pytemon

An interactive Pokémon game that runs entirely in your terminal.

Disclaimer: This is an unofficial fan project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Nintendo, Game Freak, or The Pokémon Company. Pokémon and all related names are trademarks of Nintendo / Creatures Inc. / GAME FREAK inc. This project is made for educational and entertainment purposes only, with love for the franchise.

Overview

pytemon is a pure Python library that implements a full Pokémon Red/Blue adventure using the Textual TUI framework. It contains the complete game engine — exploration across all of Kanto, turn-based battles, items, 8 gyms, evolution, fishing, HM field moves, Bill's PC storage, and a rich terminal interface driven entirely by typed commands.

The robotframework-pokemon sibling project wraps this library as a Robot Framework keyword library — because what better way to "run your test suite" than accidentally playing Pokémon?

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Setup

cd pytemon/
poetry install

Run the game

Interactive Terminal

poetry run python run_terminal.py

Note: The game won't run very well in the VSCode terminal. Use another terminal, use the robotframework-pokemon package, or use the browser variant (see below)

Python Examples

See the examples/ directory for Python code examples showing how to:

• Launch the terminal programmatically
• Manipulate game state without the UI
• Run battle simulations
• Build custom interfaces on top of the game engine

# Run any example
poetry run python examples/basic_launch.py
poetry run python examples/programmatic_game.py
poetry run python examples/battle_simulation.py

See examples/README.md for detailed documentation.

Run in the browser (experimental)

The game can also be served locally and played entirely in a browser tab using a built-in PTY WebSocket server. No cloud account or extra installs are needed — aiohttp is already a transitive dependency.

poetry run python run_web_local.py

Then open http://localhost:7681 in your browser. Each tab launches a separate game session. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the server.

The terminal fills the full browser window; the layout automatically adapts when you resize the tab.

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How to play

The game is controlled entirely by typing commands into the input bar at the bottom of the screen., or using the textual widgets on screen. Press Enter to submit a command.

For programmatic control (Python API), see the examples/ directory.

Starting a new game

When you first launch, select New Game from the main menu. You'll be asked to enter your name and then choose your starter Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab in Pallet Town.

> new game
Enter your name: Ash
Choose your starter: Bulbasaur

Your starter choices are Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

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Core commands

Movement

Travel between locations by name:

> move to Viridian City
> go to Route 1
> move to Pewter City

Explore your current area for wild Pokémon encounters:

> explore
> look around

Enter a building you're standing near:

> enter Pokemon Center
> enter Gym
> enter Pokemart

Party & bag

> party              # View your Pokémon team
> bag                # View your items
> inspect Pikachu    # Detailed stats for a Pokémon
> status             # Overall player status

Battle commands

During a battle the game prompts you for input. You can:

> 1          # Use move slot 1
> fight      # See your moves
> bag        # Open bag mid-battle
> switch     # Switch active Pokémon
> run        # Attempt to flee
> catch      # Throw a Pokéball (wild Pokémon only)

Pokémon Center & healing

Walk into any Pokémon Center and your party is healed for free:

> move to Cerulean City
> enter Pokemon Center

While in a Pokémon Center you can also access Bill's PC:

> pc
> deposit Pidgey       # Store a Pokémon
> withdraw Charmander  # Retrieve a Pokémon
> box 2                # View box 2

Pokémart shopping

> enter Pokemart
> buy Pokeball 5       # Buy 5 Pokéballs
> buy Potion 3
> sell Antidote 2

Map & badges

> map               # View the Kanto world map
> badges            # View your badge case
> stats             # Adventure statistics

Pokédex

> pokedex           # Browse all entries
> pokedex Pikachu   # Look up a specific Pokémon
> dex caught        # Filter to caught Pokémon only
> dex seen          # Filter to seen Pokémon only
> dex missing       # Show undiscovered Pokémon
> dex page 3        # Jump to page 3

Fishing

Fishing spots are available at coastal routes and cities. You receive rods as you progress through the game.

> fish                        # Use the best rod you have
> fish with Old Rod
> fish with Good Rod
> fish with Super Rod

Rod quality affects which Pokémon you can encounter:

Rod	Common catches	Level range
Old Rod	Magikarp, Goldeen	5–15
Good Rod	Magikarp, Goldeen, Tentacool	10–30
Super Rod	Magikarp, Goldeen, Tentacool, Gyarados	15–40

HM field moves

HMs let you interact with the environment outside of battle. Each requires a specific badge:

> cut                  # Cut down trees (requires Boulder Badge)
> surf                 # Cross water routes (requires Cascade Badge)
> fly to Pallet Town   # Fast-travel to any visited town (requires Thunder Badge)
> strength             # Push boulders (requires Soul Badge)
> flash                # Light up dark caves (requires Boulder Badge)

Bicycle

Pick up a Bike Voucher and collect your free bicycle from the Bike Shop in Cerulean City:

> ride bike    # Toggle bicycle on/off (routes and forests only)

Saving & loading

> save             # Save your game

Autosave runs automatically every few commands. You can adjust it:

> enable autosave
> disable autosave
> set autosave frequency 10    # Autosave every 10 commands

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The Gyms — earn all 8 badges

Defeat the Gym Leader in each city to earn a badge. Badges unlock new areas and HM field moves.

