Playing the game

Now that you've got the patched ROM file, it's time to get ready to start playing!

Select the platform you want to play on:

Click to filter:
Nintendo DS
Nintendo DSi
Nintendo 3DS
Emulator

Play on Nintendo DS

Playing on the Nintendo DS is as simple as placing the patched ROM onto a flash cartridge and running the game. You probably already have the cartridge if you followed the setup instructions earlier.

Requirements:

  • Nintendo DS or DS lite console
  • Flash cartridge (e.g. R4 cartridge. Also, an SD or microSD card to load stuff onto it as required)

Setup:

  1. Insert your SD card from your flash cartridge into your computer (or connect it through the correct cable if required)
  2. Drag over the patched .nds ROM file you previously created into the correct directory on the flash cart's storage.
  3. Disconnect the flash cartridge and insert it into your Nintendo DS. Fire up the game and enjoy!

Play on Nintendo DSi

Playing on the Nintendo DSi can either be done simply through the use of a flash cartridge, or putting the patched rom onto a SD card and making use of Twilight Menu++ on your system

Using TWiLightMenu (nds-bootstrap)

If you're using TWiLightMenu (aka nds-bootstrap), please be sure to launch the game in DSi Mode.

Requirements:

  • Nintendo DSi or DSi XL console
  • TwilightMenu++ custom firmware setup on your system. If you followed the guide to dumping your ROM on Nintendo DSi earlier, you've probably already done this!
  • SD card with at least 2GB capacity
  • Computer with an SD card reader/USB SD card reader peripheral

Setup:

  1. Insert your SD card from your DSi into your computer
  2. Drag over the patched .nds ROM file you previously created into anywhere on the SD card.
  3. Remove your SD card and insert it back into your DSi.
  4. Power on your DSi and launch Twilight Menu++.
  5. Navigate to and run the patched ROM .nds you copied into your SD card and start the game. Enjoy!

Using a flash cartridge

Requirements:

  • Nintendo DSi or DSi XL console
  • Flash cartridge (e.g. R4 cartridge. Also, an SD or microSD card to load stuff onto it as required)

Setup:

  1. Insert your SD card from your flash cartridge into your computer (or connect it through the correct adapter if required).
  2. Drag over the patched ROM file you previously created into the correct directory on the flash cart's storage.
  3. Disconnect the flash cartridge and insert it into your Nintendo DSi. Fire up the game and enjoy!

Play on (New) Nintendo 3DS or 2DS

Playing on a (New) Nintendo 3DS or 2DS can either be done simply through the use of a flash cartridge, or putting the patched rom onto a SD card and making use of Luma3DS on your system

Using TwilightMenu++

Requirements:

  • Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL console
  • Luma3DS custom firmware setup on your system and FBI. If you followed the guide to dumping your ROM on Nintendo 3DS earlier, you've probably already done this!
  • SD card with at least 2GB capacity
  • Computer with an SD card reader/USB SD card reader peripheral

Setup:

  1. Insert your SD card from your 3DS (hacked with Luma3DS) into your computer
  2. Follow this guide to install TWiLightMenu on your 3DS using FBI. During the part where it asks you to add your .nds ROMS, drag your patched ROM .nds file you made earlier into the /roms/ folder.
  3. Continue following the instructions through to launching the game. Enjoy!

Using a flash cartridge

Requirements:

  • Nintendo 3DS, 3DS XL, 2DS, New 3DS, New 3DS XL or New 2DS XL console
  • Flash cartridge (e.g. R4 cartridge. Also, an SD or microSD card to load stuff onto it as required)

Setup:

  1. Insert your SD card from your flash cartridge into your computer (or connect it through the correct adapter if required).
  2. Drag over the patched ROM file you previously created into the correct directory on the flash cart's storage.
  3. Disconnect the flash cartridge and insert it into your Nintendo 3DS. Fire up the game and enjoy!

Play on Emulators

Select the type of emulator you wish to use:

Click to filter:
PC Emulator
Android
iOS
Wii U Virtual Console

Emulate on Windows, macOS, or Linux

There are a few options for PC DS emulators, but the one we recommend is melonDS for its emulation accuracy and performance.

melonDS setup

Requirements:

  • Windows, macOS or Linux computer

Setup:

Simply download melonDS (v0.9.5+) from the project website for your platform (Windows, macOS, Linux) and save it somewhere easily accessible to your computer.

