PKsinew Devlog Index — Start Here!

Sinew is a companion app for Pokémon Gen 3 that unifies save data across all five GBA games, letting you view, manage, transfer, and now even reward Pokémon in ways the original games never allowed. This devlog documents the entire journey — from rough HTML mockups to save parsing, emulator integration, achievements, and systems I didn’t even know I’d need when I started. If you’re interested in building ambitious projects by filling skill gaps with modern tools (and a lot of trial and error), this is the place to start.

PKsinew is live - https://github.com/Cambotz/PKsinew

latest release - https://github.com/Cambotz/PKsinew/releases/tag/v1.3.8

Discord link - https://discord.gg/t28tmQsyuq

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Devlog Index

Part 1 — The Idea

• The original thought process that led to Sinew
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-1-how-a-chaotic-idea-turned-into-a-full-pokemon-companion-app

Part 2 — Prototypes and False Starts

• HTML mockups, early Pygame UI, and why PKHeX wasn’t the answer
  👉https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-2-from-a-simple-mockup-to-okay-i-guess-im-making-my-own-save-parser

Part 3 — Parsing FireRed Saves

• Trainer data, party parsing, PC boxes, and why boxed Pokémon don’t have levels
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-3-parsing-firered-saves-and-discovering-pokemon-dont-actually-have-levels

Part 4 — UX, PC Boxes, and Hoenn (or “Noenn”)

• Rebuilding the UI, multi-game PC boxes, and fixing internal Pokémon IDs
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-4-hoenn-more-like-noenn-ux-pc-boxes-and-why-everything-suddenly-broke

Part 5 — Trainer Info, Items, and Refactors

• Badge flags, item storage differences, encryption, and refactoring pain
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-5-trainer-info-item-parsing-and-the-cost-of-refactoring

Part 6 — The Pokédex Rebuild

• Multi-game dexes, Sinew mode, Hoenn fixes (again), and fast scrolling
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-6-rebuilding-the-pokedex-and-prepping-for-hoenn-fixes

Part 7 — Summary Screens & Pokémon Transfers

• Parsing stats, moves, abilities — and moving Pokémon between games safely
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-7-the-summary-screen-and-the-first-pokemon-transfer

Part 8 — Embedding mGBA

• Libretro, audio bugs, button combos, and running games inside Sinew
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-8-embedding-mgba-and-switching-between-game-and-sinew

Part 9 — Storage, Settings, Themes, and Exports

• Mass Pokémon storage, scalable UI, theming, and exporting saves to JSON
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-9-mass-storage-settings-themes-and-save-exporting

Part 10 — Achievements and the Unobtainable

• Reward systems, event Pokémon, dev tools, and full-circle design moments
  👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-10-achievements-rewards-and-closing-the-loop

Part 11 — Echoes of What Never Was

• Altering Cave, Lost Pokémon Events, and Release Prep

• 👉https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-11-echoes-of-what-never-was

Part 12 – Sinew v1.1 Is Live

The project is officially released. This post serves as an introduction to Sinew as a finished product rather than a deep technical devlog. It covers the core vision of Sinew as an offline OEM+ companion for GBA Pokémon games, including cross-game and per-game Pokédex tracking, Pokémon transfers (including trade evolutions), mass out-of-game Pokémon storage, achievements and rewards, restored and reimagined events like Altering Cave, theme support, and full save-game export to a readable JSON format.
👉 https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-12-its-live

Part 13 – Post-Release Blues… Then Going Viral

How a quiet release turned into a viral moment, a new contributor, and a much bigger vision for Sinew

👉https://pksinew.hashnode.dev/pksinew-devlog-13-post-release-blues-then-going-viral

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What’s Next

• UX polish

• Bug fixes probably

• Prep for launching VIA portmaster