Homebrewing a New Game for the Forgotten Pokémon Mini Handheld Console
Inkbox homebrewed a new game for the rare and almost entirely forgotten Pokémon Mini console.
I don’t know about you, but I always get really excited when I learn about some new console that I’ve never heard of before. The Nintendo Pokémon Mini definitely fits the bill. It hit the market in 2001 and was essentially a miniaturized Game Boy intended specifically for unique Pokémon games, which were available on tiny interchangeable cartridges. Not many sold and they’re rare, which is why it is awesome to see that Inkbox homebrewed a new game for the Pokémon Mini console.
Inkbox has a goal to program a game for every Nintendo console, so he couldn’t neglect the Pokémon Mini — even if the rest of the world did. But while it would be possible to code up and play a compatible game entirely through emulation, Inkbox wanted to see and present his game running on real hardware.
Thankfully, there is a small, but passionate, homebrew and mod community for the Pokémon Mini. They’ve already created flash cart options for the console and that was critical for this project, since the Pokémon Mini takes unique cartridges that weren’t used on other consoles (unlike Game Boy and DS systems). Inkbox chose to use Zwenergy’s PM2040 flash cart design, which is built around a Waveshare RP2040-Zero development board.
Most of Inkox’s video focuses on the development of his custom game, called Pokémon Ambulation. It is similar to Frogger, but you get to play as one of eight different Pokémon. The development overview should be a fantastic resource for anyone looking to get into Pokémon Mini homebrewing, as it goes over everything from the programming in S1C88 assembly to the compilation toolchain.
And if you’re interested in trying Pokémon Ambulation for yourself, but aren’t lucky enough to own a Pokémon Mini console, you can download it and play using an emulator.