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 ageways.
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.
