Gen2Recomped 0.7.97 arrived on September 30, 2026, with an important change for the native recreation of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal: the project added a new Save Companion designed for a second touch screen. The version was published at 04:25 UTC and, in addition, brings together 38 commits since 0.7.96, featuring adjustments to the battle system, rendering, and second-screen interface.

The highlight is the new module SaveCompanion.lua. The code creates a 640 × 360-pixel interface with tabs for the party, boxes, bag, and player. Thus, the user can monitor different areas of the game in an interface adapted for dual-screen devices.

Screenshot available in the official Gen2Recomped repository. Source: UNDERdecoded.

Gen2Recomped 0.7.97 gets Save Companion

The Save Companion talks with the internal modules of Gen2Recomped itself and tracks the state of the loaded game. Furthermore, the interface was specifically designed for touch and remains available during gameplay. This way, the project advances in its support for devices that offer an auxiliary screen.

The new module also identifies the generation of the loaded game. According to the code itself, the companion was designed to work with the structure used by the project in generations 1 to 3. However, Gen2Recomped keeps the recreation of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal as the main focus of this branch.

Previous example of Gen2Recomped on a dual-screen handheld. Image: BUNK.GAMES, with gameplay credited to UNDERdecodedHD.

Update also tweaks battles and second screen

The official comparison between tags 0.7.96 and 0.7.97 shows 38 commits. At the same time, the changes affect important files such as BattleState.lua, Renderer.lua, SecondScreen.lua and Badges.lua. Therefore, the update goes beyond simply adding a new screen.

Among the final commits, the developer fixed the Save Companion framebuffer to match the defined panel size. Afterwards, they also adjusted the badge logic and the integration of this system with the companion. Meanwhile, the battle system received additional changes in the compositor and element positioning.

Since the public release changelog is generic, a direct comparison between the tags helps show the actual size of the update. In this interval, the project added 673 lines solely to the new Save Companion file and also modified components linked to the second screen.

Battle capture stored in the official repository. Source: UNDERdecoded.

Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal keep running without a traditional emulator

Gen2Recomped defines itself as a native LÖVE2D recreation of Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, built upon the foundation of Gen1Recomp. The project rewrites the engine, the script virtual machine and map behavior in Lua. Then, it uses a compatible copy provided by the player itself to decode the necessary data.

Therefore, the project does not distribute the original games or include their data. Anyone wishing to use it must provide their own legally acquired copy. Currently, the project offers packages for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox in Developer Mode, and some ARM handhelds.

In addition to native execution, Gen2Recomped maintains support for mods. Among them is the adaptation of Dramatic Shape, which allows transforming Johto into a 3D voxel setting. The Allves Games also has a native 3D Pokémon Crystal guide and an article about PotatoVoxel for weaker hardware.

Version 0.7.97 is the latest

0.7.97 remains the latest public version of Gen2Recomped at the time of this article. The release includes packages for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, Switch, Xbox UWP, and Anbernic RG34XXSP. In addition, the project publishes SHA-256 checksums to verify downloaded files.

As development moves forward rapidly, new versions may appear at short intervals. Still, 0.7.97 represents a concrete step forward in the interface for dual-screen devices. To explore the foundation that originated this ecosystem, it is also worth checking out the changes in Gen1Recomp 0.3.34.

Sources: Gen2Recomped 0.7.97 on GitHub; official comparison between 0.7.96 and 0.7.97; official project repository.