While there wasn't too much new information given about Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
at E3, it was enough to give us a better sense of what the games will be like. And since
then, a few more tidbits have been released. So it's time to kick the Analysis Machine
back into gear and see what kinds of secrets and hidden details we can find in the released
trailers. With that said, let's get started. The one big carry-over from X & Y is the Mega
Evolutions. With Mega Blaziken being a special giveaway for those games, it only made sense
for Sceptile and Swampert to get Mega Evolutions as well. It turns out that Mega Sceptile is
a dual Grass and Dragon type with the ability, Lightning Rod. There's still no information
on which of its stats are affected by the evolution, but there is a curious detail during
its attack animation. When Mega Sceptile uses Leaf Storm, the end of its tail is actually
cut off and by the end of the animation, it has returned. This is probably a reference
to actual lizards that can lose body parts and grow them back, but the question we have
is, why include this? It doesn't look to have any gameplay significance so this animation
is likely there to emphasize a trait of Mega Sceptile.
It doesn't look like Mega Swampert has an animation like this. Instead, its Mega Evolution
buffs its Attack stat, which makes sense considering its new bulkier look. Mega Swampert doesn't
change its typing either, staying a dual Water and Ground Pokémon with the ability Swift
Swim. In addition, the existence of Mega Diancie and Mega Sableye was also revealed. Mega Diancie
will stay a dual Rock and Fairy type, but there's no other information on it otherwise.
The only thing we do know is that its Mega Stone can be found in the remakes, but Diancie
will still be a distributed Pokémon. Mega Sableye is an interesting Mega Evolution
in that its body doesn't really change, much like Mega Kangaskhan. Instead, the jewel in
its chest emerges from its body and grows huge in size. This jewel is then used as both
a shield and a way to give the illusion that Sableye is more fearsome when looking through
the jewel. It will also remain a dual Dark and Ghost type while gaining the ability Magic
Bounce. Owing to the giant jewel, its Defense and Special Attack will increase while its
Speed will be lowered. Finally, rather than trigger the Mega Evolutions with the Mega
Ring, the trainers will now be using the Mega Bangle. There doesn't seem to be much reason
for the change other than the fact that each trainer that can do Mega Evolution, initializes
it through different accessories. But Mega Evolution is no longer the only new
kind of evolution. Both Groudon and Kyogre are able to use a process officially called
Primal Reversion. This changes their bodies to what they were like in ancient times, immensely
increasing their size. Primal Groudon actually becomes a dual Ground and Fire type and gains
a boosted Attack stat while Primal Kyogre stays a Water type and receives a boosted
Special Attack. The big question is though, how is Primal
Reversion triggered? There is no evidence of this yet but considering the changes to
other parts of Ruby and Sapphire's story, including the mere existence of Mega Evolution,
we believe it's actually tied to their Orbs. In the original games, Team Aqua and Team
Magma use the wrong Orbs to try and control the Legendaries. What if they actually use
the right ones this time, but it actually triggers Primal Reversion and they still go
berserk? There's a problem with that theory though since the reveal trailer for Omega
Ruby and Alpha Sapphire show Groudon and Kyogre initiating the cataclysmic events in their
normal forms. So what if the Team leaders still use the wrong Orb, but when the player
goes to use the correct Orb to calm them, it's then that Primal Reversion occurs. After
all, a showdown with the Primal Legendaries is shown in the trailer. It's impossible to
say for sure, but it would be a cool way to show the unpredictable power of Legendary
Pokémon. Along with all of these new elements, a lot
of the places and people in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire are seeing redesigns thanks to
its use of X & Y's engine. The trailer alone shows the new cinematic for the player's boat
ride to Dewford Town toward the beginning of the game as well as a new scene between
Brendan and May that shows Beutifly flying across the screen. However, we think we can
place this scene thanks to the surroundings, especially the Poké Mart in the background.
