Lei Dian Huang: Bi Ka Qiu Chuan Shuo

RPG NES Classic Playable Now 2005 🎮 Keyboard / Gamepad

Lei Dian Huang: Bi Ka Qiu Chuan Shuo, roughly Thunder Emperor: The Legend of Pikachu, is an unlicensed Famicom game made by the Chinese company Shenzhen Nanjing Technology. English-speaking fans often call it the NES Pokemon Yellow. It follows the basic story of Pokemon Yellow, with overworld graphics modelled on FireRed and LeafGreen, battle sprites drawn from Gold and Silver, and a battle system mostly based on the second-generation games. This is the original Chinese-language release.

NES Famicom Unlicensed Bootleg RPG Pikachu Monster collecting NES

Controls

Arrow Keys - Move
Z - A Button (Jump / Attack)
X - B Button
A - L Shoulder
S - R Shoulder
Enter - Start
Shift - Select
Gamepad - Full support

What Lei Dian Huang: Bi Ka Qiu Chuan Shuo is

In the 2000s, Chinese cartridge makers produced many unofficial games for Famicom-compatible systems, and Nanjing was one of the busiest. This is one of its more ambitious efforts: a full turn-based monster-collecting RPG that recreates the Kanto adventure on 8-bit hardware, including many TMs taken from the third-generation games. It was probably made around 2005, since it borrows from FireRed and LeafGreen.

It is not a straight copy. The opening where you catch Pikachu is missing, Pikachu does not follow you around, and it behaves like any ordinary monster in your party. You can also get Bulbasaur after beating Lt. Surge. The music is borrowed from Ruby and Sapphire. Among Nanjing's games it is generally regarded as one of the better ones and plays with few bugs.

How it plays in your browser

This page runs the cartridge through the FCEUmm NES emulator, so you can try it without any bootleg hardware. Anyone who has played a Game Boy Pokemon game will recognise the loop: explore towns and routes, fight trainers, catch wild monsters and challenge gym leaders.

The text in this version is Chinese. If you know the route through Kanto from the official games, you can follow along fairly well, since the towns, gyms and battle menus follow a familiar layout. An English hack of the ROM exists separately, but it is not the version on this page.

Tips worth knowing

  • Battle menus follow the usual order of fight, bag, party and run, so you can navigate them by position even without reading Chinese.
  • Do not count on Pikachu's usual special treatment; build a balanced party because it acts like a normal team member here.
  • Remember that Bulbasaur becomes available after the Lt. Surge fight, which helps with Water- and Ground-type opponents.
  • Use your knowledge of the Kanto route from Pokemon Yellow or FireRed to find your way between towns and gyms.
  • Train on routes before each gym, since type matchups work much like the Game Boy games.

Frequently asked questions

Is this an official Pokemon game?

No. It is an unlicensed Famicom game made by Shenzhen Nanjing Technology without any involvement from Nintendo, Game Freak or The Pokemon Company.

What does the title mean?

Lei Dian Huang: Bi Ka Qiu Chuan Shuo translates roughly to Thunder Emperor: The Legend of Pikachu. Fans often call it NES Pokemon Yellow.

Is this version in English?

No, this is the original Chinese release. A separate English fan hack was made later.

Which Pokemon games is it based on?

It takes its story from Pokemon Yellow, overworld graphics from FireRed and LeafGreen, and battle graphics and mechanics mainly from Gold and Silver.

More games like this

Monster Force, Neugier: Umi to Kaze no Kodou, Ninja Clowns. You can also browse the full games library or read the guides on the blog.