Almost three decades after Johto first showed up in Pokémon Gold and Silver, a very generous team of developers has stuffed the whole region back onto a Game Boy Advance cartridge—sort of.
Whether you’ve been collecting ‘mons since you were a kid or just stepped into this wonderful world of adventure, it’s always a good time to revisit the old but iconic gems of this franchise. I particularly adore the Johto games for their deeply rooted folklore, cozy pixel art aesthetics, and the unforgettable sense of wonder (and power) that came with watching the world shift from day to night right on your screen. And now, we can all relive the best parts of Johto and Kanto—exactly as they’d feel on a Game Boy.
You can now download Pokémon Heart & Soul, a fan-made ROM hack of Pokémon Emerald built on the Game Boy Advance. It’s not an official Nintendo or Game Freak product, though—just a fan project. The game recreates the Johto region and its story, drawing on both the original Gold, Silver, and Crystal games and the later Nintendo DS remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver.
The project is led by a developer known as Lil Dill, who started it largely as a solo effort before a team of additional developers, artists, mappers, and playtesters joined in. It’s built on top of Pokémon Emerald using a community codebase called pokeemerald-expansion, and it remains open source, with its code available on GitHub.
Gameplay-wise, Pokémon Heart & Soul follows the full Johto storyline—gyms, the Pokémon League, and characters like the Kimono Girls and Eusine—followed by a Kanto postgame. It carries over several features associated with HeartGold and SoulSilver, including a Pokémon that follows the player around the overworld, day-and-night encounter changes, and two Safari Zones. All 16 Gym Leader rematches are included, along with restored systems like Voltorb Flip and the Ice Path boulder puzzle.
The v2.0.0 update specifically added a Pokégear-based radio system (replacing an older standalone radio item), trainer rematches modeled on Pokémon Crystal’s system, and all 92 TMs from HeartGold and SoulSilver, replacing Emerald’s original 50-TM list. It also added hidden items and an Itemfinder, expanded and reworked the Kanto region’s maps, and brought in Pokémon abilities and Hidden Abilities using data through Generation 9. The new version also includes a built-in Randomizer and Nuzlocke mode, both with adjustable settings. The Randomizer can pull Pokémon from Generations 1 through 9, although you shouldn’t confuse it with the “standard game” that is built around Generation 1 to 3 Pokémon plus their later-generation evolutions.
Interestingly, the Pokémon Heart & Soul ROM Hack has actually been available for a while now, and the developers released the latest version, v2.0.4, this month. If you’re planning to download it, you’ll need a GBA emulator, a legal copy of Pokémon – Emerald Version U (North American version), and also the following:
- The download file
- A UPS-compatible ROM patcher
The developers recommend the mGBA emulator for PC and Mac, and note that MyBoy is specifically not recommended for this hack. On mobile, they suggest Pizza Boy, Lemuroid, or RetroArch with the mGBA core for Android, and Delta, RetroArch, or Ignited for iOS.
At the end of the day, it’s a fan-made love letter, but for anyone itching to walk through Johto and Kanto again, Pokémon Heart & Soul is proof that the region still has plenty of life left in it.
- Video Game(s)
-
Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A
