Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version are role-playing video games created by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. These games are the first in the third generation of the Pokémon video game series, also called the "advanced generation." For the first time since 1998, when The Pokémon Company was formed, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company shared the publishing role for these games. The games were first released in Japan in late 2002 and in other countries in 2003. A third version, Pokémon Emerald, was released two years later in each region. Remakes of Ruby and Sapphire, named Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, were released for the Nintendo 3DS worldwide in November 2014, exactly twelve years after the original games. In Europe, the remakes were released one week later.
The gameplay is similar to earlier games; players control the main character from an overhead view, and the controls are mostly the same as in previous games. The main goals are to catch all the Pokémon in the game, defeat the Elite Four, and beat the Pokémon League Champion. Like earlier games, the story involves the player fighting a criminal group trying to take over the region. New features include double battles, Pokémon abilities, Pokémon Contests, and 135 new Pokémon. Because the Game Boy Advance had better technology, up to four players could play together at once, compared to the previous limit of two. The games can also connect to an e-Reader or other third-generation Pokémon games.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire received mostly positive reviews. Critics praised the new features and Pokémon designs, but opinions were mixed about the gameplay and graphics. Some players noted that the gameplay was not very different from earlier games. The games sold over 16.22 million copies, making them the best-selling Game Boy Advance titles. However, they sold fewer copies than earlier generations, such as Red and Blue, which sold nearly 31 million units worldwide, and Gold and Silver, which sold over 23.10 million units.
Gameplay
The basic gameplay of Ruby and Sapphire is similar to earlier Pokémon games. Like all handheld Pokémon games, the player views the action from a top-down perspective. The game has three main screens: a map where the player moves around, a battle screen where Pokémon fight, and a menu where the player manages their team, items, or settings. The game begins with one Pokémon, and players can catch more using Poké Balls. They can also battle other Pokémon. When a wild Pokémon appears or a trainer challenges the player, the game switches to a turn-based battle screen. During battles, the player can use moves, items, switch Pokémon, or flee (but fleeing is not allowed in battles against trainers). Each Pokémon has hit points (HP). If a Pokémon’s HP drops to zero, it faints and cannot fight until it is healed. If the player’s Pokémon defeats an opponent, it earns experience points. When enough experience points are earned, the Pokémon levels up. Most Pokémon evolve into a new form when they reach a certain level.
Capturing Pokémon is a key part of the game. During a battle with a wild Pokémon, the player can use a Poké Ball. If successful, the Pokémon joins the player’s team or is stored if the team already has six Pokémon. The chance of capturing a Pokémon depends on its HP, status effects (like being paralyzed or asleep), and the strength of the Poké Ball used. Lower HP and stronger Poké Balls increase the capture chance. Trainers’ Pokémon cannot be captured.
A major change in battles is the introduction of double battles, where each side uses two Pokémon at the same time. Some moves can affect both Pokémon on the opposing side. Multi battles are similar to double battles, but each side has two trainers controlling one Pokémon each. New features include innate abilities and natures. Innate abilities are shared by all Pokémon of a species and give special powers in battle, like immunity to certain moves. Natures affect a Pokémon’s stats instead of directly changing move strength. A new stat called "Condition" was added, which affects Pokémon Contests. Condition is increased by using Pokéblocks, which are made from berries. Secret bases were added as a special feature where players could create and customize areas. Players could battle an NPC version of a trainer in another player’s secret base.
Like earlier games, Ruby and Sapphire track real time, affecting events like tides and berry growth. However, unlike earlier games, Ruby and Sapphire do not have day and night cycles. Because of differences in link cables, Ruby and Sapphire cannot connect with earlier Pokémon games, so players cannot battle or trade with previous generations.
Ruby and Sapphire have limited support for e-Reader cards. Nintendo released Battle-e Cards with trainer battles featuring previously hidden Pokémon. A special e-Reader card called the Eon Ticket allowed players to access Southern Island, where they could battle Latios or Latias, depending on the game version.
Ruby and Sapphire can connect to GameCube games like Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, and Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire. In Colosseum and XD, players could transfer Pokémon between the games after reaching a certain point. Pre-ordering Colosseum gave players access to Jirachi and a preview of the movie Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker. Pokémon Box allows players to store and organize their Pokémon on the GameCube. In the European version of Pokémon Channel, players could receive Jirachi and transfer it to Ruby or Sapphire.
Plot
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire take place in the Hoenn Region, which is far from the Kanto and Johto Regions found in earlier games. The Hoenn Region was inspired by the real-life Japanese island of Kyushu, but it is turned 90 degrees to make the game more balanced. Like Kyushu, Hoenn has many small islands, and parts of the region are connected by sea routes. Some of these routes allow players to dive underwater.
