Pokémon Emerald EX Is Takes Players To An Expanded Hoenn

First released back in 2004, Pokémon Emerald marked the final entry in Pokémon’s Generation 5 and took players to the Hoenn region in order to conquer a series of eight Gyms. Doing so would result in finally coming face-to-face with the Elite Four and the Hoenn League Champion, all whilst two criminal organizations attempting to harness a legendary Pokémon’s power for their own goals.

Receiving positive reviews, with most praise being directed at the inclusion of its Battle Frontier feature, Pokémon Emerald is remembered fondly, so it is perhaps no surprise that players are still flocking to it to this day.

That is why pokemonamethystteam over on Hackdex has created Pokémon Emerald Ex, an expanded version of the beloved 2004 game, complete with brand-new routes, areas, and towns to explore. First uploaded mere days ago, this ROM hack aims to make the game even larger thanks to more wilderness between settlements, expanded towns and routes, an updated Pokémon roster, and better yet, 16 brand-new Gyms.

“The goal of this project was to make Emerald feel much larger and add more areas to explore,” the creator shared. “Also, having a fair and balanced difficulty was another of the primary goals of the project.” If you are still not certain, here is the full feature list for Pokémon Emerald Ex:

• New routes
• New towns
• New Special areas
• New events
• Expanded routes
• Expanded towns
• Expanded Pokédex of 479 Pokémon
• Updated Pokémon Learnsets, Stats, and Abilities
• 8 new Gyms
• Updated trainer teams
• Near Vanilla difficulty

All you have to do to be able to play Pokémon Emerald Ex is own a copy of Pokémon Emerald, then, you will be able to download this ROM hack for absolutely free.

Following its launch, the creators took to r/PokemonROMhacks to share the news, and it was not long before potential fans took to the comments to share their thoughts. “I love hacks like this. Combines two of my favorite features. Greatly expanded mainline games AND 16 Gyms,” one comment read. Another added, “Sure, I’ll play Emerald again, can never have too much Emerald, right? …damn, I did not realize just how much I love Gen 3.”

Not only is there plenty of praise for Pokémon Emerald Ex, but this Reddit thread is also the perfect place to get tips and tricks about the brand-new ROM hack if you get stuck along the way, as the creator is active in answering any queries.

Most of all, Pokémon Emerald Ex is perfect for fans of classic Pokémon titles, showing just how beloved the titles are three decades on from their original launch.

Released

May 1, 2005

ESRB

E For Everyone

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Publisher(s)

The Pokemon Company, Nintendo

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer