Pokémon may be a worldwide phenomenon now, but it started off as just two Game Boy games that not a lot of people really understood. “You’re supposed to just walk around and catch little animals in balls? If you say so…” However, it turned out that those early games would set the tone for the series as a whole, and introduce players to an entirely new video game universe. Red and Blue were the first Pokémon games to be released in North America, and they were instant hits. Each game had exclusive Pokémon, which necessitated trading with friends. Players could also battle their friends using the Game Boy connector cable. It was a pretty wild time.
Despite all of the stuff that remained in the game, and there was quite a lot there, there was even more that was left out of it. Now, this makes perfect sense. After all, games always have content that gets cut from the final product, whether it’s because it just doesn’t fit into the gameplay or the technology just can’t handle processing it. What’s really strange, though, is that in the original Red and Blue Pokémon games, a lot of the unused material was still programmed into the game’s code. It just wasn’t active in the game. So what were players missing out on? There were a few small things, sure, but there were also a lot of other moments, text, and items that might have altered the game entirely. These are 25 Things That Were Cut From The Original Pokémon Games (That Could Have Changed Everything).
The Elite four goes for a walk
As any seasoned Pokémon player knows, the final step in your journey comes in the form of facing off against the Elite Four. These four trainers, who each have a stacked roster of Pokémon, stand in their halls, stoically awaiting your arrival.
That’s how things came out in the final game. However, during development, the Elite Four were actually going to move around a little bit more. There are unused walking sprites of each Elite Four member that were never used in the game, so instead, they just spend the entire time standing around.
A different song for Pallet Town
When your journey starts in Pokémon Red/Blue, you wake up in your cozy little home in none other than Pallet town. Can that really be called a town if it’s just, like, three buildings though?
Anyway, the start of your journey is accompanied by some soothing music that makes you feel at home. However, there was actually a different song that was going to be used in Pallet town, and the code for it is still hiding in the game. A dedicated gamer even managed to piece it together into an approximation of the intended music.
The missing Bird Type
Everyone knows that there are a bunch of specific types of Pokémon: fire, ice, rock, dragon… But did you know that there is actually a missing type that was supposed to be included in the game?
Of course, if you’ve ever attempted to do the “multiplying items” cheat, then you know all about “missingno.” This placeholder Pokémon was left programmed into the game to represent the missing creatures that were cut. Even its type, “bird,” isn’t included in the game, as most bird-like Pokémon actually fall under the “flying” type.
The missing field move
One of the biggest parts of Pokémon Red and Blue is using field moves to help progress in your journey. There are of course all of the familiar ones: cut, surf, flash… But what if we told you there was a field move that never actually made it into the final game?
Within the code of the original games, there appears to be text associated with a missing field move. The text reads “Ground rose up somewhere!” This could have been a field move used to reach higher points on the map.
An entire town just disappeared
Along your Pokémon journey, you’ll visit a bunch of great little towns and cities where you will battle gym leaders and find new Pokémon. These include Pewter City, Vermilion City, and, of course, Lavender city, with its truly creepy music.
What is really creepy though, is the fact that an entire town was erased from the original games. It appears that some of the code for it is still programmed into the games, but it lacks any other coding for wild Pokémon.
Lighting fixtures for underground tunnels
Throughout the original Pokémon games, you find yourself walking through all manner of environments: caves, forests, mountains, and often you’ll even end up traversing around underground passageways.
You might not have ever considered it, but these parts of the game sometimes look like they are missing something, don’t they? That’s because there were unused tiles for those environments that seem to suggest that there would have been lighting fixtures on the wall.
Warping in Celadon City
Celadon City! It’s the place where there’s more than just your average Poké Mart… There’s an entire department store with multiple floors! This is also the city where you obtain Eevee for the first time. That’s pretty exciting!
Of course, there is also at least one hidden thing in this city that appears to be leftover from some code that didn’t make it into the game. Apparently, one building has a warp that will take you to the fifth floor of the department store.
It has no effect!
When entering into a Pokémon battle in Red and Blue, it’s good to know which moves have which effect. That way, you can better strategize how to win against your opponent, instead of just trying to spam the best move.
Of course, not all effects are actually available in Red and Blue. Despite the fact that the code for some effects still exists in the final game, there are some effects that are not actually available, such as increasing accuracy by one point or attack strength for a few turns.
No Dragon Type effectiveness
One of the most important parts of playing any Pokémon game is knowing which types of Pokémon are strongest against other types. This means if you are going into battle against a lot of rock types, make sure to bring your grass and water types.
Of course, one strange thing about a particular type, Dragon, is that it is actually most effective against other dragon types. At least, it is supposed to be. In Red and Blue, there is only one dragon-type move, and it is just as effective on dragon types as any other types. This was changed in later games.
Raichu evolved into what?
We all know how it goes: Pichu, Pikachu, Raichu. That’s the end of the line! Once you get to Raichu, your Pokémon will not evolve any further. And, of course, to get your Pikachu to evolve into a Raichu, you’ll obviously need a thunderstone.
And yet, there is an odd conversation left in the game that suggests otherwise. If a player makes a trade with a certain NPC, exchanging Raichu for an Electrode, the NPC will later tell the player that Raichu evolved. This is actually a leftover translation error.
A playable female trainer
Everyone is familiar with the player character in Pokémon Red and Blue. On the title screen, the trainer looks like the same old one we all know, and in the game, he’s a squat little dude with a hat and a backpack.
Even though later games added the option to play as a female trainer, there actually had been a female trainer option planned for Red and Blue. However, it was eventually left out, most likely due to the limitations of the Game Boy.
“Struggle” as a useable move
What’s the worst move in Pokémon history? It has to be ‘splash,’ right? After all, that move does absolutely nothing. It’s the only move that Magikarp can learn, which makes getting one up enough levels to evolve into Gyarados a real pain.
However, there was another move included in Red and Blue that never actually made it to the final game, but it was just as pointless as ‘splash.’ The move was called ‘struggle,’ and it was originally going to be the only move available if players ran out of PP. Of course, that was also never a feature of the games, so the move was never included.
Your rival taunts you even more
One of the most annoying parts of any Pokémon game is having to put up with your stupid rival. At least in the original games, you got to choose his name, so you could name him, like, “nerd” or something funny.
As annoying as he is, in the original code for the game, he was actually supposed to throw even more taunts at you, especially if you lose battles to him. These included him saying “You should shape up, pal!” and “How can I put this? You’re not good enough to play with us big boys!”
The talking bench
One of the most funparts of Pokémon Red and Blue is visiting the Safari Zone. After all, it’s the place where you catch exclusive Pokémon like Chansey, Scyther, and Pinsir.
It’s also the place where you can talk to a bench. Wait, what? Yes! In the rest house within the Safari Zone, there is an empty bench where an NPC was supposed to be sitting, and although the NPC was cut, their speech text remains if you talk to the bench.
The Fuschia City Sign
Fuschia City: the home of the aforementioned Safari Zone, as well as you will pick up the Soul Badge after beating Koga and his Poison-type Pokémon. It’s also another location with a weird missing item.
Outside of Bill’s house, there used to be a sign describing the city itself. OF course, since players cannot access that area, the sign is actually somewhere else that they can get to. However, if you happen to use a code or glitch through the wall, you can still read the missing sign’s text.
40 additional pokemon
“Gotta catch ’em all!” That’s always been goal number one in the Pokémon games, hasn’t it? Originally, capturing all 150 Pokémon was a huge accomplishment, requiring plenty of trades and determination.
Since then, plenty of other Pokémon have been added to the list, putting the number above 400, but originally, there were also supposed to be at least 40 additional Pokémon in Red and Blue, which would have made reaching the goal of catching them all take a lot longer.
Invisible Poké Mart
When you embark on your Pokémon adventure in Red and Blue, you will often have to make stops at Poké Marts to pick up essential items: Poké Balls, potions, and other goods are key to making the journey easier.
Even though they are scattered all over the map, it sometimes feels like Poké Marts are few and far between. There was actually supposed to be an extra one between Fuschia City and Cinnabar Island, as the code for it exists. However, it does not actually appear in the game.
Missing ice tiles
When you find yourself in any areas of the game where you have to walk through a cave, you might start to notice that the environment looks a little bit “samey.” that is to say, it’s just rocks and dirt.
However, it appears that there were actually supposed to be extra tiles used in the cave environments that never appear in the game. Because they appear to be translucent, it’s possible that they were supposed to be ice tiles.
More annoying Cerulean Cave
One of the most tedious parts of the journey in Red and Blue is passing through Cerulean Cave to reach Mewtwo. Though it is filled with a number of rare Pokémon, it’s still a pain to make your way through it.
As annoying as this part of the game is, it was actually going to be much harder, according to some leftover programming. There were going to be way more dead ends and confusing passageways, so be thankful it’s only as difficult as it is.
Abandoned poké centers
Pokémon Centers are one of the most essential locations in the game, as they are where you can heal up all your Pokémon, as well as use the PC for Pokémon storage.
They are scattered throughout the game, but it also appears that the rest houses in the Safari Zone were originally meant to be Pokémon Centers as well. They are laid out the same, but you can’t even bring your Pokémon into the zone, so they serve no real purpose.
