Pokemon ScarletandVioletreleased last week, kicking off the ninth Generation of Game Freak’s creature-collecting RPG franchise. Reception has been mixed. On one hand,Scarlet and Violetare a bold step into open-world designwith a narrative that encourages thorough exploration. However, the games crack under that ambition, leading to a stream of glitches that suggest Game Freak should have kept its creation in the oven longer. This tumultuous transition may send fans looking back to entries that better stuck their landing, such as Generation 3’sPokemon RubyandSapphire.
The Hoenn region, a more tropical part of thePokemonworld based on the Japanese islands around Kyushu, was first introduced 20 years ago (though it would not come to America until March 2003). WhereasPokemon GoldandSilvercould almost be considered expansions for the original titles, including a post-game trip to Kanto with a fight against former protagonist Red,RubyandSapphireblazed their own trail. Graphical updates on the Game Boy Advance (GBA), as well as new mechanics and a more linear narrative, set the blueprint Game Freak would follow for decades to come.
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Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire’s ‘Advanced’ Pixel Art is Iconic
Pokemonbecame an international phenomenon thanks toRed,Green,Blue, andYellowversions, which spawned a multimedia empire through an anime and trading card game.It is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, withPokemon Red,Blue, andGreenserving as the best-selling games in JapanuntilAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsdethroned them earlier this month. When most people think ofPokemon, they think about the Game Boy and Ken Sugimori’s influential art. That’s why Gen 1 is often leveraged for games likePokemon GO, and why original 151 monsters such as Charizard get extra attention.
However, it’s not a stretch to sayPokemon RubyandSapphireestablished the style that modern audiences will recognize. The series' chunky pixel art went through numerous iterations across itsGame Boy library, with originalRedandGreenmonster designs in particular deviating from today’s norm. The GBA hardware allows for sprites that are closer to what was seen on SNES, making every Pokemon more detailed and colorful.
The fidelity of GBA graphics also extended to the visual design of Hoenn.Kanto and Johto have unique areas to explore, but nothing near as sophisticated as the middle-portion ofRubyandSapphire. Players go from a beachfront market town to a stretch of road drenched in volcanic ash, then visit a limestone cave before ascending Mt. Chimney, exploring desert ruins, and eventually a city built into a forest canopy.
IGN’s review of 2014 remakesOmega RubyandAlpha Sapphirespawned a now-infamous meme that Hoenn has “too much water,” but overall the region’s diverse environments set a strong benchmark. Its pixel art style also carried through to the release ofPokemon XandYin 2013, withDiamondandPearlas well asBlackandWhiteiterating on the use of animated sprites and 3D environments. Some still prefer the carefully drawn graphics of Gen 3 compared to thepolygonal models used forRubyandSapphire’s remakes, despite character designs being reimagined.
Ruby and Sapphire Paved the Way for Modern Pokemon Gameplay
ThoughGoldandSilverstarted the process of making each individual Pokemon more unique viamechanics like breeding and shinies,RubyandSapphiredid more to get the ball rolling on what would become competitive battling. Generation 3 introduced Abilities that give every monster a passive influence on the battle, as well as Natures to complement its more modern stat system. “Effort Values” (EVs) gained by defeating certain monsters in battle became distinct from “Individual Values” (IVs) inherent to a singular Pokemon.
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Pokemon having specific Natures like “Jolly"ultimately serves two purposes. On the backend, it means they have one increased and one decreased stat (in Jolly’s case, Speed is buffed at the cost of Special Attack). Casual players also get the benefit of seeing flavor text on their summary screen that gives their partners an identity, contributing to the sense that these are living creatures.RubyandSapphireintroduced other recurring additions to the formula which help players enjoy their personal journey, such as Contests or Secret Bases.
These stat-adjusting mechanics set the stage for competitive breeding and battling. A true competitive scene would not take hold until the introduction of Physical/Special moves in Generation 4, which built upon changes like Gen 2’s Special stat split andGen 3’s more defined EVs.RubyandSapphirealso introduced Double Battles, which have become the official format for Pokemon VGC (sticking around longer than subsequent iterations like Gen 5’s Triple Battles).
The World of Pokemon is More Defined Following Ruby and Sapphire
Hoenn may be better rendered than its predecessors, with Route-by-Route gimmicks like collecting soot for glassblowing, but one complaint often levied atRubyandSapphireis their linear structure. The Kanto region was arguablyPokemon’s most open-ended prior toPaldea inScarletandViolet, letting players tackle multiple Gym Leaders in any order.GoldandSilver’s Johto region carried this torch by giving players the chance to hit Olivine City’s Lighthouse or Mahogany Town’s Team Rocket base in either order, but the only comparable deviation inRubyandSapphireis the option to briefly skip over Brawley’s Gym in Dewford Town.
Having a more linear adventure made it easier to set balanced level pacing, which was an issue in Generation 2, and also made room for now-staple ideas like foiling a villainous team plot that ties into a region’s Legendary Pokemon. In fact, one could seeRubyandSapphire’s lore and monster design as a direct predecessor to modern entries that tie nearly everything into inspirations like Hawai’i, the United Kingdom, and Spain. From seagulls and lily pads to ancient deep-sea creatures and fruit tree dinosaurs,Hoenn’s Pokemon have a distinctly tropical flairmatching its island setting.
Naturally,Pokemon Emeraldversion would improve upon almost every aspect, particularly in terms of narrative - Team Magma has its own base of operations, getting Rayquaza to quell the battle between Groudon and Kyogre leads to an iconic cutscene, and thepost-game Battle Frontier offers a challengethat many fans feel the series continues to chase. Yet the seeds planted byRubyandSapphirehelped shape this franchise into what it is today, for better or worse. Perhaps fans will be able to look uponScarletandVioletsimilarly some decades down the line.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletare available now on Nintendo Switch.
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