Before you play the game

This is game is fully compatible with original games.
You can trade and connect to generation 3 games from both GBA (including Recharged Emerald and Heliodor) and GameCube, and also transfer your Pokémon to NDS games.

This being a pure generation 3 game means that he game doesn’t have the following features:

  • Physical and Special Split
  • Hidden Abilities
  • Z-Moves
  • Megas
  • Pokémon/moves/abilities/evolutions from other generations
  • Fairy type.
  • Modern DexNav (the game has a basic one that lists Pokémon in your current location)

If you want a modernized game with battle mechanics or Pokémon from later generations, this is not the right game for you.

Some nice features of the game

  • Shiny odds are about 1/4,000 — twice as common as in Generation 3.
  • You can catch every Kanto Pokémon, including Mew and Mewtwo. Rock Smash is not available yet, but it’s not needed to catch Mewtwo.
  • The Exp. Share is the global one from later generations. It’s obtained the same way as in FRLG: by catching 50 different Pokémon.
  • You can breed Pokémon very early, allowing you to get some Pokémon from Generations 2 and 3.
  • You can buy evolution stones, making Gen 1/3 evolutions easier.
  • You can buy every TM before the Pokémon League.
  • There is a way to evolve trade-evolution Pokémon without trading.
  • Saves are compatible with previous versions. Just replace your old .gba file with the new one. DO NOT use save states when updating — use a normal in-game save and disable save states first.
  • There are rematches against Gym Leaders and the Elite Four. You can also defend your Champion title against random challengers.
  • Jessie and James make appearances.
  • Daisy will massage your Pokémon without needing to beat the game first.
  • There’s a move reminder in Cerulean City. Pokémon can relearn moves from their earlier evolutions.
  • Move Tutors were removed; you now learn their moves through the move reminder.
  • The game has Berries in the overworld, you can plant and collect them just like in Pokémon Emerald.
  • Contest are available around third badge, plenty of sets were made for Kanto Pokémon.
  • You can get Eevee evolutions with friendship at day/night without National Dex. You can also get evolutions before the National Dex, like Crobat
  • Learnsets are the same as FRLG
  • The game has an easy Pokédex Mode in the Options menu that allows you to check location of every unseen Pokémon.
  • You don’t need to teach HMs to use them
  • You can buy Lures, they invert the encounter table, so the rare Pokémon becomes the most common one.

Be careful about these things

  • There are no cheats for the game. If you want cheats, please play Recharged Pink — it has a built-in cheat menu. That game usually doesn’t get updated as often as Recharged Yellow. Do NOT use tools like PKHex
  • MyBoy is not supported. It’s a bad emulator and will cause the game to crash. gpsp core is also not accurate. I only support real GBAs and mgba/mgba core in ra. Don’t report issues/bugs if you are using other emulators.
  • Pokémon have a color variation system based purely on their personality ID. You can turn this off in the options menu.
  • Shiny Pokémon will have their gender symbol replaced with a star in battle, along wit a different encounter message, to avoid confusing them with color variation Pokémon.
  • There is no documentation for encounters or enemy teams.
  • Sevii Islands are not available yet.
  • Yes, the rival is supposed to have a Shiny — you’re not just unlucky.
  • If you want other Pokémon to follow you, check the in-game options menu
  • The game doesn’t have RTC, it uses an in-game clock system. This can’t be changed.

In-game credits

  • citrusbolt: General code, Kanto maps, lots of help
  • deokishisu: Code, translations help
  • merrp: Followers, day and night system, help, icon system
  • Farore: Graphics
  • Mike: Sprites. Lovely title screen
  • Gintas: Pallet Town houses. Pewter City houses, Rival sprites. Scizor Backsprite
  • Ekat: Tiles
  • Ghoulslash: Code
  • Boonzeet: Oak backsprite
  • kalarie: FRLG style object events
  • Poffin_Case: FRLG style object events. Base for Yellow object event.
  • Sunday Domeko: Female character sprites
  • Skorpion: Rival credits sprite
  • Hyo: Red sprites
  • Crystal Dust: Pokémon Sprites. Battle bgs
  • MoriyaFaith, Chaos Rush: Improved Pokémon Sprites

Please let me know in my Discord or X page if anyone is missing from that list!