Yes, I know what you’re thinking.Pokemon Emerald?Again?But I swear I only played it last year… Okay, maybe two years ago… Well, definitely within the last three… It’s been longer than you think. And you’re overdue a replay.
For those of us who grew up alongside Pokemon, the games have been declining in quality for a while now. The best Pokemon game to release on the Nintendo Switch wasNew Pokemon Snap, for goodness sake. After that? Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee, complete with their silly catch mechanics and candy system?
Legends: Arceus showed promise, and that’s why I’m holding out hope thatLegends: Z-A can bring things back on track, but not even the Switch 2 could save Pokemon Scarlet & Violet from mediocrity. Sure, the framerate is steady now, but they’re still fundamentally boring games.
There have been good Pokemon games since Emerald. I enjoyed Sword & Shield; I liked that they tried new things, even if they didn’t always pull them off. Before that, Sun & Moon had some all-timer Pokemon designs and if it weren’t for that painstakingly slow tutorial that takes up a quarter of the game’s real estate – an entire island! – it would undoubtedly be held up there with the best of them. A lot of people love Gen 4, too, although I don’t count myself among them and vastly prefer Gen 5. Black & White and their sequels had everything a good Pokemon game should, from the beautiful sprites to the hard mode unlocked by completing the game.
But none of them have that same special sauce that oozes out of Emerald.
What Makes Pokemon Emerald The Best Pokemon Game?
Ask anyone their favourite Pokemon game and they’ll tell you the first one they played. It’s that simple. On the other end of the scale, there’s no categorical way to define thebestPokemon game. Are we going by sales? An incredibly reductive metric that puts Scarlet & Violet top by virtue of the Switch’s impressive sales and the fact that more people play video games now than in 1996?Metacritic score? By that metric, Pokemon Y wins, toppling Pokemon X by a single point. Is the version-exclusive Dragalge really enough to sway the jury? Then again, half of the games aren’t even on there.
It’s a pointless, futile task. I could give you my ranking on Pokemon Generations, but even then there’s discussion as to whether a remake counts as its original Gen or the one during which it was released. My brother insists he’s a genwunner because his first (and favourite) game was FireRed. That’s Gen 3, bro.
Pokemon Emerald, however, is the most replayable Pokemon game. It’s not even debatable (although I’m sure many of you will try in the comments). It’s got the best parts of both Ruby & Sapphire, it’s got an additional storyline, and probably the best postgame offering of any Pokemon game to date. Don’t you even dare say it’s got too much water.
There’s something about those gorgeous 2D sprites, that 2003-era aesthetic, that brings Pokemon fans unadulterated bliss. It’s not trying to be a live-service title, it’s not got a half-baked open world and dull storyline. Pokemon Emerald is Pokemon in its purest form. Pokemon Emerald is our happy place.
The ROM Hack Effect
There’s also the fact that so many ROM hacks use Gen 3 as a basis. Usually in the form of randomisers, Nuzlocke challenges, or other difficulty modifiers, ROM hacks are a common way for adult Pokemon fans to engage with the series now that the official games have a younger intended audience. ROM hacks utilise Gen 3 often because it’s easy. The sprites are available online, the systems can easily be repackaged or repurposed, and it’s been done countless times before. It’s all very illegal, too, but that doesn’t stop Kaizo or Dekzeh.
The fact that so many players play these ROM hacks, which can be downloaded onto your phone for a quick run on the train or the can, means that many people feel like they’ve played Pokemon Emerald more recently than they have. While the ROM hacks tease your brain in ways not even the original does, they’re very different beasts.
So this is your prompt to find your Pokemon Emerald cartridge. If you’re too young to have bought it when it first released, tough luck, emulators just don’t hit the same. Dig it out from under the bed or in that box in the attic and get some fresh batteries in your Game Boy Advance. It’s time to start a new game of Pokemon Emerald, exactly as it was originally intended.
I always picked Torchic as a kid, so I’m going to change it up in 2025. Mudkip, I choose you. Your first job is to save Professor Elm from that rabid Zigzagoon. After that, we conquer the world. And we have a smile on both our faces every step of the way.
