Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Role-Playing
Players: 1 (campaign), 2 (additional features)
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Hours Played: 42 hours
Progress: Completed main quest and post-quest activities
Nintendo and developer Game Freak continue the tradition of remaking older Pokémon games immediately following each new generation on the latest Nintendo handheld console. On the heels of the success of the 6th generation of Pokémon titled X and Y, developer Game Freak re-used the same mechanics and advanced 3D graphics engine to remake Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, now called Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (ORAS). These remakes are faithful and nostalgic renditions that bring back positive memories, while applying all of the new mechanics introduced in the years since the originals were released. The beautiful and diverse region of Hoenn beckons once more, read on to see if it is worth the journey.
In this humble reviewer’s opinion, Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire were the pinnacle of the series up until Black/White came along. With a better story than previous games and a beautifully appointed tropical region of Hoenn, Ruby/Sapphire captured the spirit of Pokémon in a charming way. Controversially, they tried something ambitious by opening players up to a vast expanse of traverse-able sea routes, which people either love or hate. The remakes retain the best features of the originals, however they also carry over all the gripes that people had. For better or worse, with expectations running high and with a few extra surprises along the way, I think that Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire turned out to be exactly the remakes that they ought to be.
On a technical level, Pokémon ORAS borrows its much improved graphics and dynamic “swoopy” camera from X and Y. Hoenn’s landscape pops with pronounced dimension, vibrant colors, and there is a large diversity of environments. You can be cruising along the choppy waters one minute, climbing down the side of a volcanic mountain the next, and cycling through a rain-soaked forest before the end of the day. Hoenn is truly the most beautiful region we’ve seen on Nintendo’s handheld consoles, which is even more evident on the 3DS’s capable hardware. As the most important element of a Pokémon game, the monsters themselves are modeled exceptionally well, and the animations are seriously impressive. However, the Pokémon are almost too detailed that they push the 3DS hardware to the brink of defeat. The most disappointing technical flaw in Pokémon ORAS is the battle sequences, which churn out at greatly reduced framerates, even with the 3D turned off, and are sometimes nearly unplayable with 3D turned on. The developers must have known about the poor performance because stereoscopic 3D is used so sparingly in this game that you wonder why more effort didn’t go into tailoring the games to fully utilize the system’s features. Despite this flaw, the game otherwise runs smoothly and I did not encounter any glitches. Where Pokémon ORAS really outshines every previous game on a technical level is the feature that when unlocked lets you literally soar on the back of a flying-type Pokémon around in the skies above Hoenn. The fact that the entire region of Hoenn is modeled in 3D is unprecedented, but that you can fly around it to access new areas and land in places you’ve previously visited is an amazing mechanic that I expect the developer to incorporate again in the next generation of Pokémon games. I am glad to finally control my character using omni-directional movement, which previous games lacked.
The audio and music in Pokémon ORAS were also well done. The music is pleasant though not particularly inspiring. However, listening to old favorites remixed for 3DS’s superior audio was satisfying, and the Pokémon’s various squeaks and roars were much improved over previous generations. The fierce blood-curdling roar that blasted out of my 3DS as I battled the version’s main legendary Pokémon shook my bones a little! The better sound makes for a more immersive experience overall, as now you can hear Pokémon rustling in the grass as you traipse around and bird Pokémon flying overhead as you wander by.
One thing I wish Pokémon games had more of is a compelling story. The original Ruby/Sapphire were the first generation to have a story that I found somewhat interesting, but it was later eclipsed by the vastly superior lore and world-building presented in Black/White. The story in ORAS comes through mostly intact but with updated plot points around Mega Evolutions, which were first introduced in X/Y. While the story was mostly engaging when the originals were released, the lack of a deep storyline is less forgivable today and presents a dire need for the developer to up their game in future Pokémon releases. Last year’s X/Y also suffered from lack of any reason to keep playing, with the latter half of those games being some of the driest hours of Pokémon I have ever had. Though the conclusion of the main storyline in Pokémon ORAS was ultimately satisfying, the much promoted new Delta Episode was too short and shamefully underwhelming.
One of the most bewildering things about Pokémon ORAS is that there are just sooo many legendary Pokémon to catch. Nintendo claims that between X/Y and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire you can catch every single Pokémon, ever. As a result, Pokémon ORAS is positively stacked to the brim with legendaries. There are so many legendaries that the allure of having them has lost its shine now that they are so plentiful and easy to catch. One gets the feeling that with recent releases, Pokémon games have simply become too easy and too shallow for complex minds to be challenged. I understand that Nintendo might be targeting younger gamers these days, but I’m starting to feel like I may soon outgrow Pokémon outright. The stories are too basic, the formula is tired, the mechanics of battle are too routine and using Experience Share to level up Pokémon you’re not even using still feels like cheating. I never got to use my shiny Metagross because it leveled up faster than my other Pokémon even though it never saw battle. This is a major problem that needs to be fixed.
Despite the flaws and shortcomings present in the Pokémon series, I still enjoyed playing Pokémon ORAS and look forward to whatever the developer churns out next. It looks and sounds good on the 3DS and the touch screen has nice big thumb-friendly buttons for menu and battle navigation. The game succeeds in its excellent technical presentation, which improves with every release, but it left me wanting for a deeper more immersive story. Though it sticks closely to what made the originals great, you will still see a couple of unexpected surprises that new players and veterans alike will enjoy. Though I still regard Black/White to be the high water mark for the series, combining the campaign of Ruby/Sapphire with the graphics and audio of X/Y makes Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire run a solid second place.
[taq_review]
A review code for this game was provided to us by its publishers.