Pokémon Emerald is getting a fresh new look thanks to a fan-made dual-screen project from developer Goldoire. The mod gives the classic Game Boy Advance game a Nintendo DS-style setup, with gameplay on one screen and helpful menus, maps, and battle controls on the other.
The project is called Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen, and its biggest goal is simple: make exploring Hoenn easier without taking away the feel of the original game. It adds useful modern features like widescreen support, touch controls, fast-forward options, party tracking, and live battle information.
What Is Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen?
Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen is a fan project based on the Pokémon Emerald decompilation. Instead of changing the story, Pokémon roster, or difficulty, it changes how players view and control the game.
The main game runs on the top display, while the lower display acts like a smart helper screen. Players can check their team, open a live Hoenn map, look through their Bag, view their Trainer Card, and make battle choices using touch controls.
This means players do not have to open as many menus during their adventure. Important information stays close by while they travel through Hoenn.
Native 16:9 Widescreen Gameplay
One of the most exciting features is native widescreen support.
Pokémon Emerald was originally made for the Game Boy Advance, which used a much smaller 3:2 screen shape. Many modern devices use wider 16:9 displays, so old GBA games can look stretched or leave large black borders on the sides.
Goldoire’s project aims to show Emerald in a true 16:9 layout without simply stretching the image. It expands the presentation for a wider screen while keeping the game’s sprites, menus, and world looking natural.
For players, this could make routes, towns, caves, and battles feel more comfortable on modern handhelds.
Fast-Forward Without Faster Music
The dual-screen mod includes fast-forward options at 2×, 3×, and 4× speed.
Fast-forward is useful when players are walking across long routes, grinding levels, replaying areas, or waiting through slower parts of the game. Normally, speeding up a Pokémon game can also make the music sound too fast.
This project aims to keep the music at its normal speed while the game itself runs faster. That makes fast-forwarding less distracting and helps preserve Emerald’s classic soundtrack.
A Second Screen for Your Pokémon Team
The bottom display can show live information for every Pokémon in the player’s party.
You can see:
- Pokémon icons
- Current HP
- Status conditions
- All six members of your team
Tapping a Pokémon brings up more information, including stats, Nature, Ability, moves, and experience details.
This is useful during long play sessions. For example, if your Swampert is low on health or your Breloom is poisoned, you can notice it quickly instead of stopping to open the party menu.
Generation 4-Style Touch Battles
The project also changes the battle screen to feel more like a Nintendo DS Pokémon game.
During battles, the lower screen can show controls for choosing commands and moves. Players can tap options instead of using only physical buttons. This creates a setup similar to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, where the top screen shows the battle and the bottom screen handles the main choices.
The feature is especially useful on dual-screen Android handhelds. It keeps the battle view clear while placing important options within easy reach.
Optional Battle Tips Make Fights Easier
Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen includes optional battle tips for players who want extra help.
When enabled, the mod can show move effectiveness information and highlight an opponent’s weaknesses on its card. This helps newer players understand type matchups without needing to memorize every strength and weakness.
For example, when fighting a Water-type Pokémon, the game can help remind you that Electric- and Grass-type moves are strong choices.
The battle tips are turned off by default. That is good for players who want to keep Emerald’s original challenge and make their own battle decisions.
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Live Hoenn Map and Location Tracking
The lower screen also includes a PokéNav-style map of Hoenn.
The map can show:
- Your current location in real time
- The name of the area you are visiting
- A quick view of the Hoenn region
This can be helpful when you are trying to remember where you are, find a route, or return to an earlier town. Pokémon Emerald has many connected paths, water routes, caves, and islands, so having a map always available can save time.
Bag Pockets With Live Item Counts
The mod’s Bag screen shows all five main item pockets from Pokémon Emerald with real-time item totals.
Players can quickly keep track of:
- Potions and healing items
- Poké Balls
- TMs and HMs
- Berries
- Key Items
This may seem like a small change, but it can make a big difference. Before challenging a Gym Leader, players can check their supplies from the second screen instead of pausing their journey to search through menus.
Trainer Card on the Bottom Screen
Goldoire’s mod also includes a Trainer Card display based on Emerald’s in-game card.
It can show:
- Earned Gym Badges
- Money
- Total play time
The Trainer Card is not a major gameplay tool, but it is a fun way to track progress through Hoenn. Players can quickly see how far they have come without opening another menu.
Is Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen Available?
Pokémon Emerald Dual Screen is a fan-made project that is still being developed. It has a public project page and releases, but features, compatibility, setup steps, and supported devices may change as development continues.
Players should not treat it as an official Nintendo or The Pokémon Company release. It is a community-made project designed to give the classic GBA adventure a more modern dual-screen experience.
Why This Mod Matters
Pokémon Emerald remains one of the most loved Game Boy Advance Pokémon games, but it was designed for a small single screen and early-2000s hardware. Goldoire’s project shows how classic Pokémon games can feel more modern while keeping their original world, story, sprites, and battles.
The dual-screen setup does not replace the original experience. Instead, it gives players faster access to the things they use most: their team, their map, their items, and their battle choices.
For fans who enjoy Pokémon Emerald on a modern dual-screen handheld, this could become one of the most interesting ways to revisit Hoenn.
