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One of the most popular fan-made Pokemon roguelikes is getting a massive update today with a plethora of new features, including the addition of Generation Nine Pokemon, improvements to its progression system, and even multiplayer.
Pokemon Emerald Rogue first released back in 2022, and as the name suggests, provides a roguelike twist on the classic Gen Three game, with things like wild Pokemon encounters and items being "procedurally chosen" depending on how far you've progressed. You can expect to face random gym leaders and trainers, and if you manage to survive long enough, you'll eventually take on the champion.
It's a really neat concept, and the project already has two distinct versions – one that uses modern battling mechanics like the Fairy typing and physical/special split for individual moves, and one that uses the standard Emerald mechanics. Now though, developer Pokabbie has revealed version 2.0, which she describes as a "(soft) sequel," and it's full of enormous changes.
In a trailer showcasing the 2.0 update, Pokabbie showcases the roguelike's updated visuals, as well as the addition of Scarlet and Violet's Pokemon and Terastallization mechanic, and a massive line-up of new gym leaders to face. Excitingly, Pokemon will be able to follow you around in 2.0 (still the best feature in Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, if you ask me), and it also appears that Pokemon appear in the overworld, a bit like a 2D version of Scarlet and Violet or Legends: Arceus. According to the video description, the update "takes the core formula from the past versions and polishes just about every inch possible! With improved progression, deeper features and QoL improvements for pretty much anything/everything you could think of!"
Arguably the biggest new feature was dropped right at the end of the new trailer, though – multiplayer. Pokabbie has explained what this means for Emerald Rogue in a bit more detail in her Discord server, in which she states it's still in development and will initially require a companion app to work, but she's hoping to potentially add "full link cable support" in the future. At launch today, players will be able to invite one friend into their game at a time, with the ability to trade Pokemon, explore each other's hubs, as well as go on adventures with each other.
"I was unable to get co-op battles and PvP battles in for the initial launch, as I didn't want to delay the launch just for those features," Pokabbie writes. "I do hope to implement those in a following update."
It's fair to say that it's been a big year for unofficial Pokemon roguelikes – earlier this year, PokeRogue took the fanbase by storm, and quickly became incredibly popular. However, that project later lost its creator, who stepped down as its lead developer after concluding that working on it was "hindering the things I value most including my faith, my family, and my job."
While you're here, be sure to check out our ranking of the best Pokemon games.
