First released in 2002, the third generation Pokemon games stood out as the franchises most polarizing additions. Fans were split on various Pokemon designs, while the inability to initially transfer in certain Pokemon prior to the Gen I remakes – in many ways similar to the Sword & Shield controversy – drew much ire from fans.
Whatever your feelings on the games are, recent discoveries surrounding them have uncovered a ton of cut content. The beta versions of Ruby & Sapphire might seem unrecognizable at times. Some cut features seemed like they would’ve made for interesting additions, while others were probably best left out of the series entirely.
10 A Pokemon Left Behind
Every generation of Pokemon has its fair share of cut Pokemon. Some never see the light of day, while others eventually make it into the games later down the line. Ruby & Sapphire is no exception.
In 2007, Junichi Masuda revealed that Shellos and possibly its evolution Gastrodon were initially planned to have been part of the Gen III titles, but were ultimately held back until the Diamond & Pearl games.
9 Wild Double Battles
Double Battles were one of the most significant mechanics that the Gen III games added. Though they were limited to trainer battles in the final product, the beta hinted at something much more varied.
Wild double battles were initially planned in addition to trainer double battles. However, the feature was inexplicably cut sometime during development. It remains as an incomplete feature with only the data for the encountered wild Pokemon being generated, and then copied for the second wild Pokemon.
8 Snowy In Hoenn?
Hoenn doesn’t have much of a varied climate in the games, though it very well could have had this feature been kept in the final product. There is a weather effect for snow found in the game’s internal data that – though accessible through the use of a ROM – was left incomplete by the developers.
Though it’s uncertain as to where this would have been used, Mt. Chimney would probably be a safe bet. The volcanic landscape could’ve just as easily been a snowy one, and things wouldn’t have really changed all that much.
7 Cacophony
One notable cut from the beta is the ability Cacophony. Found inside the internal data, it is only available by modifying a Pokemon’s data. The ability is incredibly similar to the Soundproof ability, and this was likely the reason why it wasn’t included in the final product.
Cacophony would’ve allowed the Pokemon with the ability to avoid all sound-based moves. So it would’ve been ideal to counter moves like Snore, Uproar and Perish Song.
6 Who’s That Pokémon?
Earlier this year, Twitter user eclipse_tt put out a massive thread revealing source code leaks from the Gen III titles. Among the bits of interesting information they released was this concept art of a never before seen Pokemon.
Based on its design, it looks like a lanky, sullen Machop. This Pokemon never appeared in the game, and hasn’t appeared in the series. With regional forms having been introduced with Sun & Moon, this could very well have been an early attempt at something like a Hoennian Machop.
5 The Mew Event
Event exclusive Pokemon are nothing new to the series, and have been around since the very beginning. It seems that just like features, assets and Pokemon themselves; events aren’t safe from the cutting room floor.
Continuing on with eclipse_tt’s Twitter thread, it seems as though there was some sort of Mew event planned for Ruby & Sapphire. Not much is known about it, but it can be safe to assume that the cut event eventually turned into the Faraway Island event in Emerald.
4 The Combining Move Feature
Yet another inclusion from the eclipse_tt thread, this cut feature would’ve certainly added a new dimension to the Gen III games. It seems that at one point during the Gen III games’ development there were plans to let players combine certain moves in double battles.
For example, Ember and Gust used together would have combined into the Fire-type move Heat Wave – also introduced in Gen III. This isn’t a revolutionary mechanic as far as JRPGs go, but would have been an interesting addition to the Pokemon games nonetheless.
3 Beta Pokémon
Pokemon are some of the most common cuts during the development process. Each generation sees its fair share of potential companions added to the chopping block, and Gen III was no exception.
A grand total of 68 Pokemon were scrapped during Ruby & Sapphire’s development. Though no sprites were found for these castaways, the proof of their existence lies in various missing index numbers signifying their presence at one point in the development process.
2 The Demo
Ruby & Sapphire did in fact have a playable demo, though it wasn’t widely available. The demo was made available during the 2002 Pokemon Festa held in Japan and gave fans a fairly cohesive look at what the final products would look like.
Certain aspects of the game – such as the party screen, battle animations and various UI features – were either incomplete or changed in the game’s final product. Something else worthy noting is Sharpedo’s low level in the demo version possibly suggesting that Carvanha wasn’t yet conceptualized at the time of its release.
1 A Major Feature That Never Happened
Every line of Pokemon games adds something new to the franchise, with some mechanics defining entire generations. Many of these potential features are cut out during development, and Gen III had something of particular interest.
The aforementioned eclipse_tt found that there were plans to include a device that players could use to create custom trainers in the Battle Frontier. The exact details aren’t clear, but the general idea is certainly unique and would’ve made for an interesting addition to the games.
NEXT: The 10 Best Legendary Pokemon For Sword And Shield Competitive Battling
