Ball Saver
The Ball Saver (Japanese: ボールセーバー Ball Saver) is a feature that saves the ball in Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire.
In both games, the Ball Saver Light (Japanese: ボールセーバー・ライト Ball Saver Light) is a light that is turned on as long as the Ball Saver is available.
Overview
Ball Saver Light
In Pokémon Pinball, the Ball Saver Light is a blue "Saver" text at the bottom of either the Red Field or the Blue Field. That light is on as long as the Ball Saver is active. It starts to blink when there are 10 seconds left, and then blink faster when there are 5 seconds left. If the ball falls down the hole but is saved by the Ball Saver, the text "Ball saved" appears at the bottom of the screen.
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the Ball Saver is either Latios in the Ruby Field or Latias in the Sapphire Field. Unlike the previous game, it only starts to blink when there are 5 seconds left.
Saving the ball
If the ball falls through the hole at the bottom while the Ball Saver is active, then the ball goes back to the Plunger Lane (the initial position outside the main field, at the bottom-right corner) and the player does not lose that ball.
In Pokémon Pinball, the ball goes automatically to the initial position and is automatically launched through the Plunger Lane with no input needed from the player.
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, either Latios or Latias catches the ball and brings it to the Spoink in the Plunger Lane, after which point the player is required to launch the ball by pressing the Right Flipper button (the same button pressed to launch the ball at the start of the game).
Acquisition
These are the various ways to turn the Ball Saver on.
| Acquisition | Time (seconds) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pinball | Pinball RS | |
| Launch the current ball for the first time (either after starting the game or losing the previous ball) |
24 | 60 |
| Receive from the Slots | 30, 60, or 90 | |
| Buy from the Mart (10 coins) | — | 30 |
| Buy from the Mart (20 coins) | 60 | |
| Buy from the Mart (30 coins) | 90 | |
| Start the Catch 'em Mode | 60 | |
| Start the Evolution Mode | ||
| Start the Egg Mode | — | 30 |
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, at the start of the current ball (either after starting the game or losing the previous ball), the Ball Saver time starts when the player presses the Spoink to launch the ball. For instance, if the player holds the Spoink for 60 seconds without launching the ball, the Ball Saver time runs up.
In both games, the Ball Saver remains active for the expected time even if the current mode ends before the Ball Saver timer runs out. For instance, if the player starts the Catch 'em Mode (which activates the Ball Saver for 60 seconds) but then catches the Pokémon in only 20 seconds, the remaining 40 seconds remain available outside the Catch 'em Mode.
Timer changes
In Pokémon Pinball, if the ball falls in the hole at the bottom but is saved by the Ball Saver, the current Ball Saver time limit increases by 1 second. This additional time is used launching the ball through the Plunger Lane. For instance, if the ball is saved 5 times during the Catch 'em Mode, then the time will run out after 65 seconds (the default 60 seconds, plus 5 falls × 1 second).
In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, if the ball falls in the hole at the bottom but is saved by the Ball Saver, the current Ball Saver time limit decreases by 3 seconds. For instance, if the ball is saved 5 times during the Catch 'em Mode, then the time will run out after 45 seconds (the default 60 seconds, minus 5 falls × 3 seconds).
Scores
The player does not gain any points for activating the Ball Saver or using it to save the ball.
Gallery
Slots and Mart
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60 seconds (Pinball) |
90 seconds (Pinball) |
30 seconds (Pinball RS) |
60 seconds (Pinball RS) |
90 seconds (Pinball RS) | |||||||
Ball Saver Light
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| On (Pinball) |
Off (Pinball) |
On (Ruby Field) |
Off (Ruby Field) |
On (Sapphire Field) |
Off (Sapphire Field) |
Ball saved
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| Pinball | Pinball RS | Ruby Field | Sapphire Field |
The Poké Ball held by Latios or Latias may be a Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, or Master Ball, depending on the type of Poké Ball used by the player.
Trivia
- In Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, the color palette of the Ball Saver sprites depends on the language.
- In the English, Japanese, and Spanish versions, the darker sprite with yellow numbers is the main sprite that appears in the Slot and the Mart when nothing was selected yet. The brighter version with white numbers appears when the Ball Saver has been selected.
- In the French, German, and Italian versions, the opposite is true. The brighter version with white numbers is the main sprite that appears in the Slot and the Mart when nothing was selected yet. The darker sprite with yellow numbers appears when the Ball Saver has been selected.
In other languages
Ball Saver
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Ball Saver Light
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