Why Pokemon Emerald Is My Favorite

I am not a diehard Pokemon fan. I like the games, hell I even love some of them, but you're not going to find me indulging in every Pokemon game that comes out, or getting into the competitive scene or the trading card game. So when I say that Emerald is my favorite mainline game, this has pretty much nothing to do with the gameplay. I have zero idea how well Emerald is balanced compared to other games in the series, this is purely a vibes pick for me, and Pokemon Emerald sure does have all the vibes.

There's this joke I've seen in a lot of gaming fandoms which goes something like "the best game is whichever one you've played as a child". In the case of Pokemon, yeah, that's entirely accurate. HGSS was the first Pokemon game I ever played and it's my second favorite in the series, BW is the first one I played for more than a few minutes and it's third, and Emerald was the first mainline Pokemon game I actually got fully invested in. I have an incredible amount of nostalgia for Emerald in particular, but like many childhood favorites, I can at least say that Emerald is a game I've come back to constantly and still find myself having an amazing time with, to the point where it's the mainline Pokemon game I've played through the most.

That being said, let me get a few gameplay stuff out of the way first because Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald does introduce a lot of cool features to the Pokemon formula. Double battles are probably the biggest change and are always a joy to run into, and Emerald adds even more of them compared to RS. There's multiple bikes each with unique properties, and certain shortcuts and areas that you can only use or visit with a specific bike, so that's pretty cool. Pokemon Contests are introduced in these games and they would end up being one of the most beloved series mainstays... at least until Game Freak forgot they existed for some reason. And most importantly, with the jump to the GBA, the menu UI has been dramatically improved over the previous two games making sifting through boxed Pokemon and items far easier and more streamlined. As for Pokemon Emerald specifically, it messes around with some of the gyms, area layouts, and battles to mostly greater effect, and best of all, it introduces the Battle Frontier which definitely stands out as some of the most fun postgame content in the series.

As far as the Pokedex goes, I'm someone who actually kinda likes it when Pokemon games introduce their own region-specific dex that players are just going to have to adjust to. I get wanting to bring your favorite Pokemon into the new game and it can feel especially frustrating if an entry chooses to bring along certain Pokemon but arbitrarily excludes others (cough Gen 8 cough), but I like getting to experience an entirely new lineup of Pokemon and forcing the player to stick with them for at least the main game shows a lot of confidence on Game Freak's part. It also helps that Hoenn's regional dex is easily one of my favorites in the franchise, there are so many standout Pokemon designs here. Grovyle, Torchic, Mudkip, Mighyena, Zigzagoon, Gardevoir, Ludicolo, Nuzleaf, Skitty, Sableye, Mawile, Plusle/Minun, Wailord, Spinda, Trapinch, Zangoose & Seviper, Milotic, Castform, Kecleon, Absol, Spheal, Salamence, Registeel, Latios/Latias, Rayquaza, Jirachi, the list goes on. There's just so many bangers here!

But ultimately, what makes Pokemon Emerald such a special game for me is primarily its region, Hoenn. I adore Hoenn, it's a perfect Pokemon region in my book. From a presentation perspective, it might not be quite as varied as Unova or Kalos, but it leans into this tropic vibe that feels tailor made to capture a kid's imagination. There are so many memorable locals like the ashy Route 113, the sandstorm in Route 1115, the ethereal Meteor Falls, the several Team Magma/Aqua bases you get to sneak into, and of course, Fortree City, because which kid wouldn't want to visit an entire village made up of treehouses? But it's not just the visuals that excel, the layout of Hoenn is also flat-out incredible. Just look at the map for a sec.

Pokemon games prior to Gen 9 are generally pretty linear, there aren't many entries that will really allow you to deviate from the intended path, but Hoenn at the very least manages to create the illusion of nonlinearity with its map design. Just look at all the junctions here! And as you gain new abilities like Cut and Swim, you can open up a ton of shortcuts that allow for even more paths to take. The individual routes are also incredibly well-designed, they're often big, multi-layered, and containing several deviating paths and hidden secrets. I'd argue Emerald has several of the best routes in the series, like the bike road on Route 110, the desert in Route 115, the bike-exclusive paths of Route 119, the large grass mazes of Route 120. Honestly, the entire midsection of the game is some of the best mainline Pokemon out there because of how creative and engaging those routes and towns are. As I've said about Final Fantasy V and Paper Mario: The Origami King, I think overworld design is criminally underrated when it comes to RPGs. Emerald's battle system isn't too different from most other Pokemon games, but it's the stellar world design of Hoenn that really elevates it above the rest for me. 

