holocron

I was trying to upload a homebrew game to ROMhacking.net. As best I remember, I submitted it as a ROM hack by mistake. My account was banned, and more than a decade of comments, reviews, and other contributions I'd made disappeared from view. I spoke with two or three admins and pleaded to come back. Picture me, a 43-year-old man, begging to get back into a ROM hacking website. Anyone who knows me knows I don't beg. I did that time. A follow-up email gave me another explanation. I'd announced my project on their forum and linked to Romhack Plaza, where the file was hosted. According to that email, they considered the link spam because they viewed Romhack Plaza as a competitor. I had no affiliation with either site. I was pointing people to the download. That was enough petty bullshit for me. One admin told me the site's database was available as a public SQL dump and said I was welcome to use it. I was heartbroken, and the offer felt condescending. What was I supposed to do with a raw database when all I'd asked for was to come back? Well, I took him up on it. I downloaded the dump and started building Retro Replay ROM Hacking, an independent alternative to ROMhacking.net. What's in the library As of November 4, 2026, the public catalog lists 17,487 resources. These are catalog listings. File availability depends on the individual entry. 8,222 ROM hacks 6,571 translations 178 homebrew listings 1,676 utilities 840 documents There are also thousands of game hubs at this snapshot, counted separately. Each hub brings together projects for an exact platform release and links to its Gamebase entry. The archive is much larger than the current set of linked hubs. You can browse the catalog by category or use the New Releases feed to see what's been added. Project pages can carry screenshots, release versions, creator credits, readmes, and information about which copy of a game a patch expects. The contributor directory gives you another way in. Find a translator whose work you like and follow their credits to other projects. From a project page to a patched game On supported releases, the patcher already has the patch loaded when you open it. Choose your own original game file, apply the patch in your browser, and save the patched copy. Your original stays on your device. You can then open the patched copy in your emulator or compatible setup. If you prefer to use a separate patching tool, check the release page for the patch download and its instructions. Why I built it on WordPress The archive was my starting point. I wanted people to keep using the old catalog, and I wanted somewhere they could discuss a patch, point out a problem, or submit their own release for review. I like the commenting setup here better. WordPress also gives me room to improve how projects and credits are organized as people start using the library. I may get overwhelmed. It makes the site easier to hand off, too. If someone ever wants to take over, I can give them a working site with an editor, a catalog, and a comment system they can manage. They won't have to start where I did, staring at a raw SQL dump and wondering what to do with it. As for waiting around to be let back in? F**k that. No one can delete my posts or reviews if I own the site. Retro Replay ROM Hacking is open to the public, even if only a small number decide to use it. Plus we have blackjack.... and hookers.

Retro Replay Retro Gaming History, Reviews & Emulation

holocron

Creator details

Release and contribution history

Why I Built Retro Replay ROM Hacking, an Alternative to ROMhacking.net

The History of Pitfall!: Building a Jungle in 4K

David Crane Interview: Pitfall!, Activision, and Programming the Atari 2600

Ratchet & Clank at 24 — A Lombax, a Robot, and a Lot of Fun

Dragon Age: Origins at 17 — The RPG That Won Me Over