Believe it or not, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire turn twenty years old this March. The franchise’s third-generation titles were the first to make the leap over to the Game Boy Advance, dropping players into a more colorful, detailed, and interactive Pokemon world than ever before, which is a big reason why so many fans remember it and its offshoot games as fondly as they do.
It wasn’t just the updated graphics that made Ruby and Sapphire big hits, though. There were some innovative additions to the series that first appeared in these titles which really made them stand out. Somehow, a few of these additions have not become staples of the franchise, which is a tremendous shame because there’s no doubt that many fans would be more than happy to see them make their return.
6 Diving Under the Ocean
Some might argue that bringing back HMs in general would be a great addition to future Pokemon games. Choosing which members of one's team were going to be the ones to aid players in exploring and unlocking the map was always a fun element. However, things like Surf and Fly existed from day one in Pokemon, while Dive was introduced in Ruby and Sapphire.
Sure, the execution of this HM wasn’t exactly pitch-perfect. There were only so many areas to do some diving on the map and precious few of them held any exciting secrets. However, the concept of expanding the map vertically rather than horizontally is something that could add a lot of depth to future games. And there’s always plenty of room for interesting locations and an eerie atmosphere in Pokemon.
5 Cruising On The Acro Bike
The Pokemon bike concept has evolved a lot over the years, sometimes in a good way and others in some more head-scratching ones. Of all the two-wheeled time saver’s coolest evolutions, Ruby and Sapphire’s Acro bike was up there with the best of them. With the ability to pull wheelies, do bunny hops, and access different parts of the map exclusively with this bike, a game that has almost zero dextrous gameplay got just a tiny slice of it, and it was a lot of fun.
An updated version of the Acro bike could go much further than the Game Boy Advance version ever possibly could, too. Players could take to a 3D world on their new toy, jumping over hedges, clearing flights of stairs, opening up secret shortcuts, and unlocking brand-new areas. Adding a little adrenaline to the game’s exploration element would be a refreshing change.
4 Competing In Pokemon Contests
Pokemon Contests weren’t necessarily a huge hit with fans, but there were plenty who found them to be charming, unique, and just plain fun. It’s hard to deny that contests were a creative way to provide players with a different means of raising and interacting with their Pokemon, even if they were a bit flawed.
Perhaps the coolest thing about this little side quest is that it presented an alternative Pokemon lifestyle for those who may not be all that into the world of battling. Maybe there’s a future game where there are several routes to becoming a Pokemon Master, and only one of them involves defeating the Elite Four…
3 Double Evolutions like Ninjask & Shedinja
Over the course of the 25+ years that Pokemon has been around, pretty much every possible type of evolution has been covered, most more than once. From trade evolutions, to time-sensitive evolutions, to happiness and friendship-based evolutions, Game Freak has left no (evolution) stone unturned.
When it comes to Nincada’s evolution style, though, it seems to be a one-and-done that the developers have long since thrown in the wastebasket. Evolving this little fighting bug with an open slot in one's party will give players not one but two new Pokemon. Sure, Shedinja’s usefulness is the subject of considerable debate, but it looks awesome, and who doesn’t want BOGO Pokemon?
2 Dad The Gym Leader
Easily one of the most interesting little twists of the Ruby and Sapphire story is the fact that the protagonist's dad is one of the gym leaders fans have to battle to become a Pokemon master. In fact, these games along with their offshoots (Emerald, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire) are the only ones in the series that feature both of the player’s parents in the story.
Perhaps it’s not necessary to bring the exact concept of a parent being a gym leader back to the series, but it could definitely add a bit of intrigue to the story, and so could any other unique little wrinkles in the somewhat stiff and unyielding basic tale each game continues to tell.
1 Building Your Own Secret Base
The secret base was such a simple yet brilliant concept. Not only did it allow players to choose another destination that they could fly to and store items in, but it also added an additional element of collectability with all of the items that could be used to decorate the base. It was also just a fun addition to the role-playing element of the game, allowing players to make a home of their own in the Pokemon universe.
But while the secret base did make it over to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, that’s where it ended, and it has never been part of the game since. All these years later with the games moving into open-world 3D, it’s easy to imagine just how much more could be done with the secret base concept.