Gaming is in an era of remakes, forgoing brand-new releases to give people a blast from the past by reviving games like Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. Nintendo is no stranger to porting and remaking titles like Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, old gems that make Pokemon fans excited about the franchise’s future. The company is also no stranger to dropping things without an announcement, dangling remakes before fans’ eyes without them even knowing it.
An official Pokemon account on Twitter posted some interesting footage, sparking a fierce debate among fans as to whether or not the 2003 titles will be coming to new consoles like the Switch 2 anytime soon. It isn’t as far-fetched as some might think. Was Nintendo being sneaky and teasing fans with nothing but a throwback post? Or was this the company’s way of telling gamers something might be on the horizon for Pokemon?
A Remake Is Seemingly on the Horizon—For Better or Worse
The official Japanese Pokemon account posted unusually clean Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire footage on September 20, leading to speculation that a Gen 3 port to the Nintendo Switch may be on the horizon, since Pokemon FireRed and Pokemon LeafGreen got ported earlier this year, in March. The short clip shows the player character chasing around Mr. Briney, who is chasing after his companion Wingull named Peeko-chan. The translated caption reads, “Hey, hey! Wait, wait, Peeko-chan!” The graphics in the posted video are way too smooth, looking almost as if the clip was taken from a game just released this year, even though the title was released all the way back in 2003.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Many fans in the comments speculated whether this cryptic video, which seemingly came out of nowhere, signaled an upcoming port. It serves as an acknowledgment of the game’s existence, which, in the gaming world, usually means a company is intending to do something with it, whether that be a Gen 3 port or a release of merchandise. The clip is also 30 seconds, which, as GamesRadar pointed out, is the exact video length you get from the Switch and Switch 2’s built-in capture function.
Obviously, Pokemon is one of Nintendo’s most precious IPs, along with Super Mario. Fans are exceedingly outspoken and very passionate about what happens to the franchise, especially older titles remastered or remade. This includes fans from all genres. Passionate gamers will be the first to let you know when a title from a franchise they like is “bad,” pointing to problems with graphics or changes made that change the game’s identity altogether.
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
There is hope that if Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire are remade and ported to the Switch, valuable changes will be made to fix overall gameplay. Although the title was widely well-received, there are still critics of Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire who have qualms with many things, including the ever-unfortunate cutoff that stops trainers from transferring Pokemon from the previous games to their new game. This certainly ruffled many feathers because Pokemon, at its core, is about making a journey with your Pokemon pals, getting to know them, and grow with them as you battle.
This loss of compatibility was a big misstep for Nintendo, and one that fans still think about to this day. Others pointed to weak Pokédex balancing that lacked specific types, ice-type Pokemon, and overloaded on others. Some people even pointed out that there were way too many water sections in the game. The water-heavy areas are likely due to the fact that a diving mechanic was introduced to Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, which allowed players to dive into dark patches of water, opening up underwater caves. Nintendo likely wanted ample areas for players to try the new gameplay out.
In an era of remakes galore, it is more important than ever that companies listen to what fans want out of a remake, since remakes are targeted towards fan service. It is about giving older fans the chance to relive a gaming memory via nostalgia, while exposing a title to newer fans who haven’t had the chance to touch the original. Who knows, this could be a great chance for Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire to reestablish themselves as greats in the franchise. Only time will tell.
Sometimes Remakes Are Too Faithful or Just a Downright Downgrade
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Image via The Pokemon Company -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
In general, some people take issue with Pokemon remakes because they are too faithful to the original. The games are kind of like a before-and-after, where nothing is essentially changed, except for a few minor tweaks that don’t have much impact on the overall gameplay. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are a great example of this, having both been released back in 2021. The games serve as a remake of the 2007 game Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl, but they were so faithful to the original that they basically mirrored it, flaws and all.
This brings up an interesting debate about faithfulness and how some fans might prioritize that over making changes that would actually aid gameplay. I am in the camp that there is no point in remaking a game everyone loves, just for that game to feel exactly like its predecessor. We are in an age where video games are no longer really limited by technology, something that Nintendo likely faced when releasing a slew of the old Pokemon games. Why not make quality-of-life changes utilizing technology available today to make the overall gaming experience smoother? A balance must be struck between the old and the new to make a remake really shine.
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Old Chateau – player standing outside -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
In other cases, some Pokemon remake titles suffered from major downgrades that unfortunately made the game feel archaic. Once again, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are called to the stand for committing these “crimes.” Instead of following in the footsteps of making changes à la Pokemon Platinum, the remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl completely ignored quality-of-life changes.
Developers chose not to expand the Pokédex; story elements remained super slow, and the beloved Battle Frontier was also omitted in an effort to be faithful to a fault. Pokemon Platinum featured a slew of major improvements to graphics, animations, post-game activities, plot improvements, and improvements to mechanics like the Poketch. The game moves faster than the OG Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl; the pacing is well done, and new additions like the Distortion World inhabited by the legendary Pokemon Giratina were nice touches.
It is like the developers behind Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl saw how well Pokemon Platinum was being received, but didn’t want to take notes on it, deciding to stick with the original format regardless of the proven benefit. If we are getting a Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire Gen 3 port anytime soon, let’s hope that Nintendo learns from games released in the franchise, opting to make changes for the better. While I can appreciate being faithful to the source material, I have learned that sometimes the best way to make a remake land with fans is to change things, while still keeping the essence of the original alive.
- Released
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March 19, 2003
- ESRB
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e
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Unreal Engine
- Multiplayer
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Local Multiplayer
