Emerald Kaizo: The Hack That Put a Genre on Twitch
When people talk about the Pokémon Kaizo hacks, the third-generation entry by SinisterHoodedFigure is usually the one they mean. Emerald Kaizo takes Pokémon Emerald and strips out most of the safety net: you cannot use items in battle, gym leaders field six well-built Pokémon each, and the difficulty rises as the game goes on instead of peaking early. Between 2019 and 2020 it attracted attention from YouTubers and Twitch streamers, and a video about beating it under hardcore Nuzlocke rules later passed seven million views.
At a glance
- Based on: Pokémon Emerald (Game Boy Advance)
- Created by: SinisterHoodedFigure
- Released: dated 2017 in its earliest listings; the catalogue version is from March 2020
- Genre: Role-playing, high-difficulty hack
- What sets it apart: a steep curve, no battle items and heavily changed movepools
What changes from the original
- All 386 Pokémon can be caught, although the full roster is unlocked by finishing the game.
- Movepools have been altered for most Pokémon, and gym leaders each use six strong ones.
- Items cannot be used in battle; held items still work.
- Evolution stones are sold in Fallarbor Town, and several evolutions change, such as Slowking and Huntail evolving with a Water Stone.
- Event tickets for legendary Pokémon are included.
The level curve
The author's own notes show how it escalates: Roxanne's team sits around level 14 to 15, Norman uses level 45 Pokémon, the final gym leader reaches 76 to 77, and the League and post-game bosses are at level 100. The author says that, while unforgiving of mistakes, the game is "not impossible", and does not require heavy grinding.