Pokemon Ruby in italien / Italiano. Third generation, magnificent Hoenn and Groudon as mascot. A solid Pokemon RPG with good replay value. An excellent entry in the saga.
Your verdict
Category
RPG1 player7+
Description
Third-generation Pokémon RPG developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. The trainer explores the Hoenn region and battles Team Magma seeking to awaken Groudon to dry up the oceans. First GBA generation with double battles, Pokémon Contests, Secret Bases and PokéNav. 202 new species join the national Pokédex.
Pokemon - Versione Rubino review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Combat concentrates most of the effects: platforms drawn beneath the creatures according to terrain, projectiles and lightning traced in a handful of frames, screen shakes calibrated to mark impact without hindering readability. The entrances, with their sweep of light, give every duel an identical opening that somehow never wears thin.
Inaugurating the Hoenn region, the third generation's music stands out with its maritime themes, sunlit routes and nervy, sprightly battles. The melodies, lively and memorable, accompany the trainer's every step with an infectious energy. This sonic identity stays dear to the heart of a whole generation.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Capturing, training and evolving your creatures in the Hoenn region weaves a loop of collection and progression you keep putting off ending. Every battle yields experience, every route hides a brand-new species, and completing the Pokédex becomes a gentle obsession. The battles can repeat, but this capture quest keeps a timeless power to hook you.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Earning the badges and the League grazes only a fraction of Hoenn: Pokémon Contests, customisable Secret Bases and double battles open just as many parallel pursuits. Facing Team Magma, catching Groudon and completing a dex swollen by 202 species across a water-soaked map take time. As the franchise's first GBA outing, this dense, well-paced adventure stays much loved by Italian-speaking trainers.
Technical info
💾4,7 MB📅25/07/2003
Published by Nintendo
Pokemon - Versione Rubino (GBA) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
Italian localization of Pokemon Rubino, distributed by Nintendo Italia in July 2003 with the Rev 1 revision, the first Italian speaking iteration to lock in the Hoenn terminology that Nintendo Italia would use through the end of Gen 3. European cardboard box is fragile, the CR1616 battery is now largely drained, and the absence of an IT reprint comparable to the English version explains the special status of an IT identified complete copy with intact Hoenn map for Italian Gen 3 completists.
A questionable morality
However thoroughly the founding idea has become cultural common sense, it stays delicious from a distance: you catch wild animals in little balls, make them fight until they faint to become the greatest trainer, and the rejects wait forever in a computer box. All of it in the name of a friendship the parties involved never actually asked for.
Is Pokemon - Versione Rubino still worth playing in 2026?
Ruby and Sapphire kick off the third generation by laying out Hoenn, its dual team rivalry and its climate based ecosystem. The weather in battle, the multiple abilities and the introduction of double battles permanently reshape the strategic balance of the series. The Gen 3 roster remains one of the most beloved and the cartridge play stays remarkably readable today. Trade compatibility with FireRed and LeafGreen grants access to the full National Pokedex. An excellent gateway into Game Freak's GBA golden age.
