Along with all of the Smash Bros announcements, Nintendo released a brand new trailer for
Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, this time focusing on the Gym Leaders, Elite Four,
Contests and especially the Secret Bases.
So you know us.
We've got to analyze them all to see what secrets and hidden details we can find.
Of course, we'd be lost without the trusty aid of the old Analysis Machine so let's power
it up and get to work!
But as always, be sure to watch our previous Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire analyses as
we'll only be covering the new stuff here.
The trailer begins by giving us a proper look at the first five Gyms of the game.
Just like everyone else, the Gym Leaders have received redesigns, but even the gyms themselves
seem to have been upgraded to varying degrees.
Take the Petalburg Gym for instance.
It looks to retain its gimmick of having the player choose what kind of challenge they
want from the next trainer.
As we can see, it still has two of the choices with either a speedy trainer or an accurate
trainer.
The design of the gym itself is mostly the same, mainly just fleshing out the idea of
it being based on a traditional Japanese home though the final room with Norman does have
a new window showing off the scenery.
Norman himself has only been changed slightly with his shirt now unzipped and switching
out his boots for traditional Japanese sandals.
He also seems to be a little younger than before though that might just be because of
the evolved art style.
After all, he's still the player's father and even retains the same dialog from the
original game.
So far, there doesn't seem to be any changes to his team as we can see his Slaking has
returned.
Moving on to Rustboro Gym, it has seen a major overhaul.
Where before it was just a couple of rocks and some trainers, the Gym now doubles as
a museum.
The most immediate thing to note are the two rock statues depicting Kabutops and Lileep
while a fossilized Dragonite skeleton, note the wings and telltale horn on its head, is
embedded in the wall.
The rest of the displays contain digging tools and several types of fossils including ones
that resemble the Helix Fossil and Old Amber.
One of the cooler Easter eggs though is the display with the original map of Hoenn for
a nice little callback to the classic games.
We've already talked about Roxanne herself at length in our previous analysis, but now
we can also see that she still has a Nosepass in her team.
Next up is Dewford Gym which also has a massive overhaul.
Gone are the empty hallways and instead the Gym has been made to look like, well, a gym.
This can be seen from the moment you enter as even the Gym Guide is standing behind a
counter like a clerk.
The walls are lined with posters advertising weight lifting giving the sense that it's
a true Gym.
What we're not sure of is what the new floor switches do.
The player runs past the first trainer, meaning that she's already been beaten, and steps
on the switch where we can hear a click.
Is it simply to lower a wall and it's already been done?
That's not really a puzzle so what would be the point?
Even Brawly's room is filled with treadmills and some kind of fitness display.
It would explain the new running shoes that Brawly wears.
He looks much more muscled this time around and has gotten a tan and some new sunglasses.
It seems designed to emphasize his workout motif which is obviously fitting.
Finally, Brawly's Makuhita returns as well.
Mauville Gym seems mostly the same to its original incarnation outside the visual upgrade.
To get to Wattson, a puzzle involving lightning rods and colored switches must be solved.
In the original, the switches were only a single color so it may have been updated enough
to give it a bit more challenge.
Like his Gym, Wattson hasn't changed too much, still wearing his yellow overalls though they're
emphasizing his laid-back nature by putting him in an electric variation of a Hawaiian
shirt and a pair of sandals.
Like the others, we know that at least his Magneton will be returning for his team.
Finally, we were correct in the previous analysis that the hot springs Gym would be Lavaridge,
but this time we get our first look at Flannery.
She hasn't changed too much outside of her new tied-off shirt and belt, but she certainly
has the same personality as before as well as her signature Torkoal.
Along with the Gym Leaders, we also got our first look at two of the Elite Four members.
First up is Sidney, who has completely changed his outfit, ditching the vest and brown pants
for a suit jacket and purple pants.
Otherwise, he looks pretty much the same save for a single accessory.
He now wears some kind of wristwatch and considering the presence of Mega Evolutions, could one
of his Pokémon now have one?
The most obvious choice would be his Absol, but the screenshots decided to highlight his
Shiftry.
Could that possibly be getting a Mega Evolution in the games as well?
Phoebe, on the other hand, has seen almost no change to her design outside some basic
updating.
Even the accessory on her foot is the same, though we wonder if it's been given a use
now if Sidney has a Mega Evolution.
It would make sense to give every member of the Elite Four a Mega Evolution.
And considering that the Pokémon she's shown using is a Dusknoir, which didn't appear until
Gen 4, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility.
