Pokemon Scarlet and Violet released last week, kicking off the ninth Generation of Game Freak's creature-collecting RPG franchise. Reception has been mixed. On one hand, Scarlet and Violet are a bold step into open-world design with 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's Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire.

The Hoenn region, a more tropical part of the Pokemon world based on the Japanese islands around Kyushu, was first introduced 20 years ago (though it would not come to America until March 2003). Whereas Pokemon Gold and Silver could almost be considered expansions for the original titles, including a post-game trip to Kanto with a fight against former protagonist Red, Ruby and Sapphire blazed 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

Pokemon became an international phenomenon thanks to Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow versions, which spawned a multimedia empire through an anime and trading card game. It is the highest-grossing media franchise of all time, with Pokemon Red, Blue, and Green serving as the best-selling games in Japan until Animal Crossing: New Horizons dethroned them earlier this month. When most people think of Pokemon, they think about the Game Boy and Ken Sugimori's influential art. That's why Gen 1 is often leveraged for games like Pokemon GO, and why original 151 monsters such as Charizard get extra attention.

However, it's not a stretch to say Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire established the style that modern audiences will recognize. The series' chunky pixel art went through numerous iterations across its Game Boy library, with original Red and Green monster 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 of Ruby and Sapphire. 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 remakes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire spawned 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 of Pokemon X and Y in 2013, with Diamond and Pearl as well as Black and White iterating on the use of animated sprites and 3D environments. Some still prefer the carefully drawn graphics of Gen 3 compared to the polygonal models used for Ruby and Sapphire's remakes, despite character designs being reimagined.

Ruby and Sapphire Paved the Way for Modern Pokemon Gameplay

Pokemon Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire Contests

Though Gold and Silver started the process of making each individual Pokemon more unique via mechanics like breeding and shinies, Ruby and Sapphire did 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. Ruby and Sapphire introduced 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 and Gen 3's more defined EVs. Ruby and Sapphire also 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

Pokemon Ruby Sapphire 3DS Remakes

Hoenn may be better rendered than its predecessors, with Route-by-Route gimmicks like collecting soot for glassblowing, but one complaint often levied at Ruby and Sapphire is their linear structure. The Kanto region was arguably Pokemon's most open-ended prior to Paldea in Scarlet and Violet, letting players tackle multiple Gym Leaders in any order. Gold and Silver'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 in Ruby and Sapphire is 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 see Ruby and Sapphire'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 flair matching its island setting.

Naturally, Pokemon Emerald version 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 the post-game Battle Frontier offers a challenge that many fans feel the series continues to chase. Yet the seeds planted by Ruby and Sapphire helped shape this franchise into what it is today, for better or worse. Perhaps fans will be able to look upon Scarlet and Violet similarly some decades down the line.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now on Nintendo Switch.

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