A lot can change in 10-years, and Pokémon is no exception. Which might be why Nintendo
thought it was time to finally give Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire the update many fans have
been clamoring for. And they’re doing that by rebuilding the games from the ground-up
using the Pokémon X & Y engine, as well as incorporating many of X & Y’s unique gameplay
mechanics, on top of introducing a host of new features all its own too.
And I had the chance to try it out for myself at Nintendo’s Bay Area office in a 3-hour
play-session, starting from the beginning of the game up to a victory against the first
gym leader--okay, so maybe I’m not exactly the fastest Pokémon trainer. I also had the
chance to interview the creators of the game, so make sure to stay-tuned for that to be
posted soon. But please keep in mind that I don’t have image or screenshots of everything
I played, so the footage may not match up perfectly.
So the core of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire is still the same as it was in the
original games. But because we now live in a post- X & Y world, the game’s been updated
to take advantage of the features that generation introduced. So for example, you’ll now acquire
the Exp. Share item after saving a scientist early in the game, which will allow you to
easily level up your entire Pokémon team, as compared to the slower-pace of the original
release.
But perhaps the biggest addition is that Mega Evolutions, which were first introduced in
X & Y, not only are now a part of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire--including brand new Mega
Evolutions-- but it now even continues their story from X & Y, as you’ll now explore
their mysterious origins.
So since Ruby & Sapphire originally came out in a single-screen world, the remake takes
full advantage of the 3DS’s touch screen to provide support throughout your adventure.
Of course, this is nothing new if you’ve played any of DS Pokémon games, but Omega
Ruby and Alpha Sapphire takes it a few steps further with the addition of 3 different Nav
devices: The AreaNav, DexNav, and Buz zNav--the first two of which you’ll gain access to
early into the adventure, before the 1st gym. They take up residence on the right side of
the touchscreen, allowing you to cycle between them with ease simply by tapping them.
The AreaNav is basically a more in-depth map, detailing points of interest for each area,
such as stores and Pokémon centers, as well as streamlining that travelling process, allowing
you to fly to any city you’ve already visited simply by tapping its location it on the touchscreen.
Then there’s the BuzzNav which provides you with updates of things happening in the
Hoenn region, such as clues as to where you might be able to find certain Pokemon
But the DexNav is where things really get cool, as this basically makes it waaay easier
to find Pokémon. Essentially, any time you encounter a new Pokémon, the DexNav will
display where you can find that same time by displaying its silhouette over nearby grassy
regions on the map. So for example, I encountered some Beautiflies in a cutscene just before
entering one of the game’s towns--and though I didn’t actually battle them, the DexNav
then displayed which patches of grass I could expect to find them in nearby . It should
greatly help streamline the process of tracking down some elusive Pokémon.
And the DexNav also ties into a new gameplay mechanic: sneaking. Basically, as you’re
exploring the world, you will occasionally see a wild Pokémon’s tail peeking out from
below some tall grass. You’ll then have to try and sneak up on it without scaring
it away, but in order to do so, you’ll have to walk very slowly by just barely moving
the Circle pad. And if you can get close enough, the DexNav will pop up an alert on the touchscreen
showing an image of the Pokémon’s silhouette, as well as information such as its type, level,
and weight. So this new mechanic is yet another way in which the game eases the experience
of trying to catch them all.
Of course, Pokémon’s always been a social experience, and as you might expect, Omega
Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will support local and online multiplayer much in the same way
X & Y did. However, it also builds upon it with some smart additions to the Secret Base
feature that returns from the original games.
So basically, there are caves, trees, and other places hidden all over the world that
can be turned into your own personal secret base, allowing you to outfit it with all kinds
of decorations, like furniture and Pokémon plushies.
These secret bases can then be shared with others in a variety of ways, such as online,
or via QR codes, or with anyone you StreetPass with, populating your game with other people’s
secret bases in the same location they decided to set up shop. And if you pay it a visit,
you’ll even be able to battle against a CPU version of the base’s owner and their
Pokémon team.
Hell, you can even turn your Secret Base into a mini-gym of sorts, with you acting as the
gym leader and your friends as trainer obstacles. It should create a fun new challenge for anyone
who stumbles upon your secret base. Oh, and any secret bases you find will then be marked
on your AreaNav for future reference.
Now if you’ve played X & Y before, then you already know what to expect from the game
visually--which is to say it’s a marked improvement over pretty much every other Pokemon
game prior to X & Y. The world has been completely reconstructed with polygons in 3D and enhanced
with added detail--you can even see blades of grass blowing in the wind--it really does
make the world feel even more like a real place. And you’ll even find a few cute contemporary
details throughout too, such as the homes in your neighborhood being outfitted with
Wii U consoles.
Unfortunately, while the game does look great, it still suffers from the same limitations
as X & Y, which unfortunately means the game makes somewhat limited use of the stereoscopic
3D display, relegating it to battle, cutscenes, and a select few areas in the overworld. And
even then, the battles still suffered from occasional slow-down with the 3D turned on,
but they did seem to run flawlessly when I turned it back to 2D.
I thoroughly enjoyed my playtime with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. It appears
to stay true to the strong foundation of the original games, while making it feel new by
mixing it with X & Y’s engine, as well as some completely new mechanics--even including
some I haven’t mentioned yet, such as cosplay Pikachu. Yes, you heard me right, it’s a
special Pikachu that you can dress up in different ways to alter what moves are available to
him.
And you won’t have long to wait to try the game for yourself, as the game comes out on
November 21st. Oh, and there’s going to be a demo too, which like the Smash Bros.
3DS demo, will allow you to transfer some of the Pokémon you’ve caught into the full
game.
Thanks for watching and make sure to stay-tuned to GameXplain.com for more on Pokémon Omega
Ruby and Alpha Sapphire--including our upcoming developer interview, as well as other things
gaming too.