As classic Pokémon games go, you don't get much better than Ruby and Sapphire. These Generation Three games overhauled the series in so many ways that it's never really been the same since. They added better graphics, Pokémon Abilities, double battles, Pokémon Contests, new HMs... The list is endless! Not to mention all of the cool new Pokémon that were added to the Pokédex. Without Ruby and Sapphire, we wouldn't have Blaziken, Milotic, Gardevoir, or Metagross! These games were so beloved that they got their own 3DS remakes a few years ago. If that's not a sign that they🐟're awesome games, we donꦑ't know what is.

A lot of people think that Ruby and Sapphire are pretty much perfect the way they are. It's hard to imagine them being any different to their final products. However, it turns out that a lot of features were actually cut from these games during the development process. That's just the way that games design goes—some things make the final cut, and other things don't! However, Ruby and Sapphire seem to have a whole host of scrapped or underused features that would have changed them pretty significantly. Some of these features were used in later games instead; others simply never saw the light of day. However, Game Freak clearly just didn't think they'd be right for Ruby and Sapphire.

Here are just some of the things that were deleted from Ruby and Sapphire. Do you wish they'd still been included, or did th💎ey belong on the cutting room floor? That's for you to decide!

25 🍸 Shellos And Gastro🌞don

When Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released, we were introduced to no less than 135 new Pokémon. Lots of these new 'Mons have gone on to become fan favourites—just look at Blaziken, Groudon, and Kyogre! 135 may seem like a lot of new Pokémon to wrap your head around, but the original number was going to be even higher. Shellos and Gastrodon were originally going to be part of the Generation Three Pokédex. However, they were axed for unknown reasons and cropped up in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl instead.

24 🌳 Snowy Littleroot Town ♐

Ruby and Sapphire introduced a lot of new gameplayܫ mechanics into the Pokémon franchise.

One of these was battle-altering weather.

Rain, hail, the sun, and sandstorms could all have an impact ꧒on your Pokémon's fighting abilities. Certain areas in Hoenn permanently suffered from weather effects, such as the Desert's eternal sandstorm. According to data miners, one unexpected area was also originally going to see some weather effects. An animation exists of snow falling on Littleroot Town! However, this micro-climate didn't make it into the final games.

23 A♏ Lack Of Ability

Another mechanic introduced in Ruby and Sapphire was the Abilities system. Abilities are still featured in the games to this day and can impact your Pokémon both in and out of battle. As the years have gone by and new Pokémon games have been developed, more and more abilities have been created. We may take for granted the fact that every single🧸 Pokémon has an Ability, but originally, this wasn't going to be the case! Data exists that suggests "no special Ability" was going to be an option for some Pokémon.

22 Hard-To-Catch Ralts 🌜

Ralts is one of the first Pokémon you can catch in Ruby and Sapphire. It's a pretty nifty 'Mon to catch, too! While it can be diff▨i🧔cult to train to begin with, it eventually evolves into the insanely powerful Gardevoir.

Pretty good for an early-game Pokémon!

Originally, though, it seems that Ralts was going to be a late-game capture. It was initially included near the end of the Hoenn Pokédex💎, a sure sign that it was going to appear late on in the action. Thank goodness it was brought forward to an earlier Pokédex position!

21 ꦿ A D♌ifferent Ability For Whismur

Whismur was one of the many new Pokémon introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. It had a somewhat unique Ability called Soundproof that made it interesting to use! Soundproof protects the Pokémon from the effects of sound-base﷽d moves like Growl, Sing, and Hyper Voi🍰ce.

Interestingly, though, Soundproof almost didn't make it into the final game.

Its place was taken by Cacophony, an Ability with a different name but basically the same effects. However, at some point in the development process, Ca𒐪cophony was axed and S✃oundproof made the cut.

20 The Boarders ♓🌠

In the Pokémon universe, every Trainer that you encounter has their own "class". They might be a Lass, a Bug-Catcher, or if they're really strong, an Ace Trainer. More and more Trainer classes have been added to the game over the years, with others falling by the wayside. In Ruby and Sapphire, a brand-new Trainer type—the Boarder—was slated to appear. Eleven Boarders were coded into the game in total, with the majority of them using the Pok𝕴émon Spheal. However, they were later axed for unknown reasons.

19 An Early Archie And Maxie𝓡 Encou♋nter

The big bosses of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire𒅌 are Maxie and Archie, the leaders of Team Magma and Team Aqua. While Teams Aqua and Magma are present in the game pretty much from the outset, the player doesn't battle Maxie or Archie until they reach Mt. Chimney, just before earning their fourth Gym Badge. Originally, though, a battle was programmed to take place earlier than this! We're not sure when exactly, but Maxie and Archie's Pokémon would have been at level 17, not level 24 like they are at Mt. Chimney.

18 🍌 Unused Music

The soundtrack to Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire is pretty iconic for any Generation Three kid. The Slateport City song was an absolute tune, let's be real. It might surprise you to learn, though, that lots of music went unused in these games. Data miners have discovered a fair few hidden songs in these games! Interestingly, lots of the songs are remastered music from previous Pokémon games. The Saffron City song from Red and Blue, Route music from Gold and Silver, and Team Rocket music from Crystal are all there.

17 Fog Wa🔯rning ♚

So, you know we said that Littleroot Town was the site of unused snow effects in Ruby and Sapphire? Turns out this sleepy settlement originally had a🍎nother weather option too! Lots of images from the original cut of the🉐 games show Littleroot Town being cloaked in a dense fog.

This weather would undoubtedly have had an in-battle effect.

Reduced accuracy, perhaps? It's unclear whether fog was originally going to appear anywhere other than Littleroot Town, but it did make its way into Diamond and Pearl. That's why the Defog HM was created!

16 🥀 The Regi Dolls ꦯ

Another mechanic that Ruby and Sapphire introduced to Pokémon players was owning a Secret Base. All around the Hoenn region, there were Secret Base spots in walls or trees. If you taught your Pokémon Secret Power, you could claim the base and decorate it with dolls, flowers, and other items. There were lots of Poké Dolls available, including ones depicting the three Hoenn starters. However, three dolls were cut from the final game! We were so close to being able to decorate our baseꦚs with Regirock, Registeel, and Regice dolls. How cool would that have looked?