Complementing this fairly hands-off and sprawling world is the sheer abundance of stuff to do within it. I have a fondness for the earlier Pokemon games because they really tried to give off the impression that they're this large, living and breathing Pokemon worlds densely-packed with things to do. So Emerald is stuffed to the brim with fun side activities, from optional towns, to Pokemon Contests, to the Battle Tents, to the Trick House, to Trainer Hill, to the Battle Frontier, to multiplayer, to building a secret base, to playing games at the Game Corner, to getting interviewed and coining a catchphrase, to exploring all the islands in the water areas, to farming berries, there is just so much here. I already mentioned this, but I really do feel like Hoenn was intricately designed to provoke as much childlike wonder as possible. There's just something so magical about being able to wander around this huge diverse island setting filled with unique biomes and fun activities, and the fact that you can turn just about any tree or marked wall into a secret base you can decorate however you want really adds to the magic. You could argue that we don't need secret bases or Pokemon Contests, but it's these superfluous features that make me want to spend lots of time in Hoenn, and it's the lack of them which make later regions like Galar and Paldea feel so much emptier.

From a presentation standpoint, I wouldn't say Pokemon Emerald is one of the prettiest games on the GBA, but it is one of the most visually-pleasing in my eyes. GBA era Pokemon keeps the fairly simplistic top-down RPG look that the previous games, but just adds way more detail and color. The Pokemon art has more shading and dynamic posing, the environments make liberal use of bold greens and blues for the grass and sea, and there's so many little touches particularly with the water effects like reflections and ripples. It's no Drill Dozer, but Emerald is yet another showcase of how well Game Freak understood the GBA's strengths, and that especially shows in the soundtrack. Pokemon Emerald's OST is not just one of my favorites in the franchise but it's one of my favorites on the GBA, the instruments used sound particularly crisp and the melodies run the gamut from comforting to adventurous. From the wonderfully nostalgic town themes (Littleroot Town, Petalburg City, Rustboro City, Verdanturf Town, Fortree City), to the exciting route themes (Route 104, Route 113, Route 119, Route 120, Cycling), to the typically stellar battle themes (Trainer Battle, Gym Leader Battle, Elite 4 Battle, Champ Battle), Emerald has the definitive Pokemon soundtrack in my book and listening to it always puts a smile on my face.

Oh yeah, and if you're wondering about my thoughts on ORAS, I think it's pretty good, though it's not as obvious of an improvement as the Gen 2 remakes were. The 3D graphics and orchestral soundtrack remove a decent amount of what made the original game so charming, and the lack of Emerald's additions are a real shame, but ORAS still manages to maintain the open tropic vibe of Hoenn while adding some cool new stuff of its own. Flying around on Latias is awesome, the Gen 6 modernizations like bringing over Amie and the training minigames are cool, I adore the redone character designs for ORAS (funnily enough, I think Pokemon character designs have only improved over time even in the recent games), and the Delta Episode is fantastic and I'd even argue that it tells a better narrative than the base game itself. Shout out to Zinnia's boss theme which is easily one of the best tracks in the entire series, fitting for one of Pokemon's coolest characters. So while the base Emerald means a lot more to me, ORAS is still pretty sweet and definitely warrants a mention.

Pokemon Emerald is a perfect example of that special kind of GBA comfort that I can never get enough of. On the gameplay front, it's as fun as the best mainline Pokemon games, but it's the world and the overall presentation that really makes Emerald shine. Hoenn is such a vast, varied, and multilayered region filled with top-tier Pokemon designs, addictive side activities, and a general sense of childlike whimsy that permeates throughout. It's such a well-paced, content rich, and comforting experience that it's far and away the Pokemon game I have the easiest time replaying, and I definitely see myself continuing to do so for the foreseeable future.