A new Pokemon fan game is set in the Hoenn region, featured in Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald on the Game Boy Advance and later Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire on the Nintendo 3DS. The third generation of Pokemon is beloved by many fans of the franchise, with some pointing to it as the franchise’s peak.
Despite the love for the Hoenn region, Nintendo hasn’t revisited it in recent years. The last time that we got a proper trip back to the Hoenn region was with Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire on the 3DS all the way back in 2014. More recent Pokemon games that have revisited old regions have instead featured Kanto (Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee/Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on Switch), Kalos (Pokemon Legends: Z-A), the Unova region (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet‘s Hidden Treasure of Area Zero expansion), and an ancient version of the Sinnoh region (Legends: Arceus).
Pokemon Emerald Rotate is Out Now
Rumor has it that Nintendo itself will be re-releasing Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald on the Switch eShop in the near future. In fact, some have claimed that these GBA-era Pokemon games will come to Switch as early as October 7 or 8 (depending on who you ask). Time will tell if there is any truth to those claims, but in the meantime, a new Pokemon fan release takes players back to the Hoenn region. Pokemon Emerald Rotate recreates the Hoenn region as it appears in Pokemon Emerald, but rotated 90 degrees so that it better matches its real-life inspiration, Kyushu.
Created by user Rotate, Pokemon Emerald Rotate makes some other changes to the game. Pokemon that normally can’t be encountered in Pokemon Emerald have been added as rare spawns, and Cut has been changed to a Steel-type move, for example. Rotate also decided to make it so Masquerain stays as a Bug/Water-type Pokemon after evolving from Surskit as opposed to changing to a Bug/Flying-type like it normally would, among other changes.
Pokemon fan games like this are released on a regular basis, and for some fans, can help fill the gap while they wait for official releases from Nintendo and The Pokemon Company. Unfortunately, the next official Pokemon game isn’t coming out until 2027. While an exact release date has yet to be nailed down, it’s been previously confirmed that Pokemon Winds and Waves are releasing for the Nintendo Switch 2 next year. More information on those games will come to light on Pokemon Day, scheduled for February 27.
While Pokemon fans wait for more information on Winds and Waves, they should keep an eye on October 7. Pokemon Home compatibility is coming to Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen that day, and it’s rumored that Switch versions of Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald could shadow drop that day or the day after. Pokemon fans should definitely keep their expectations in check, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the days ahead.
- Released
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May 1, 2005
- ESRB
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E For Everyone
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
