The Day Game Boy Advance’s ‘Pokémon Emerald’ Was Released: A New Version Featuring the Battle Frontier and Numerous Field-Effect Abilities, with Rayquaza’s Striking Package Art [What Day Is It Today?]

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Editor’s Note

This article marks the 21st anniversary of “Pokémon Emerald,” highlighting its release as an alternate version to “Ruby & Sapphire” and featuring the legendary Rayquaza.

GBA『ポケットモンスター エメラルド』が発売された日。バトルフロンティアやフィールド効果を持つ特性が多数追加された新バージョン。レックウザのパッケージが鮮烈だった【今日は何の日？】
The Debut of the Battle Frontier

Twenty-one years ago, on September 16, 2004, the Game Boy Advance software ‘Pokémon Emerald’ was released.

‘Pokémon Emerald’ is an RPG released by The Pokémon Company. It serves as an alternate version to ‘Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’, which was released on November 21, 2002.

The legendary Pokémon gracing the package is the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza. Its cool, Eastern dragon-inspired design likely captivated many. In one of the two past Pokémon of the Year polls, Rayquaza ranked 8th overall in 2020 and proudly took 1st place in the Hoenn region Pokémon category.

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The three starter partner candidates are Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip. The author vaguely remembers choosing Torchic, but do you all remember which Pokémon you chose as your partner?

In the Hoenn region, the game’s setting, Team Magma and Team Aqua are locked in a power struggle. While you fought Team Magma in ‘Pokémon Ruby’ and Team Aqua in ‘Pokémon Sapphire’, in ‘Pokémon Emerald’, you surprisingly confront and thwart the ambitions of both teams. Furthermore, new episodes not covered in ‘Ruby & Sapphire’ were added, and you could catch both legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre, making the game feel incredibly substantial and rewarding. Other changes included the appearance of a new Gym Leader and complete overhauls of the Gym puzzles.

A Surge in Field-Effect Abilities

What left a strong impression on the author was the significant increase in Pokémon Abilities that take effect in the field in ‘Emerald’. While some Abilities like ‘Pickup’ had field effects before, it was undoubtedly from ‘Emerald’ onwards that they began to have a major impact on the gameplay environment. Since the addition of these new effects wasn’t explicitly stated in the descriptions, the author feels truly grateful to the players who discovered them.

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“I frequently used Abilities like ‘Flame Body’ or ‘Magma Armor’; having a Pokémon with these in your party halved the number of steps required for Eggs to hatch. This became an essential Ability for players focused on Pokémon breeding, and I think many benefited from it. It has since become a staple in later titles. I used ‘Synchronize’ just as much, which helped in finding wild Pokémon with the same Nature.”
The Memorable First Appearance of the Battle Frontier

For dedicated players, the first appearance of the ‘Battle Frontier’ might be particularly memorable. This is an area consisting of seven facilities that test your Pokémon battling prowess.

“It also included the ‘Battle Tower’, which was present in games like ‘Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’, so the replay value was exceptional. With diverse rules across facilities like the ‘Battle Dome’ (tournament with 3 Pokémon), ‘Battle Tube’ (choose one of three routes and complete various events to reach the goal), and ‘Battle Factory’ (battle using only rented Pokémon), many players likely spent all their time here after entering the Hall of Fame. I loved the Battle Tower, so I worked hard on breeding Pokémon, utilizing the effects of new Abilities to prepare for the challenge.”
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As for the latest related title, ‘Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A’ is scheduled for release on October 16 this year (2025). Its starter trio will be Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile.

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⏰ Published on: September 16, 2024