The gameplay in Ruby and Sapphire follows a set order. The main characters are Brendan and May, who recently moved to a town called Littleroot Town. At the start of the game, players choose between Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip to help Professor Birch, a scientist, defend against Poochyena. After protecting Birch, players go to his lab and receive the chosen Pokémon as their starter. Next, they meet May or Brendan, who is Professor Birch’s child. The player’s rival, who is also Professor Birch’s child, is a Pokémon Trainer and sometimes battles the player. The main goals are to defeat eight Gym Leaders, prove they are strong enough to challenge the Elite Four and Hoenn League Champion, and complete the Pokédex by catching, evolving, and trading to collect all 202 Pokémon available in Ruby and Sapphire. Players can collect all 386 Pokémon by trading with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen or Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness and Pokémon Colosseum.
In addition to the main story, players can help non-player characters (NPCs) by completing tasks, such as finding items. A major subplot involves Team Aqua and Team Magma, groups that want to use Pokémon to change Hoenn’s climate. In Ruby, Team Magma tries to use the legendary Pokémon Groudon to dry up the oceans and expand land. In Sapphire, Team Aqua tries to use Groudon’s counterpart, Kyogre, to flood the land and increase the ocean. Before facing the eighth Gym Leader, players battle the leader of Team Magma or Team Aqua, who uses a mystical orb to awaken a sleeping Pokémon. The Pokémon becomes angry and causes severe weather changes—droughts in Ruby and heavy rain in Sapphire—until the player defeats or captures it. Players also help a boy named Wally, who is sick, by catching a Pokémon for him. Wally later recovers and becomes a successful Pokémon Trainer, eventually becoming the final opponent the player faces before the Elite Four.
Development
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were created by Game Freak and Nintendo, with Junichi Masuda leading the development. Ken Sugimori was the art director for these games, but this was the first time he did not create all the artwork alone. When asked where the design team found ideas for new Pokémon, Sugimori explained that they used memories from their childhood, such as experiences with nature, animals, and media, and then based their designs on insects. Looking at the world differently also helped inspire new Pokémon. Sugimori described the process as starting with an insect and then adding features, like hard shapes, to make it resemble a Pokémon, such as making it look like steel.
The Game Boy Advance could display better graphics, so Ruby and Sapphire were the first games in the series to allow up to four players to share information at the same time, instead of the previous limit of two. However, the development team used a simpler graphics system to keep the game easy to understand for many players. The games were designed to be accessible to younger players but also included new features to interest experienced gamers.
Masuda explained that the main goal of all Pokémon games is to encourage communication, which happens through trading and battling with others. When asked about the new double battles feature, the developers said they focused on keeping one-on-one battles as the main competition but added double battles as a new challenge. They mentioned that if players liked double battles, they might include them more in future games.
Ruby and Sapphire were the first games in the series that did not include all Pokémon from earlier games. Sugimori said the team tried to include all new Pokémon and some from previous generations. Masuda noted that they could not include certain features, like different cries for Pokémon based on their mood, due to technical limits.
The audio in Ruby and Sapphire includes only music and sound effects; there is no spoken dialogue. The music was composed by Junichi Masuda, Go Ichinose, and Morikazu Aoki. Most of the music is instrumental, except for two songs with vocals: "Trick Master" and "Slateport City." The game’s soundtrack was released in Japan on April 26, 2003, under the Mediafactory label. It reached position #297 on the Oricon charts and stayed on the charts for one week. Masuda composed battle music, Ichinose created most of the town, route, and fanfare music, and Aoki composed the remaining tracks.
The soundtrack is known for using a lot of trumpet sounds. It also includes French horns, string groups, and piano music.
Release
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released in Japan on November 21, 2002, in North America on March 19, 2003, in Australia on April 3, 2003, and in Europe on July 25, 2003. Nintendo did not promote the games at E3 2002; however, it launched a $7 million promotional campaign that lasted from March to May 2003. In July and August 2002, the games were promoted through a tour across Japan at Pokémon Festa 2002. Nintendo rewarded pre-orders of the games with merchandise and held a contest where participants submitted videos of themselves singing the Pokémon theme song with rewritten lyrics. The grand prize for that event was a Lugia PT Cruiser. Later that year, Nintendo launched the EON Ticket Summer Tour, during which 125 Toys "R" Us stores across the United States offered the Eon Ticket e-Card in stores from July 19 to September 1. Nintendo aired two television advertisements, "Faces" and "Names," on prime-time network, cable, and syndication. "Faces" showed Pokémon placed next to human look-alikes; "Names" showed people shouting out the names of Pokémon and highlighted that the games introduced 100 new Pokémon. Additionally, Nintendo worked with the United Kingdom beverage brand Vimto to promote the games.
Pokémon Emerald Version is a third version of the games after Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. It was developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo, and released for the Game Boy Advance. Emerald was first released in Japan in 2004 and later released internationally in 2005. The game received generally positive reviews, and by fiscal year 2007, sales reached 6.32 million units.