This would actually place this scene on Route 102, right outside of Petalburg City. Later
in the trailer, we also get a quick look at the new Fortree City and the Seaside Cycling
Road on Route 110. And speaking of the bicycle, we get our first
look at the Mach and Acro Bike sections in the remakes. They seem to work exactly as
before with the Mach Bike able to go up steep slopes in the Granite Cave, and the Acro Bike
presumably able to bunny hop across the white rails of Route 119. We don't see it in action,
but the way the rails are placed makes it pretty obvious. What's interesting though
is that the arrangement of the rails seems to have been changed slightly. In the original
game, the section of rails the player is riding on is leading down, not up. It's an indicator
that even the specific layout of the original areas won't be recreated exactly.
It also looks like Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire won't be reusing all of the battle backgrounds
from X & Y either. We see a few of the new ones including a slightly different forest,
a mountainous area, and the outskirts of a beach town. It helps make it seem like there's
a lot of effort being put into the remakes. And of course, that includes the gyms. We
see two of them here which we believe to be Mossdeep Gym and Lavaridge Gym. Even though
Mossdeep looks very different from the original, you can see Psychics and Hex Maniacs in the
background. It only makes sense since Mossdeep is the Psychic Gym. Lavaridge was trickier
to identify because it looks nothing like the original gym. However, the presence of
the trapdoors means that it has multiple floors, a feature that only Lavaridge had. And looking
at the design, it looks to be based on a hot spring which makes sense considering how close
it is to a volcano. The only Gym Leader we see though is Roxanne,
who has also been given a slight redesign. Her hairstyle and bow are still the same,
but her outfit looks to be closer to a typical Japanese school uniform. Even her tie has
been changed to better match her bow. And it's hard to see, but it looks like her skirt
flares out a bit more and is reddish in color. So elements from her original design are there,
they've just been updated for these games. That seems to be the case for most things
in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as we get a look at the new entrances to Team Aqua's
and Team Magma's bases. They look a lot more imposing, which can also be said about their
leaders, Archie and Maxie. Archie has dropped the simple suit and instead wears full pirate
clothing that seems designed for swimming with the added accessories of anchor jewelry.
Maxie looks much more like a scientist now with a new pair of glasses and clothes that
more closely match his Grunts. Even the Admins have gotten new looks with Tabitha getting
huskier, Courtney changing her hair to purple and losing the long skirt, Matt losing his
shirt and bandanna completely while tattooing his chest with the Team Aqua symbol, and Shelly
gaining a dark skin tone and black and blue hair.
And it's not only the villains and gym leaders to get redesigns but the player characters
as well. Brendan, or alternatively, Ruby has a very similar design to his shirt though
he now wears shorts rather than his long pants. It's also easier to tell that he's wearing
a hat and doesn't just have white hair. Otherwise, he has the same elements as other modern Pokémon
characters. On the other hand, the only major change that May, or Sapphire, has is that
her bandanna is now a bow. Her clothes are mostly the same except that her skirt is now
a pair of shorts. But the lack of any major change may be because the option to change
outfits returns from X & Y. It was one of the favorite new features and it'd be odd
not to have it return here. Oddly enough, the only character shown so
far without a redesign is Steven Stone. Instead, he looks to have a new motivation as he's
curious about Mega Evolution, which could mean that he's the one that you receive the
Mega Bangle from. It's a fitting role change too given his love of stones and the fact
that Mega Stones are required for Mega Evolution. Alright, we're almost done here but there
are still a few things worth pointing out. For one, we can see the player running diagonally
here which means it makes an obvious return. The bigger question is whether the roller
skates will also return. There's been no sign of them yet and considering the function of
the Acro Bike, they might not make a return. We do get to see the yellow TM balls and berries
in this scene though so there will definitely be some carryovers.
The most curious thing though is the new Hoenn map. It looks very similar to the classic
map, which should be a given since it's a remake. But we couldn't help but notice a
new feature on the map. North of Lilycove City, there's a dark mountain that looks surrounded
by heavy black clouds. Could this be a new area that is eventually visited? And would
it be part of the post-game or perhaps the new showdown spot with Primal Groudon and
Kyogre? There's still so much we don't know, but we're
feeling confident that the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire remakes are shaping up well.
It's holding close to those games while adding elements from the newer ones. But that's all
we could find in the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire trailers. Of course, if we
missed something, please let us know in the comments. If you liked this video, be sure
to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at GameXplain. Thanks for watching, and make
sure to stay tuned to GameXplain for more on Pokémon and other things gaming too.