The setting for both versions is the region of Hoenn, a chain of islands featuring a variety of climates and terrain, including mountain areas, arid deserts, murky swamps, and more. Certain matches have players selecting two different Pokémon to fight their rival's two creatures, allowing for more choices in combat. The world in which players explore is entirely different, as are the strategies associated with the turn-based battles. While gameplay closely follows the framework established in earlier titles in the series, a number of enhancements have been incorporated. Nintendo's monster-battling franchise makes its Game Boy Advance debut with the simultaneous release of Pokémon: Ruby Version and Pokémon: Sapphire Version, which differ in the frequency of certain monster types.
