Pokemon Hearth

“Pokemon Hearth” is a GBA Rom Hack made by Doodle. Explore the ancient Japan-inspired Toku region in a cosy, vanilla-style adventure to stop a mysterious decay spreading across nature.

Pokemon Hearth GBA Rom Hack

• Creator: Doodle
• Base ROM: Emerald
• Language: English
• Released on: November 02, 2025
• Latest Version: v0.1.21
• Status: Goes upto the Third Gym Battle!

Also Check Out: Pokemon Throwback

What is Pokemon Hearth?

Pokemon Hearth is a cosy vanilla-ish adventure with an ancient-Japan-inspired setting. You explore the Toku region and save it from a mysterious spreading decay, traveling through forests, oceans, mountains and volcanos!

Features

• New region, new story, custom graphics
• (Freely) inspired by pre-modern Japan and China
• Cosy, fun & lighthearted
• Classic formula with vanilla-ish difficulty
• Based on the pokeemerald-expansion decomps

Recommended Emulators

• Primary Recommendation:
  • mGBA (desktop)
  • RetroArch with the mGBA core
• Other Emulators:
  • Android: PizzaBoy, Lemuroid, FullRoid, or RetroArch (mGBA core)
  • iOS: RetroArch (mGBA core)
• Not Recommended:
  • Delta, MyBoy, VBA, VBA-M (old or inaccurate emulators may cause issues)

Game Related Stuff

Download Pokemon Hearth

Screenshots

FAQ

How complete is the game?

• The current demo lets you play up to the third gym.
• Pokemon Hearth is actively in development.

Does this hack have documentation?

• Not at the moment.

Is there a release date for the full version?

• No official release date yet.
• Updates will be posted in the official Discord server.

Are there any cool new features I need to know?

• Absolutely! You can check full list of features in the Features section on this Page.

Where do I get the EXP Share?

• Found in Silveridge, as part of the main quest.
• It’s called the Wise Mirror, and you cannot miss it.

Does this hack use Gen 6+ EXP Share?

No.

• It uses Gen 3 EXP Share.
• The game has a “catch-up EXP” feature that helps weaker Pokémon level up faster.

Will cheats for vanilla Emerald work?

No.

• Cheats can corrupt your save file. Use them at your own risk and do not report bugs caused by cheats.

How does the Pokédex work?

• As you explore, you’ll discover information about Pokémon.
• Talk to people and explore everywhere to fill out your Pokédex.

What are the silly names for Pokémon? What is a Little Spark?

• Until you learn the real name of a Pokémon, it will appear with a temporary “silly” name.
• Catch it or hear/read its name to discover it officially.

Why do some Pokémon have different colors? Are they shiny?

• Each Pokémon has a unique hue, different from standard shinies.
• Shiny Pokémon still exist separately.

What is catch-up EXP and how does it work?

• Pokémon lower than the highest-level party member gain more EXP.
• This helps weaker Pokémon level up faster.

Does the game have level caps?

No. There are no hard or soft level caps.