Pokemon Emerald is fast approaching its twentieth anniversary. First released in September 2004 in Japan, the fan-favorite follow-up to Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Saphire takes trainers on an exploration of the Hoenn region in the typical main-series style.

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And for many fans of the franchise, it did so to great success. Even when swatting away the misty fog of nostalgia, numerous Pokemon fans still hold the game in high regard. Naturally, this means that the developers, Game Freak, must have imbued the game with aspects capable of standing the test of time, holding up well against newly-introduced mechanics such as Gigantamaxing and Mega forms. These things mean that Pokemon Emerald has aged well.

10 Legendary Pokemon That Are Still Well-Loved

A Truly Top-Notch Trio

• Found across a variety of locations in-game
• Praised for their abilities, usability, and fantastical designs

Peruse Pokemon forums on the subject of the top legendary Pokemon and fans are likely to find Groudon, Kyogre, and the indomitable Rayquaza somewhere on the list. Steeped in lore, this trio synergizes extremely well with everything about generation three, from the landscapes throughout the game to the Team Aqua versus Team Magma story itself.

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Their popularity arguably stems from different reasons for each trainer. Some love the sheer brilliance of their designs, which means they have set the bar high. Some love their usability in competitive play, with all three possessing unique stats. Some then love how they translated so well to the Pokemon anime and movies. What's for sure is that when venturing to Terra Cave, Marine Cave, and Sky Pillar, Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza all clearly captured the imaginations of trainers.

9 A Storyline With Drama

Two Teams, Two Motives

• Team Magma planned to wake the slumbering Groudon to expand land masses and evaporate the seas
• Team Aqua aimed to use Kyogre to flood the lands by expanding the seas

The fight for dominion over the land and the sea is quite the backdrop to a game where players are tasked with steering the final outcome and saving the future of the Pokemon universe. Both Team Magma and Team Aqua are given clear motives, and handed Pokemon teams that neatly reflect their objectives.

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Stunting their progress from the beginning in Petalburg Woods, right up until the throes in Sootopolis City, is no doubt a thrill that trainers can revel in. The figureheads of all this, Maxie for Team Magma and Archie for Team Aqua, are antagonists that allowed the franchise to think beyond simply stealing one another's Pokemon, and instead provide villain teams with a grander feel. This is a legacy that carried on beyond generation three, giving Pokemon Emerald a truly influential feel.

8 Secret Bases That Felt Personal

Secret Power Is The Key To Finding These Areas

• The TM for Secret Power can be obtained by interacting with a man standing in front of a tree on Route 116
• Once taught, Pokemon can use Secret Power in the overworld

A non-necessity in the game but nonetheless a nice touch added by Game Freak, Secret Bases can be found scattered around the Routes of Hoenn. They offer small nooks and crannies that players can customize with decorations from Lilycove City Department Store and elsewhere.

This idea, which was also picked up in the Sinnoh-based games, has been fairly evergreen and one that has seemed to capture trainers' imaginations. That's why, in the Hoenn remakes of Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire, it was unsurprising to see them return and evolve, allowing for ever-more interactivity with other Pokemon players.

7 A Map With Large Expanses Of Water

A Game Where Players Can Surf And Sail

• Players can use the HM Surf after winning five gym badges
• Players receive the HM Surf from Wally's Dad immediately after a key battle

The Hoenn region, and Pokemon Emerald by extension, created waves by introducing a map that contained vast expanses of water. With the premise of the story centered around the theme of land versus sea, it was only natural to have a map that was so covered in blue. In the story, the surfing mechanic becomes a fundamental part, especially after advancement past Lilycove City. Here onwards, HMs give trainers the ability to crest waves, scale waterfalls, and even dive to the depths of the ocean – all the while bringing them ever close to game completion.

All of this gives the fanbase a solid level of interactivity which has likely inspired future installments. For example, areas such as Shoal Cave, which change over time, draw similarities with the calendar systems that were introduced in later generations. And of course, Pokemon Sun and Moon went on to have a heavy water influence too.

6 Clever Nods To Real-world Culture

Game Freak Are Known To Take Inspiration From Different Countries

• Some regions are known to be officially based on real-world locations
• Geography and demographics both play roles in the games

Like all the other Pokemon games, Hoenn is based on a real-world region. Taking inspiration from the Japanese island and region of Kyushu, Hoenn has many examples of locations that draw parallels to cities across Japan's prefectures. For example, Mossdeep, the distant island trainers have to surf to in the latter stages of the game, home to the Pokemon world's very own space complex, is thought to be based on the Tanegashima Space Center.

