Pokémon FireRed Dual Screen

A work-in-progress native Android dual-screen port of Pokémon FireRed for the AYN Thor and similar devices. The game runs as compiled C code with an SDL2 host, not inside a GBA CPU emulator.

Built on pret/pokefirered, with the Android host and dual-screen interface adapted from Goldoire/pokeemerald-dualscreen.

Status: experimental — v0.2.0. Download the Android APK. Your own FireRed Rev 1 ROM is required. Early-game play, the first rival battle, saving, and loading have been tested on an AYN Thor during development. A complete playthrough and other devices have not been validated. See the release notes for release-specific test coverage.

Features

• Two-screen interface: gameplay on the upper display; party, battle controls, bag, trainer card, and settings on the lower display.
• FireRed styling: red interface accents, a white-accented launcher icon, and a FireRed logo on the lower display until the first usable game state arrives.
• Party details: Pokémon icons, levels, HP, status, stats, nature, ability, moves, PP, and experience progress.
• Touch battle menus: Fight, Bag, Pokémon, and Run, plus move selection. The classic top-screen battle menus remain selectable in settings.
• Battle bag and party selection: the lower-screen bag stays open until use or cancel, with Pokémon/move targeting for items. After a Pokémon faints, choose its replacement below while the battle remains visible above.
• HP for both sides: player and opponent cards show current / maximum HP.
• Experience progress: the player's battle card includes an EXP bar and Next Level: current progress / required EXP.
• Roomier waiting state: when no battle choice is requested, Pokémon cards fill the available space without a loading-dot animation.
• Readable move details: move names occupy their own line; type and PP appear underneath without overlapping.
• Optional battle hints: move-effectiveness markers and opponent weaknesses.
• Full lower-screen map: Kanto and Sevii maps fill the area above the tabs, with location markers.
• Fast forward: 2×, 3×, or 4×, with a separate choice to keep music at normal speed or accelerate it too.
• Restored audio: music, sound effects, and Pokémon cries through the native sound driver, including volume controls and pause/resume.
• Settings: widescreen display (off by default and remembered on-device), touch controls, battle menu placement, fast-forward speed and music, volume, and battle hints.
• Standard flash saves: 128 KiB FireRed saves, including import/export by file copy. Writes use a temporary file and checked replacement.

Compatibility and limitations

Area	Current status
Game target	English FireRed, USA/Europe, Revision 1
Tested hardware	AYN Thor, dual-screen Android
Android minimum	API 21 (Android 5.0), as declared by the app
Native architecture	armeabi-v7a only; the device must support 32-bit ARM apps
Early game	Intro, player/rival naming, first rival battle, save and Continue tested
Lower-screen map	FireRed's Kanto/Sevii Town Map with location markers; available from v0.1.1
Move-type icons	Text badges are used; the native type-icon bridge is not yet implemented
Multiplayer	GBA link cable / wireless-adapter functionality is not supported
Other games	LeafGreen, Emerald, translations, and ROM hacks are not supported targets
Other platforms	Android is the validated build; inherited desktop/voxel code is not a supported feature

Widescreen is experimental. Some screens still use the original 240×160 layout, and transitions can show rendering artifacts. This port does not claim a complete, bug-free FireRed playthrough.

Getting started

1. Download the APK from Releases, or follow the Android build guide to build from source.
2. Install it on a compatible Android device with 32-bit ARM support.
3. Launch Pokemon FireRed Dual Screen. The release APK asks for your own extracted FireRed Rev 1 .gba file (not a ZIP).
4. Use the lower screen's PARTY, BAG, CARD, and settings tabs. Battle choices appear there when the game requests an action.

ROM and asset handling

The reference ROM for this port is:

Field	Value
Title	Pokémon FireRed Version (USA, Europe) (Rev 1)
Game code / revision	BPRE / 1
Size	16 MiB (16,777,216 bytes)
SHA-1	dd5945db9b930750cb39d00c84da8571feebf417

Do not upload your game ROM, saves, or locally built APKs to this repository.

