Braille in pop culture is a truly fascinating topic! In films, books, or TV series, it’s usually not too difficult to include. When it comes to music, things get a bit more complicated, but as we’ve already shown, there are a few examples to be found there as well.
Where it gets really interesting, though, is in the world of video games.
During our research, we initially came across just one Franchise, but it happens to be a true heavyweight in terms of global recognition. And still: we had no idea! However, we did find people in our extended circle who actually engaged with Braille back then because of this game.
And now, we won’t keep you in suspense any longer:
Did you know that Braille had a major role in Pokémon?
The Hidden Code
In the third generation of the mainline Pokémon series, specifically in the games “Pokémon Ruby,” “Pokémon Sapphire,” and “Pokémon Emerald,” Braille plays a central role in the discovery of the Legendary Pokémon Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. These Pokémon, known as the Legendary Titans, are hidden in three separate caves: the Island Cave, the Desert Ruins, and the Ancient Tomb. To access these caves, the player must first locate and enter the Sealed Chamber on Route 134. Inside, there are several stone tablets with inscriptions written in Braille that provide clues for the next steps. For example, one inscription instructs the player to use the move “Dig” at a specific spot to open a hidden passage. Another inscription reads, “Relicanth first, Wailord last,” meaning the player must place these two Pokémon in a specific order in their party to unlock the chambers of the three Titans. In “Pokémon Emerald,” this order is reversed. The Braille inscriptions in the caves of the three Titans contain additional puzzles that must be solved to reach the respective Pokémon. To assist players in decoding the Braille, the instruction manuals for the European versions of these games included a Braille alphabet chart. In the North American versions, this chart was not included; instead, there was only a hint that the dot patterns might represent Braille. The use of Braille in these games was an innovative way to incorporate complex puzzles and offer players a unique experience.
If you want to read the whole thing in more detail, you can do that here:
By the way, this definitely won’t be the last time we take a closer look at video games.
Let’s just say this much: something really big is coming your way!
You can look forward to it, and so can we!
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