Playing the game:

With melonDS setup, all you need to do in order to play the game is select "File" "Open ROM" in the top menu bar and choose the ROM file you patched earlier.

melonDS has a number of advanced features, such as configuring controllers and tweaking display settings. You can check out the melonDS Website for more information.

Other PC emulators

  • DeSmuME－Another popular PC emulator, but may have performance issues with certain games.
  • No$GBA－Not recommended due to severe general emulation accuracy issues. It's also infrequently updated and not very user-friendly.

Emulate on Android

The best DS emulator on Android is DraStic, which has a great interface and is simple to install. Another alternative is RetroArch using the MelonDS emulation core.

Requirements:

  • Android Device with the Google Play store
  • Drastic or RetroArch

Play using DraStic Emulator

  1. Transfer the patched ROM file onto your device. We recommend creating a specific 'NDS' folder to keep things organized.
  2. Download DraStic off the Google Play Store.
  3. Open the app, and select "load new game".
  4. Navigate to the patched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ROM file, press "Start Game", and enjoy!

Play using RetroArch Emulator

  1. Transfer the patched ROM file onto your device. We recommend creating a specific 'NDS' folder to keep things organized.
  2. Download RetroArch off the Google Play Store.
  3. Open the app, tap "Online Updater", scroll down and download all of the updates.
  4. Scroll back to the top of the Online Updater menu, and go to "Core Downloader". Scroll down to the Nintendo DS Cores, and download the Nintendo - DS (melonDS) and Nintendo - DS (DeSmuME) cores.
  5. From the Navigation Bar, select the three lines icon which will take you to the Playlists Menu.
  6. Press "Import Content", then press "Scan Directory", navigate to the folder where your ROMs are, and tap "<Scan This Directory>".
  7. Once that's finished, return to the Playlist Menu and scroll down. A Nintendo DS playlist containing all of your transferred .nds ROMs should have been created.
  8. Open the playlist, select the patched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ROM file, and press "Run". Select the MelonDS core, and enjoy!

If you run into any emulation issues, exit the game and try launching it again with the DeSmuME core.

Emulate on iOS / iPadOS / tvOS

The most user-friendly option for emulating on iOS is Delta Emulator. However, while it is easy to obtain from the App Store in non-EU countries, those in the EU have to take a few extra steps to obtain it.

RetroArch is another alternative, which also has a native Apple TV app, although it can be confusing to setup.

Requirements:

  • iOS / iPadOS Device (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch)
  • Mac or Windows computer (to install Altstore if you live in an EU country)
  • Delta or RetroArch

Play using Delta Emulator

  1. Transfer the patched ROM file onto your device. We recommend creating a specific 'NDS' folder to keep things organized.
  2. Download Delta off the App Store (non-EU countries), or the follow this guide to install Delta using Altstore (EU countries).
  3. Open the app, and add your ROMs to your library by tapping "+" in the top right corner of the screen.
  4. Launch the patched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ROM file by tapping on it, and enjoy!

Play using RetroArch

  1. Transfer the patched ROM file onto your device. We recommend creating a specific 'NDS' folder to keep things organized.
  2. Download RetroArch off the App Store.
  3. Open the app, tap "Online Updater", scroll down and download all of the updates.
  4. Scroll back to the top of the Online Updater menu, and go to "Core Downloader". Scroll down to the Nintendo DS Cores, and download the Nintendo - DS (melonDS) and Nintendo - DS (DeSmuME) cores.
  5. From the Navigation Bar, select the three lines icon which will take you to the Playlists Menu.
  6. Press "Import Content", then press "Scan Directory", navigate to the folder where your ROMs are, and tap "<Scan This Directory>".
  7. Once that's finished, return to the Playlist Menu and scroll down. A Nintendo DS playlist containing all of your transferred .nds ROMs should have been created.
  8. Open the playlist, select the patched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ROM file, and press "Run". Select the MelonDS core, and enjoy!