Reception
The games received mostly positive reviews. IGN gave them an "Amazing" 9.5 out of 10 rating and awarded them the Editor's Choice Award. In 2007, the games were together named the tenth best Game Boy Advance game of all time in an IGN article. GameZone also gave the games a 9.5 out of 10 rating and awarded them an Outstanding Award. GamePro gave the games 5 out of 5 stars and named them Editor's Choices. ComputerAndVideoGames.com gave the games a 9 out of 10, and GameSpot gave the games 8.1 out of 10, naming them the best Game Boy Advance game of March 2003. Eurogamer and 1UP.com were less enthusiastic about the games, however; Eurogamer gave the games 7 out of 10, and 1UP.com gave them a B−.
Reviewers had different opinions about the games, especially about the gameplay and graphics. IGN praised the "complex design" and noted that features like double battles made the games more strategic. GamePro also said that double battles "added challenge" and "made the harder battles more strategic than before." ComputerAndVideoGames.com called the gameplay "very interesting and hard to put down." GameZone said the gameplay was more refined and challenging than previous games. However, GameSpot said the games were "easy to complete" and claimed that Ruby and Sapphire "don't offer much of a challenge." Eurogamer felt the game mechanics became "tiring quickly." 1UP.com said the games followed a predictable pattern and that double battles were not used enough.
ComputerAndVideoGames.com was excited about the graphics, calling them "gorgeous." Other reviewers were less impressed. GamePro said the graphics were only "a little better" than those of Game Boy Color games. GameZone said the games still used "simple animations and basic character designs" from the original Game Boy. IGN and 1UP.com said the graphics had only a small improvement, and Eurogamer said the graphics were upgraded to a "functional level at best." The audio was generally well-received: GameZone and GameSpot said the audio was catchy. GameZone gave the audio an 8 out of 10 score, saying the music "was annoying at times, but also very good." Other complaints included removing the time system from Gold and Silver and the inability to import Pokémon from earlier games.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were highly expected. In Japan, they sold 1.25 million copies in the first four days of release and were the best-selling games of the 2002 holiday season. Sales reached about 4.4 million within six weeks. They were the first games to sell 2 million copies in Japan since 2001's Final Fantasy X and the first handheld games to do so since 2000's Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4.
In North America, Nintendo sold 2.2 million units by April 2003, less than a month after the games' release in that region. In the United States, Ruby and Sapphire were the second and third best-selling games of 2003. The games were also successful in Europe. Before release, European stores brought in cartridges from the United States to meet high demand. After release, 500,000 copies were sold in the first weekend and 1.5 million within eight weeks. They were the second best-selling games of the 2002 holiday season. The games were mentioned at E3 2003 by Satoru Iwata as a sign of the Game Boy Advance's success at the time.
As of 2023, the games sold 16.22 million copies worldwide, making them the best-selling games for the Game Boy Advance. However, analysts said that "young kids…gravitating toward Yu-Gi-Oh!" at the time made Pokémon's popularity decrease even before the American release of Ruby and Sapphire. This was shown in the games' sales compared to earlier games: Red and Blue sold nearly 31 million copies worldwide, and Gold and Silver sold over 23 million copies.
Legacy
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire are improved versions of the original Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games. These games were created by Game Freak and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They were available worldwide on November 21, 2014, which was exactly twelve years after the original Ruby and Sapphire games were first released. In Europe, the game was released the following week.
Pokémon Box: Ruby and Sapphire, also known as Pokémon Box, is a different type of Pokémon game designed for the GameCube. It came with a special cable to connect the GameCube and Game Boy Advance systems, as well as a Memory Card 59. The game was first sold in Japan on May 30, 2003, and later in North America on July 12, 2004, but only through the New York Pokémon Center and its online store. It is no longer available in those locations. In some parts of Europe, the game was called Pokémon Memory Magic due to translation issues. Europeans could only obtain the game by using points from Nintendo of Europe’s loyalty program or by purchasing the Pokémon Colosseum Mega Pack.
The game allows players to store and organize Pokémon from the Game Boy Advance games Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen on a GameCube memory card. Players can trade, breed, and interact with their Pokémon on the GameCube. Unique Pokémon can also be collected. Another feature lets players play Ruby and Sapphire on a television using the GameCube–Game Boy Advance link cable. This mode also includes options like taking screenshots of the game. A feature called "Showcase" allows players to create and display Pokémon game pieces.
Nintendo called the game "the most exclusive Pokémon software ever offered to North American Pokémon fans." However, it was often seen as unnecessary and received a score of 50% on GameRankings from one review. Craig Harris of IGN gave the game a rating of 5.0 out of 10, noting that the interface made organizing Pokémon easier than on the Game Boy Advance and praised the emulator that allowed playing Ruby and Sapphire on the GameCube. He also said the game was a good value because it included a memory card and link cable. However, he criticized the "Showcase" feature as unnecessary and said the game lacked enough activities. He wrote that the game was intended for dedicated Pokémon fans but required specific tools to be useful. Allgame gave the game three and a half out of five stars.