Review: Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire

If the original Ruby and Sapphire games were normal old Pokémon, this month’s Alpha and Omega remakes would be their mega evolved counterparts. That’s what a mega evolution is: a way to bring an old Pokémon from the early days of the series into the current games and make them a little more relevant and impressive. Mega evolution changes an established Pokémon for the better (except maybe Alakazam) and makes no apologies; nor should it. The same applies to Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (ORAS).

If you’ve ever played a Pokémon game, then you’ll have a good idea of what to expect from ORAS. The old formula still works; although it’s been tweaked over the years, ORAS‘ core gameplay is much the same. This is something to be celebrated. A series that has slowly made improvements over such a long span of time without dropping the ball at some point is a triumph. If you go back and play the original Ruby and Sapphire you’ll see how dated it is. ORAS has all those same mechanics but manages to feel like the game has rocketed into the current generation.

The story remains mostly the same, with some extra things thrown in to make ORAS a little more current and polished. It even manages to give a little nod the the older games (you’ll know it when you see it), making ORAS an alternate version of these events rather than a replacement. Delving into the reasoning behind mega evolutions and a little back story is nice, but it’s ORAS’ overall message that impressed me.

People in the game acknowledge that all of the fantastic things you accomplish are all the more impressive given the main characters age. The fact that you can stop catastrophic events and foil a national group of adult thugs at the age of ten makes a few characters question what kind of world they’re forging for the next generation to live in. Pokémon is getting a bit deep!

While travelling through the region on your quest for gym badges, the amount of Pokémon is thankfully limited to a few hundred. It makes things a little less overwhelming… but don’t fret, once you take down the Elite Four and obtain the national ‘dex, the available Pokémon will shoot back up to over 700.

You’re no longer limited to flying only to Pokémon Centres once you have the ability; in ORAS you can fly to most destinations… or at least closer to where you wanted to go. There are few steps forward from X and Y, like the Pokénav, but also a few steps back. This is to be expected, I feel, as ORAS is a remake of an older game. The number of HMs has gone up again, making traversal through the game’s many islands possible. You’ll need to have Pokémon with you that can use HM moves to progress rather than having the option of making it through all the caves and dungeons without them but missing out some items.

About halfway through the game, you’ll have an opportunity for a legendary flying Pokémon to join your ranks and zoom around the skies at your leisure. This isn’t a fast travel mode like the fly HM, but rather an actual expiration mode in the sky. The best thing is you don’t need said Pokémon in your party, so if you don’t have anything with fly to get around, you can just summon your steed and get where you’re going.

As you progress through the game you’ll see a few islands you can visit that aren’t on the map; they’re filled with exotic Pokémon and rare items. There are plenty of possible islands to explore on your own, but playing online is a must as the amount of islands will increase simply by passing people in the Player Search System (PSS). You can do the same thing with StreetPass but it’s a lot quicker and easier to do it at home online.

Another feature using both StreetPass and the PSS is the Secret Base System, which connects you to obviously improved ‘super secret basses’. Online functionality those bases exactly as Nintendo’s described them. You can now recruit players to form a team in you hideout and have them do special things for you each day like train your Pokémon or give you new items to furnish your base. You can even set your base up like a gym with certain rules if you want with your trainer as the gym leader. Exploring the possibilities with a few friends is the best way to get the most out of the secret basses but playing solo online is still completely viable. Each time you visit someone’s base you can collect a flag; the more you get the better the reward and bragging rights.

The original’s Safari Zone is ever-present in ORAS, but after the Friend Safari in Pokémon X and Y, I find myself wishing for that instead. Still, it’s that fine line between capitalising on nostalgia and a complete rework of the game and its mechanics, right?

At the point where you would usually finish the game (apart from a few post game quests), you’ll be thrown straight into the “The Delta Episode”. This a sizeable extra chunk of content that keeps driving the story, addressing lots of previously unanswered questions along the way. It takes a few things from the original post game and wraps them into a story. The only real disappointing thing about it is that most of the “Delta Episode” is set in areas you’ve already been to. It quickly turns into a long series of fetch quests, but at least you can fast travel around.

Once your done with the “Delta Episode”, you’ll be treated to a chance to go to the battle resort. I won’t spoil what you find there, but let’s just say Pokémon breeders and competitive players will be very happy with the various activities on offer.

If you’re into Pokémon, chances are you’ve already picked up a copy of ORAS. If you haven’t and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, this is a fantastic time to try it out. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is a remake done right; there’s plenty in it for nostalgic value and more than enough to entice newcomers.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire were reviewed using a combination of retail and promotional copies of the games on 3DS. One was purchased, the other was provided by Nintendo.