There are even more subtle examples, such as the Trick House, situated on Route 110, where trainers can go deeper and deeper into a house filled with multiple doors upon correctly interacting with the NPC. This building, and perhaps Petalburg City Gym too, gives off strong indications that they are based on Japanse Machiya – traditional buildings characterized by sliding floors and doors.

5 Gym Challenges That Are Actually Memorable

From Rustboro To Sootopolis To The Pokemon League

• The first gym-type players face early in the game is rock-type
• The final gym is water-type, where players face up against a daunting Kingdra

After falling through the ice of Sootopolis' Gym Floor for the third or fourth time, trainers will likely realize this is a challenge they won't quickly forget. Such puzzles, along with the flying-type Fortree Gym with its spinning gate mechanics, among many others, make Hoenn a region with some memorable gym experiences.

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As precursors to the battles themselves, they offer a neat challenge with some fairly unique concepts that lean cleverly into the gym leader's type preference. And with them being picked up and revamped with new-and-improved graphics for the Omega Ruby and Alpha Saphire remakes, trainers would have gotten a nostalgia-fuelled sense of achievement, based on Pokemon Emerald, once more years later, as they came face-to-face with the region's gym badge holders.

4 Pokemon With Interesting Overworld Appearances

Exciting Interactions With Uncommon Sprites

• Players need the Devon Scope item to be able to detect the camouflaging Kecleon
• Wailmer are big enough to cover entire cove entrances, although they can't be battled

Just as Generation One is famous for its sleeping Snorlax, Pokemon Emerald has its own overworld mascot in Kecleon. The Pokemon that can change the color of its body to match its surroundings notoriously blocks the path on key occasions during the game, all of which are no doubt memorable moments for trainers. That spot before Fortree City Gym is key among these.

Though it's not just Kecleon that makes Pokemon Emerald's use of overworld sprites as brilliant now as it was then. For example, the Wailmer that block the cove entrance in Lilycove City are part of the tapestry of a game where the villain team uses Pokemon that adeptly work with their surroundings. Such appearances are arguably as clever in 2024 as they were in 2004.

3 Contests, Poffins, And Chasing Ribbons

Impress Judges With Well-timed Moves

• Verdanturf Town, Fallarbor Town, Slateport City, and Lilycove City are home to the region's contest halls
• Different berries help to create different types of poffins

Pokemon contests were a new addition to the franchise in generation three, and they were an aspect that seemingly reached out to a niche portion of trainers who were keen to chase after ribbons.

They gave an interesting secondary spin to Pokemon moves, with each representing a single category, be it cute, cool, smart, tough, or beautiful. And then, with the finger-tapping poffin-making mechanic, trainers could further enhance the likelihood of winning a contest. Just as players find Pokemon ribbons thrilling now, there were no doubt some who felt the pull while playing Pokemon Emerald.

2 A Stylish Soundtrack That Still Resonates

Music That Is Nostalgic For Fans

• Background music in battles with legendary Pokemon helps to bring gravitas
• Various routes have their own soundtracks in typical Pokemon style

It's often said that music can transport players to different times, and that is no doubt what the soundtrack to Pokemon Emerald did, and continues to do, for many trainers with its recognizable soundtrack.

Alongside the Pokemon designs themselves, music is almost always one of the key aspects to game memorability; Pokemon Emerald struck the right tone with its players. From the flutes of Littleroot Town to the paced tones of the Elite Four battles, it seems to remain just as evocative now as it was upon first release.

1 An Actual Tough Champion Battle

Encounters Throughout Culminate In A Fiery Final Interaction

• Players first meet Steven Stone in Granite Cave early in the game
• Steven Stone will also help players to stop Team Magma/Team Aqua

Steven, the champion of the Hoenn region and collector of rare stones, as well as an all-round well-designed character, is one of the tougher battles from the main series. Fans' desire to face NPCs that actually push players to think about type match-ups and consider the strength of the opposition often comes unstuck, but it is not the case in the Hoenn region.

Steven, the son of the president of the Devon Corporation, has a team worthy of that final battle status, with the steel-type pseudo-Metagross a looming presence, and Arnaldo offering a unique threat. Steven also has a solid Skarmory with a moveset ready to frustrate; Toxic, Spikes, and the unmissable Aerial Ace give players plenty of reasons to bring Full Restores. In short, Game Freak gave the games a character that actually made trainers want to compete.

Pokemon Emerald

Platform(s)

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

Released

May 1, 2005

Developer(s)

Game Freak

Genre(s)

RPG