom? Or even the English fan translation for that matter...

[kkzero]

Are you planning on using the official Lunar Chase (English) rom as a basis or the Japanese X rom? Or even the English fan translation for that matter...

I'd probably use the official English one as the starting point, and then port the code over to the Japanese version's offsets, so that both the released and unreleased versions can get the enhancement.

[Supergamerguy]

I'd probably use the official English one as the starting point, and then port the code over to the Japanese version's offsets, so that both the released and unreleased versions can get the enhancement.

That sounds great! I wish you the best of luck in your upcoming projects.