If you run into any emulation issues, exit the game and try launching it again with the DeSmuME core.

Emulate on Wii U by injecting the Virtual Console

If you own a Wii U console, Nintendo's official Virtual Console DS emulator provides accurate emulation, complemented nicely by the Wii U Gamepad, which works great with the touchscreen used frequently in this game.

To do this, you'll need to homebrew your Wii U, use UWUVCI to convert the ROM into a WUP (Wii U title) and then install it to your system using WUP Installer GX2.

Requirements:

  • Wii U system with internet access
  • SD card with at least 4GB capacity
  • Windows PC to run UWUVCI

Part 1 - Homebrew your Wii U

  1. Follow the steps on this guide to install a CFW (Custom Firmware) Wrapper, Tiramisu, onto your system from your SD card via an exploit in the Internet Browser.
  2. Continue following the steps to install the Homebrew App Store to your system.
  3. Boot into the Homebrew App Store through Tiramisu by launching into Tiramisu on the Health & Safety screen of your console when powering it on.
  4. On the Homebrew App Store, navigate to or search for WUP Installer GX2 (it should be near the top). Download and install it to your system, following the on-screen instructions.
  5. Once successfully installed, power off your Wii U system and remove the SD card. Re-insert it into your computer.

Part 2 - Make ROM into WUP with UWUVCI

  1. Ensure your SD Card is back inserted into your computer
  2. On your PC, download and install the latest release of UWUVCI. If you are prompted by Microsoft Defender/Windows StartScreen, click "More Details" and "Run Anyway". The program may take some time to download tools and data.
  3. When the program loads up, select the DS icon on the left-hand side of the screen.
  4. Select the following options:
    • On the "Base ROM" dropdown, choose "Mario Kart DS (US)" or "Mario Kart DS (EU)" (depending on your region; if you aren't in the US or EU, just pick either one, it doesn't really matter)
    • Click the "Enter CKey" button. Click "Read from otp.bin" and select the otp.bin file on your SD card that you created earlier when installing the Custom Firmware as part of the NAND Dump process. If you don't have this for whatever reason, you'll need to find the Wii U common key and write it in manually instead.
    • Click on the "Enter TKey" button. You will now need to insert the title key for Mario Kart DS for the region you selected. There's no easy way of getting this other than by looking it up online. Make sure you enter the key for the Mario Kart DS region you selected.
    • Click "Choose File" next to "ROM PATH" and choose the patched Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann ROM file
    • On the "Icon Image" box, click "Create File". Download this image (or use your own) and choose it under "Select File". Feel free to customize the appearance, this is the icon that will appear on your Wii U system menu. Then, click "Finish"
    • On the "TV Image" box, click "Create File", enter the name of the game on the two lines ("Tengen Toppa", "Gurren Lagann"), the release year (2007) and the number of players (1). Then select the same file for the icon image (or choose your own!). Then, click "Finish".
    • Enter in the "Game Name" box: Tengen Toppa|Gurren Lagann
    • You can also optionally choose some other pieces of art that will appear on your Wii U menu when launching the game, such as a splash image and boot sound.
  5. When you're done, click "Inject". Your ROM will be injected into a Wii U WUP title.
  6. Once done, click "WUP Installable". Wait for it to pack the WUP into the format, then click "Copy to SD". Your WUP file will be copied to the correct directory on your Wii U, so you can add it to your system using WUP Installer GX2.
  7. Remove your SD card from your computer and put it back into your Wii U.

Part 3 - Install WUP with WUP Installer GX2

  1. Power on your Wii U with the SD card re-inserted.
  2. Launch WUP Installer GX2 you previously installed through Tiramisu
  3. Select the WUP title you created and proceed through WUP Installer GX's on-screen instructions to install the title to your system menu. You can also optionally install WUP Installer GX to your Wii U menu here, too.
  4. When the installation has completed, you can launch the game from your system menu.
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Setup guide

This guide will walk you through getting the patch up-and-running on your system or emulator of choice!

Guide steps

  1. Guide Introduction
  2. Buying the game
  3. Dumping the ROM
  4. Patching the ROM
  5. Playing the game
  6. Using Cheats
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