Pokemon Emerald Legacy

“Pokemon Emerald Legacy” is a Completed GBA Rom Hack made by TheSmithPlays. This ROM makes a lot of improvements to fix the flaws in Pokemon Emerald and updates the game to feel more modern.

Pokemon Emerald Legacy Completed GBA Rom Hack

• Creator: TheSmithPlays
• Base ROM: Completed
• Language: English
• Released on: December 12, 2024
• Latest Version: v1.1.4
• Last Updated on: February 27, 2025
• Status: Completed

Also Check Out: Pokemon Yellow Legacy

Description

Pokemon Emerald Legacy is a great take to improve Pokemon emerald while removing it flaws like poor Pokemon availabilkity, odd team-building choices, a great story executed poorly, baffling rival decisions, and an Elite Four in dire need of improvement. This game come with improvements to the Rival storyline, Team Magma & Aqua storyline, Tons of pokemon balancing using the tools given to us in this generation, a robust post game, improved boss fights throughout the game, adjusted level curve, and so much more.

Pokemon Emerald Legacy is a modern but nostalgic version of Pokemon Emerald. So please enjoy Pokemon Emerald Legacy.

Quality of Life (QoL) Changes

This update brings many helpful changes. You can now remove HM moves in the Pokédex, and softlocks are prevented. Fast saving, healing, and surfing are added, and you can run indoors. Fast travel is available after Meteor Falls, Flannery, and Surf. After the game, you can upgrade your bike and switch between Mach and Acro bikes using the “R” button. The Acro bike can jump over ledges. The bag now sorts items, and full bags send items to the PC. Key items show only when needed, and battle speed is faster. IVs and EVs show in the summary, and more features improve gameplay.

Changes related to Pokemon battle

This update brings several changes to battles and Pokemon. Magma Armor now reduces water damage and is exclusive to Magcargo, while Camerupt gets Flame Body. Illuminate prevents accuracy drops and ignores enemy evasion. New legendaries now “ran away” instead of “flew away.” New Hoenn Pokemon are added to the Pokédex and appear after being caught or seen. Hoenn Pokemon are required for Pokédex completion and Johto starters. Trade evolutions are removed; Pokemon like Alakazam and Gengar now evolve by level. Pinch berries heal 1/4 HP, and Ice-types get a 50% defense boost in hail. Dark is Physical, Ghost is Special, and sprite updates for several Pokemon are included.

Changes related to Ai

AI changes include modified flags for major trainers and improved switching logic. The Will-O-Wisp AI script has been fixed, along with AI not recording traced abilities in battle history. Issues with the AI preferring Baton Pass, spamming Protect, and spamming recover moves have also been resolved.

Items related changes

This update introduces several item-related changes. The Brick Piece and Hitmontop’s Crystal Legacy evolution method have been added. Repels now cost $10. The Pickup ability item list has been updated, and the Pacifidlog Fishing NPC provides an Old Rod or Pokéballs to prevent soft-locks. More Shards are added to help with evolution stones, and Sun Stones are available in Meteor Falls. The Metal Coat is now in the Frontier held items shop, and Petalburg’s Max Revive is replaced with a Water Stone. A new post-game Sun/Moon Stone mart is added, along with several Berry availability and usage updates, including new Berry shops and smoother berry harvesting.

Lots of Bug fixes from Emerald

This update fixes several bugs and issues. The dual-type non-immunity bug is resolved, and AI now correctly checks the opponent’s type for Foresight and weather chip resistance. AI also now calculates Facade damage based on the user’s status effects. Contest AI improvements include better move encouragement and combo handling. Bugs with Dodrio-picking, including memory leaks and starting early, have been fixed. Animation and movement issues, such as the egg crack animation and incorrect player positioning when stepping onto grass from surfing, are resolved. Other fixes include bugs with item palettes, fishing encounters, and incorrect status field data for roamers.

New or Changed Trainer Events

In this update, Steven is the Champion, and Wallace is the Sootopolis Gym Leader. Brawly’s badge scaling is now more challenging (levels 2-4) in hard mode. Additional trainers have been added around Dewford for extra experience, including 2 hikers in Granite Cave, 1 fisherman in Dewford Town, and 1 blackbelt in the Dewford Gym (which no longer lights up). Courtney and Aqua/Magma Admins now have custom sprites. Wally’s VR music is included. The Rustboro rival fight now always shows up in the boat hut if skipped. Rayquaza can’t be used in the first E4 on hard modes, but can in normal mode. Dev battles are hidden, and Zinnia appears in the post-game with a custom music fight.