#	Leader	City	Badge	Type
1	Brock	Pewter City	Boulder Badge 🪨	Rock
2	Misty	Cerulean City	Cascade Badge 💧	Water
3	Lt. Surge	Vermillion City	Thunder Badge ⚡	Electric
4	Erika	Celadon City	Rainbow Badge 🌈	Grass
5	Koga	Fuchsia City	Soul Badge 👻	Poison
6	Sabrina	Saffron City	Marsh Badge 🧠	Psychic
7	Blaine	Cinnabar Island	Volcano Badge 🔥	Fire
8	Giovanni	Viridian City	Earth Badge 🌍	Ground

> move to Pewter City
> enter Gym
> challenge Brock           # Beat Brock's Geodude and Onix

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The Elite Four

After collecting all 8 badges, head to the Pokémon League at Indigo Plateau:

> move to Pokemon League
> elite four

Defeat all four Elite Four members and the Champion to enter the Hall of Fame.

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Special locations

Location	How to reach	Notable
Viridian Forest	Route 1 → Route 2	Bug Pokémon, Pikachu
Mt. Moon	Route 3	Fossils, Clefairy
Rock Tunnel	Route 10	Requires Flash
Safari Zone	Fuchsia City	Catch-only zone, 30 Safari Balls
Power Plant	Route 10	Zapdos encounter
Seafoam Islands	Route 20	Articuno encounter
Cerulean Cave	Cerulean City	Mewtwo (Champion-only)
Silph Co.	Saffron City	Team Rocket raid

Safari Zone

The Safari Zone uses special rules — you can't battle, only throw Safari Balls and Bait:

> move to Fuchsia City
> enter Safari Zone
> explore
# In encounter: throw ball / throw bait / run
> exit safari zone

Fossil revival

Bring a fossil to the Pokémon Lab on Cinnabar Island:

> move to Cinnabar Island
> enter Pokemon Lab
> revive fossil

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Example playthrough (first hour)

# Start the game
> new game
# (enter name, choose Charmander)

# Leave Pallet Town
> enter Oak's Lab          # Receive starter Pokémon
> move to Route 1
> explore                  # Wild encounters and levelling up

# First city
> move to Viridian City
> enter Pokemon Center     # Heal up
> enter Pokemart
> buy Pokeball 5

# Head through the forest
> move to Route 2
> move to Viridian Forest
> explore                  # Catch a Caterpie or Pikachu!

# Pewter City debut
> move to Pewter City
> enter Pokemon Center
> enter Gym
> challenge Brock           # Beat Brock's Geodude and Onix
# (earn Boulder Badge 🪨)

# Boulder Badge unlocks Cut
> use cut                   # Clear obstacles on Route 2 South

Useful shortcuts

Command	What it does
help	List all available commands
map	View Kanto map
party	Check your team
bag	Check your items
badges	View badge case
save	Quick save
clear	Clear the output log
menu	Return to the main menu
quit	Exit the game

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Run unit tests

poetry run pytest tests/ --tb=short -v --cov=pytemon --cov-report=term-missing

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Project structure

pytemon/
├── pytemon/           # The Python package
│   ├── terminal.py    # Textual TUI app
│   ├── game_state.py  # Central game state
│   ├── exploration.py # Movement and encounters
│   ├── buildings.py   # Pokemon Center, Mart, etc.
│   ├── fishing.py     # Fishing system
│   ├── gym_system.py  # Gyms and badges
│   ├── evolution.py   # Evolution logic
│   ├── hm_tm_system.py # HM/TM field and battle moves
│   ├── pc_system.py   # Bill's PC storage
│   ├── battle/        # Battle UI and actions
│   ├── engine/        # Core battle engine
│   ├── data/          # Pokemon, move, trainer data
│   ├── texts/         # All in-game dialog strings
│   └── ui/            # TUI mixin modules
├── examples/          # Python usage examples
├── tests/             # Pytest unit tests
├── saves/             # Save files (auto-created)
├── run_terminal.py    # Terminal launcher
├── run_web_local.py   # Browser launcher (PTY WebSocket server)
└── pyproject.toml

Disclaimer

Large parts of this project have been build using Copilot, to explore and learn more about using AI to code. Many bugs, and many improvements can probably be made, but since it is build for April 1st, not everything is going to be perfect(ed).