Especially since her team has a Sableye which of course now has a Mega Evolution.
Another possible explanation for her Dusknoir is that the battle is actually from a rematch
though we find it a little odd that footage of that would be shown instead of her first
match.
A smaller detail to note about the Elite Four is that it's keeping to the original idea
of them where the player moves from room to room in a set order.
While they've been given a little more flash thanks to the strange windows behind them,
the rooms are otherwise sparse.
But hey, at least they're given a chair while they're waiting for the next challenger.
Before we move on, we thought we'd point out that it seems the story will mostly remain
the same, at least in the beginning.
Steven Stone might have a new goal and Mega Evolutions are in the game, but thanks to
these screenshots, we can see that you at least meet Professor Birch and receive your
first Pokémon in the same way as before.
As they say, the more things change, the more things stay the same.
And that can also be said of our first look at the new evolution sequence.
Nothing too new but it is neat to see.
Another returning feature looks to be the Contests though their structure hasn't been
fully shown yet.
Instead, we see various examples of Pikachu cosplay ranging from a Professor to a Southern
Belle, to a Rocker, to a Pop Idol, to a Luchador.
Interestingly, all of the Pikachus in costume are female based on their tail.
We have no idea what this could mean, but it might be possible that there are gender
specific costumes.
At the very least Contests are coming back in some way because each of these costumes
are based on the Contest traits.
The Professor is smart, the Belle is beauty, the Rocker is cool, the Idol is cute, and
the Luchador is tough.
So maybe the costumes aren't gender specific but trait specific.
And will it only be Pikachu that cosplays?
Or will there be specific costumes for other popular cute Pokémon?
After all, Pokémon-Amie is back and we can see the Pikachus still in costume there.
Could it have some kind of direct connection to Contests where each trait can be trained
specifically for some kind of advantage in battle?
Finally, there's the return of the Secret Bases.
They're introduced by the new character Aarune, who flies around Hoenn with his Flygon.
Like the original games, the bases can be set up in specific spots using the move Secret
Power.
This hollows out the area and sets up a laptop where you can choose from several options.
At the most basic level, it's a place where players can decorate it as a kind of secret
fort complete with lamps, dolls, tables, posters, and various floor items.
There was already a lot to choose from in the original games, but it's been expanded
immensely to include things like a Poké Flute case, a jukebox, the GTS globe, and even the
arrow panels.
You could even visit other players' bases by mixing your records, but that's been modernized
with the new Streetpass and QR code features.
Both methods share the most recently saved version of your base to whoever accesses them.
As soon as they do, they will be considered a Secret Pal where they can interact with
NPC Avatars that represent you.
They can invite you back to their base as well as battle you or access one of your special
features like Egg nurturing, which speeds up the hatching process, or even immediately
leveling your Pokémon.
Each Secret Base you have contains a flag, and each flag you collect daily will increase
the level of your Base.
The higher your level, the better effects you'll receive from your Secret Pals.
The laptop is where you can choose to Decorate your Base, Manage your QR codes, Delete favorites
though we're not sure if that refers to Secret Pals or Bases, Look at all of your Bases,
and Edit your Secret Team's settings.
It's that last part that's the most intriguing as it essentially allows you to turn your
Secret Base into a makeshift Gym.
Presumably, you'll be able to dictate which Pokémon are on that team and perhaps what
kind of tactics they use.
And you can even decide whether your Gym will use Single or Double Battles.
But the question remains whether this feature will be available before the Elite Four or
after.
In the original games, players could not battle in the Secret Bases until they beat the game.
Will that limitation stay the same?
Another curiosity is that more than one person is in the Secret Base.
Could these be multiple players or could the owners of the Base actually be able to create
NPCs as well to further expand the idea that it's a Gym?
Okay, we're almost done here, but we haven't talked about the newest Mega Evolution yet,
Metagross.
Unlike the other new Mega Pokémon, it doesn't actually have any of its stats lowered when
it evolves.
Instead, its Speed stat greatly increases while every other stat has a smaller increase.
Unfortunately, we don't know what its ability will be, but we do know that its typing will
remain the same.
Steven Stone actually uses one on his team as well so players will have to be prepared
for that challenge!
With this new trailer, it seems like Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will be doing
its best to bring back everything fans loved about the original games while tweaking, enhancing,
and expanding each one.
It's been a dream for a long time to be a Gym Leader and take on all challengers.
To see it actually be implemented makes it all the more exciting.
But, for now, that's everything we could find in the latest Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
trailer.
Of course, if we missed something, please let us know in the comments.
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