I Still Miss Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire's Best Feature Even After 21 Years

Summary Secret Bases in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire offered deep customization options and interactable decorations.

The feature was poorly recreated in later games, lacking uniqueness and interactivity.

Secret Bases could be perfect for Gen 10 with enhanced social features and individual customization of lairs.

One of the best features in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire is something that I miss to this day, and I wish it could reappear in future entries. The first Generation 3 games were released for Gameboy Advance over 21 years ago, in March 2003. The titles starred by the Legendaries Groudon and Kyogre, respectively, introduced the region of Hoenn to players following the success of both Kanto and Johto before that. The Gen 3 games added a whole new set of features, taking advantage of the new hardware the franchise was running on after migrating from the Game Boy Color.

Ruby and Sapphire added an extra 135 new creatures to the National Dex and many of the powerful Pokémon from the Hoenn region are still considered top-tier choices for some competitive matters until now. Additionally, the duo of games also added new types of bikes and exploration challenges, as well as new weather conditions, and even Natures, which still play a big role in stat distribution. There were several improvements with the Gen 3 games, but one of them sticks out more than the others, especially due to the fact that it hasn’t been well-utilized since the games’ release.

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Secret Bases Were One Of The Best Aspects Of Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire

Feature Was Surprisingly Deep For When It Was Released

One of the best features in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire was the presence of the Secret Bases gameplay mechanic, which allowed players to uncover hidden locations and turn those into their own little getaway. There were different types of Secret Base models that players could find and, more than that, they were fully customizable with a wide roster of Decoration items. This was a completely optional activity that had no impact on the main campaign whatsoever, but it was a fantastic feature to help players wanting to explore the path less traveled.

Additionally, upon the game’s completion, players could have extra hours of gameplay invested solely in optimizing the space with furniture and even searching for better accommodations.

Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire’s Secret Bases Had Interactable Decorations

Feature Was Poorly Recreated In Ensuing Generations

One of the finest aspects of the Secret Bases in the Gen 3 games was that a lot of the Decorations that players could put inside were interactable. Players had access to music-sounding mats and even a slide they could ride. These minor details, even if limited in execution, gave the impression that these Secret Bases were not just an area to showcase accomplishments, but a fully-fledged lair that was decorated to the player’s tastes that felt like their own little secret home. The idea of Secret Bases in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire was recreated later on, but poorly.

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In Gen 4’s Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Secret Bases made something of a comeback through the Underground system. While it did gain connectivity with other devices on Nintendo DS, which allowed players to visit each other’s domains, there was a major downgrade to the overall mechanic.

“I remember counting down the days for the sale on Saturday so that I could grab the Slide and the Stand for my Bases.”

The first notable one is that Secret Bases were now all the same size and shape, with no discerning aspects between them. The second is that the Goods in Gen 4 were a lot less interactable and mainly made for showcasing, as opposed to the Decorations in Gen 3’s Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire games.

As such, even with the major hardware buff from Game Boy Advance to Nintendo DS systems, the Secret Bases feature suffered a heavy impact and felt relatively bland. The whole idea around Gen 3’s Secret Bases was making the areas feel comfortable and like a lair, whereas the ones in Gen 4 felt more like a way to showcase accolades to friends playing with you.

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The Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Secret Bases did make a glorious comeback with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and the only true downside is that its return stayed in the remakes in Gen 6. Nevertheless, the special feeling mustered by the 2003 games came back to life with the remakes in 2014. Even the feeling of having to wait for the clear-out sales in the Lilycove Department Store was reenacted with the Gen 3 remakes for Nintendo 3DS.

Players were once again able to interact with certain Decorations and give their Secret Bases a touch of customization that was lacking from the previous iteration in Gen 4. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, there was also something unique about acquiring the rarest decorations, which not only served as an accolade but also had practical use.

A few examples of this were the Red Tent and Blue Tent, obtainable after completing all the challenges in the Trick House, depending on your version of the game. Even the aforementioned Slide was only obtainable during the Lilycove clear-out sales, which gave it extra importance. I remember counting down the days for the sale on Saturday so that I could grab the Slide and the Stand for my Bases.

These unique customization options, far superior to those of Diamond and Pearl, should make a comeback with the future Gen 10 Pokémon games, especially considering a recent shift in how developer Game Freak has been handling its online connectivity and social aspects.

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Secret Bases Would Be Perfect For Gen 10 Pokémon Games

Increase In Social Features Could Justify A Fully-Developed Base System

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The first Gen 9 games for Nintendo Switch, Scarlet and Violet, were ground-breaking when it came to online connectivity with friends and other players. Not only is Paldea open-world, but players can explore it together and venture side-by-side in real time. This is not confined to the limits of an area like the Underground in Gen 4, but everything in Paldea can be experienced together.

It seems like Game Freak finally hit the nail on the head when it comes to the social aspect of Pokémon games, and Secret Bases feel like the perfect addition for the Gen 10 titles. While each one is to be crafted individually, Secret Bases seem like the pinnacle of social interaction in such a game format.

With Secret Bases existing in interconnected online worlds, players could take their fellow Trainers to visit their customized homes and share references and small social interactions that extend beyond the reach of posing for photos. In essence, Secret Bases in Gen 10 games could be a whole new layer of social interaction and that would match what recent Pokémon games seem to be pushing towards.

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As a piece of side content, this would grant even more gameplay hours to players looking to make the perfect base to show to friends. Of course, the main priority right now is that the Gen 10 games run a lot smoother than the Gen 9 titles did.

Scarlet and Violet were plagued by technical issues and that should not occur with the next big release. Nonetheless, beyond technical improvements, the next games could benefit from a new and customizable layer of social interactions, and that could come in the form of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire’s fantastic Secret Bases.