Play Pokemon Emerald : Catch 'em All! Online

Pokemon Emerald came out for the Game Boy Advance in 2004, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. It was one of the last major Pokemon releases on that handheld, building on Ruby and Sapphire with a bigger world and more to do. The hardware was aging, but the game squeezed a lot of life out of it.

You control a young trainer traveling across Hoenn, capturing wild Pokemon, battling other trainers, and challenging eight gym leaders to earn badges. The main goal is to become the regional champion, but you also have to stop two villainous teams, Aqua and Magma, from awakening ancient Pokemon and disrupting the environment. Signature mechanics include double battles, where you send out two Pokemon at once, and the Battle Frontier, a post game area with specialized challenge modes that demand careful strategy. The pacing is steady, with plenty of exploration between towns and some tough boss fights. It feels like a complete adventure, full of small discoveries and the satisfaction of building a strong team.