Absolutely terrific rom hack! This gave me a huge flood of nostalgia; it sent me right back to Christmas 2000 when I first played Gold version on my GameBoy Pocket! Back to a time before the internet was in full swing and walkthroughs and tips were so widely available for games. It reminded me of exploring Johto for the very first time, though this game presents an entirely new region, with successive route unlocks requiring a lot of exploration, backtracking and HM moves.
Whereas Pokemon Crystal Clear offers a very complete experience with plenty of QoL updates, Peridot offers a much more scaled back experience, involving inventory management, a heavy reliance of HM moves for traversal, and Pokemon availability largely reliant on whomever is on hand. The inclusion of new/beta/prototype Pokemon is really novel, though not many were uniquely strong enough to make the cut for my team. The shiny odds are very generous, and while the game doesn't have a means of specifically hunting like the DexNav, I encountered several in my playthrough. The mechanical changes are very thoughtful, especially the new held items, like the weather changing charms, X-items, and signature items for specific Pokemon. Beyond defeating the Elite Four, there is an expansive post-game whose surface I am only just beginning to scratch, just like learning you could return to Kanto after Pokemon Gold. Just be aware that the included documentation is fairly sparse, not offering information of Pokemon habitats, TM locations, or specific ingame events/quests. But just as it was in the good ol' days, you'll have to discover them for yourself!
Excellent rom hack, full of nostalgia. If you played GSC at the turn of the millenium, I highly recommend giving Peridot a try! PS- Where the heck is TM 39 FLY?!