Move related Changes

The game includes many move changes, such as updated effects for various moves, adjustments to damage calculations, and improvements to how moves interact with certain statuses and weather conditions. These changes enhance gameplay by fixing bugs, balancing moves, and providing a more consistent experience across battles.

Lots of changes to Pokemons

The core of Legacy games’ updates focuses on improving Pokemon roles, ensuring each has unique strengths for team building. The goal isn’t to make all Pokemon overpowered, but to avoid the issue of using the same few Pokemon repeatedly. Types are never changed, as this preserves the nostalgic feel. Balancing Pokemon involves adjusting learnsets, stats, evolutions, locations, and abilities. Learnsets are adjusted first to improve a Pokemon’s moves, followed by stat changes if needed. Evolution levels are adjusted for better difficulty progression. Pokemon locations are changed to ensure they appear at the right time in the game. Some Pokemon also receive new abilities.

Changes related to Stats

Stat changes are made only if a Pokemon’s learnset alone can’t improve its usefulness. We focus on adjusting stats to better fit its role, without turning every Pokemon into an S-tier choice. The goal is to avoid making everything equal, ensuring each Pokemon feels unique and special.

New Evolution Changes

In Emerald Legacy, some Pokemon evolution methods are adjusted for balance and quality of life. Trade evolutions are replaced with level-ups or items from the bag, improving the single-player experience. Hitmontop’s evolution is changed to use the Brick Piece, replacing the previous “balanced stats” method from Crystal Legacy.

New Learnset Changes

Learnset changes are prioritized to improve a Pokemon’s role in a team. Adding new moves or adjusting learn levels can make a big difference. The changes are color-coded for clarity: purple indicates moves with new learn levels, while green marks entirely new moves. The full details are available in the Google sheet.

New Ability Changes

A few Pokemon in Emerald Legacy have received new abilities to enhance their gameplay, and a small number of abilities have been buffed. These changes are made conservatively to maintain balance, which is why significant changes, like Gen 5’s Sturdy, were not included in this update.

Changes to Encounter Location

Pokemon encounter locations in Emerald Legacy have been updated to provide more diverse team options throughout the game. Detailed changes are listed in the comprehensive Updates Sheet. A concise summary of available Pokemon by Gym badge is also provided, showing when specific Pokemon can be found and their evolution conditions.

New Boss Battles and Game Plot

The story of Emerald, a recontextualization of Ruby and Sapphire, has been enhanced to bring out its potential. While keeping the original elements, we’ve expanded key arcs, adding new dialogue, events, and battles to deepen the narrative. These changes enrich the plot without overhauling it, keeping it fresh for veterans. The iconic Gym Leader battles are preserved, but made even better, and rivals Brendan, May, and Wally each have more developed teams and storylines. The Elite Four now includes new twists, and Teams Aqua and Magma have varied rosters and updated dialogue to make their roles more engaging. Steven also returns.

Improved Rival Storyline

The Rival is a key part of a Pokemon game’s story, offering challenges and motivation as you progress. In Hoenn, however, the rival takes on a new role. Unlike previous antagonistic rivals like Silver or Blue, who pushed you through conflict, the rivals in this game are friendly and supportive. They assist you, provide items, and embark on a similar journey, creating a unique dynamic. This friendly rivalry adds an interesting twist, making their journey more about mutual growth than pure competition. To learn how their story unfolds in Emerald Legacy, scroll past the spoiler shield for more details.

Teams Aqua and Magma has become more interesting

The Team Aqua and Team Magma storyline in the original game had great potential but lacked proper execution, with both teams often coming across as ineffective. In Emerald Legacy, we’ve improved the teams by strengthening their rosters and enhancing their dialogue to make their motivations more logical. We’ve reintroduced Courtney from Ruby and given more attention to the Team Aqua bosses, ensuring they have more depth and relevance. While adjusting their storylines to make sense within the plot was challenging, we believe the changes will help you appreciate their roles and provide a more engaging experience as you progress.

New Postgame and Sidequests

The postgame in Emerald Legacy has been significantly expanded, giving more purpose to areas that were previously overlooked. New rewards, added challenges, and quality-of-life improvements make it easier to enjoy, even with the increased difficulty. These changes ensure that every part of the game now has meaningful value.