The current development build compiles the decompilation's game data into the native library and therefore opens directly. The public release removes data ranges matching the reference ROM and packages an asset_manifest.bin to restore those ranges from the user's own verified ROM. Packaging checks that restoration reproduces the original library byte for byte. The ROM hash is checked on each launch; a missing/mismatched manifest or failed restoration prevents game startup.

Compiled code and unmatched upstream resources remain in the APK. This is not a claim that every copyrighted asset is removed. Merely running assembleRelease does not create the public package; follow the release packaging guide. Only the processed, signed release APK is intended for the release download.

This repository retains upstream decompilation resources and small upstream multiboot payloads under data/. It is not presented as a repository containing no copyrighted game material. No full retail game ROM or personal save is added. See credits and notices.

Saves

Use the game's SAVE option. Save states from an emulator are not supported.

The save filename is pokefirered.sav and its size is 131,072 bytes.

Build	Save directory on the device
Local debug	Android/data/com.pokefirered.dualscreen.debug/files/
Release identity	Android/data/com.pokefirered.dualscreen/files/

Debug and release builds have separate app identities and separate saves. The FireRed app also stays separate from the Emerald app.

Import a save

1. Export a normal 128 KiB FireRed battery/flash save from your emulator or cartridge backup.
2. Close / force-stop FireRed Dual Screen.
3. Back up any existing pokefirered.sav.
4. Copy the imported file to the appropriate directory and name it pokefirered.sav.
5. Reopen the app and choose CONTINUE.

Export or back up a save

Save in-game, wait for the success message, close the app, and copy pokefirered.sav out of that directory. Keep a backup before updating or experimenting with a new build. Uninstalling the app can remove its data.

Android may restrict file-manager access to Android/data; ADB commands are provided in the build guide. The adjacent pokefirered.cfg stores this port's display and audio preferences, not game progress.

Controls and settings

• D-pad / left stick: move and navigate.
• A / B: confirm / cancel.
• Start / Select, L / R: regular GBA controls.
• Touch: choose lower-screen tabs, Pokémon cards, battle actions, and moves.
• R2: toggles fast forward. If the game seems unexpectedly fast, press R2 again and check the FAST FORWARD setting.
• HINTS: OFF/ON for battle effectiveness and weakness information.
• BATTLE MENUS: BOTTOM for touch menus; TOP for the classic game menus.
• FF MUSIC: NORMAL keeps the music's tempo; SPED UP follows fast forward.

Controller mappings can vary between Android devices.

EXP and game rules

The EXP ratio is progress within the current level, not lifetime EXP:

Next Level: (total EXP - current level's starting EXP)
          / (next level's EXP threshold - current level's starting EXP)

At level 100 it displays Next Level: MAX. The threshold comes from the Pokémon species' growth curve.

The project aims to keep FireRed's gameplay rules. The shiny threshold remains 8 / 65536, or 1 in 8,192; the dual-screen changes do not increase it.

Development and reporting issues

• Android build instructions
• Port architecture, validation, and remaining work
• Upstream GBA build documentation — retained for reference, not the Android build procedure.

When reporting an issue, include the device model, Android version, build commit, exact steps, and whether you resumed a save or started a new game. A screenshot and relevant crash log are useful. Remove personal information from logs and never attach a ROM or signing key.

Credits

• pret/pokefirered: FireRed/LeafGreen decompilation and original game engine foundation.
• Goldoire/pokeemerald-dualscreen: dual-screen Android host, UI, and design this port adapts.
• gradenGnostic/pokeemerald-multiplatform: native SDL2/platform foundation behind the Emerald port.
• SDL: windowing, input, rendering, and audio.
• samyost1/tmc-android and samyost1/zelda3-android: dual-screen precedents credited by the Emerald project.
• FireRed adaptation and device testing maintained by venom13, with assistance from AI coding tools.

This is an unofficial fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures Inc., or GAME FREAK. Pokémon names and game material belong to their respective owners. Existing third-party license notices are retained; there is no blanket license grant over the original game. Read THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md before redistributing any part.