Changelog

Version 1.1.4

• Updated Wally’s music (Composed by Breadmaster)
• Egg move reminder
• Fixed sky attack not using pp
• Fixed mental herb effect activating when the opposing mon has an effect
• Added extra messages for different effects for mental herb

Version 1.1.0

QoL

• Can rematch gym leaders infinitely after the 5th rematch
• Match call trainers show up 3x as often
• Credit Aero
  • Revamped all regular trainer rematch teams
    • Some have extra strong teams at the final rematch
• Show hidden power type in party menu after catching every unown form
• Triple kick buffed to match CL (only effects hitmontop in the post game)
• Added a post game incense mart in Slateport in case you sell them
• Can now buy more deep sea items after the quest in the postgame
• Can now buy more upgrades for a high price using coins from the porygon prize person
• Made the route 103 cut tree required to get to the berry a one and done cut tree
• Trainer tip signs and trainer school NPCs now tell you about the Legacy changes
• Getting secret power from the Battle Tent now lets you access the Secret Power Club shop
• Adjusted berry yields; Lum and other berries can’t return just one crop anymore
• Blend master uses better berries when you mix with berry master’s wife’s berries, instead of matching you
• Petalburg Wally fight is no longer missable
• You’ll now register Juan in the Pokenav after beating him, so you can see when the future rematches are available
• Hitmontop can evolve either with the original method or the brick piece
• Raikou encounter doesn’t roar
• Player is now healed after beating the post game Archie/Maxie fights
• Giga Drain tm can now be repurchased (in the battle frontier pokémart)
• Frontier eeveelutions now play their cries when you speak to them

BATTLE FRONTIER

• Facility Rebalances, Credit Aero
  • Pyramid item list updated
    • Lum and Leppa more common
    • Pinch berries added
    • Less useful items removed to give better chance at rarer ones
  • Bigger pyramid bag, 10 > 13
  • Pyramid encounters adjusted to incentivize Fluffy Tail
  • Factory Rentals Item Rebalance to increase the diversity of Pokemon
  • Battle palace rework
    • The chance for a move to fail has been removed.
    • Action percentages adjusted across the board for more consistent/predictable outcomes
• Removed mew and deoxys fateful encounter checks so they will obey you in the battle factory
• Lowered frontier decoration prices

BUG FIXES

• Fixed a bug where the togepi egg would say it was obtained from the hot springs
• Fixed revives still being usable in the overworld in hardcore
• Fixed a bug where you couldn’t use hms or items on fainted pokemon hardcore, causing softlocks
• Fixed bug with maxie/archie being invisible while text playing
• Fixed bug where E4 rematch double battles would duplicate your pokemon if you only have one party member
• Fixed missing end tag on Shiftry’s learnset
• Fixed some post game encounter oversights
• Fixed Seedot and Plusle frontier trades using the original flags which overlapped with Numel and Loudred
• Fixed Brendan’s name being displayed in red on his OT entry for traded starters (“Female Brendan starters” are now rare collectables lol)
• Fixed bug where you could get frontier gold symbol reward infinitely
• Fixed Razor Wind effect text saying opponent is trapped by Sand Tomb
• Fixed trade Pokémon’s mail still referencing original trade Pokémon
• Fixed Sky Attack using Turn 1 animation, not Turn 2, for its attack
• Fixed frontier mons indexing error
• Fixed lack of overworld HM prompt for dead pokemon (HC)
• Fixed void return error in non void function, causing errors when using make modern
• Credit mxeg
  • Fixed clock events breaking after changing the clock
  • Fixed Petaya and Apicot berry are displayed as costing 48BP but actually cost 3BP
  • Fixed after purchasing any berry, either successfully or unsuccessfully due to insufficient BP, the menu resets to held item shop instead of berry shop
  • Fix msgbox not disappearing for Sootopolis gentleman
  • Fix msgbox not disappearing after exiting BF berry shop
• Credit cromerc
  • Fixed unix build issues
• Credit ElusiveEllie
  • Fixed INSTALL.md instructions to point to correct project
• Credit Exclsior
  • Fixed Tate and Liza getting stuck on 2nd rematch
  • Maxie grammar fix
• Learnset oversight fixes
• Updated credits
• Text fixes

Game Related Stuff

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Screenshots

Gameplay/Source

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